Red Dwarf S1 3*

Red Dwarf BBC TV I first heard mentioned by Big Bang Theory nerd Sheldon, whose flatmate Leonard is sweet on blonde neighbor Penny - single with pals Howie and Raj in Season 1, get girls by Season 7. Like original Odd Couple, slob squabbles with snob. Leonard/ Lister is shy, short, chunky, yearns for girl; counterpoint foil Sheldon/ Rimmer is smart(er), tall, thin; in both, aspirations over-reach abilities, crude rude interaction is adult, silly. Crash course spans Season 1 to revival X 2012.

My favorite RD effect is real, not computerized, when Lister's mouth widens sliding down behind quarantine glass to freak out Rimmer, but couldn't find on Youtube; found April Fool. Library loan Season 1 2002 dvd of 1988 season has fun extras; episodes are online, among other TV shows. The pilot "The End" written in 1983, was inspired by Dark Star scifi spoof.

Dave Lister (standup comic, non-actor Clapham-accented Craig Charles) is lowest maintenance-man Class 3 slob - breakfasts on beer milkshake and vindaloo, smokes ciggy in ear. While in stasis three million years, his smuggled black feline evolves into a humanoid descendant - swanky selfish tom Cat (dancer Danny John-Jules) "Ow. Ah. Eeah. How'm I lookin?". Only these two/189 crew survived radiation leak on grotty mining spaceship Red Dwarf (8' model). Control with 6K IQ, AI face Holly (Norman Lovett complained past mere voice-over) can sustain a single hologram for company, chooses room-mate Arnold J Rimmer (Chris Barrie), unfortunately obnoxious stiff-neck Class 2 Technician.

Visitors are memories, video recordings (no discs yet), holograms (Clare Grogan as love interest Kassie Kochanski), germs Paranoia (Lee Cornes) and Confidence (first TV appearance of Craig Ferguson, now double US citizen, TV talk host), dying Cat priest, toaster, meal machine. Against dull grubby grey (shade conflict was true), incongruous analog cinema-tape reel containers and Cat's lavish suits stand out dramatically. Despite the odd ruffle, jewel glint, contrasting chest hankies, his sinuous slim carriage lends cheery elegance, where paunchy over-hill Elvis-Elton-Liberace are gaudy and sad. Olaf Peterson, swarthy tattooed Swede (tartan cap in dim disco) is skinny teenage Arthur Weasley from Harry Potter.

X-rated for dialog topics. Futuristic-sounding expletives are smeg, gointz, gimboid, tot. Hol echoes the repeat phrasing that's always puzzled me in shows and life "Emergency. There's an Emergency going on. It's still going on. It's still an emergency. This is an emergency announcement ... "

Pictures (until I figure out how to place more than one on post)

Episodes 1-6

1. The End - Hol revives Lister, three million years in stasis after radiation leak.

2. Future Echoes - Deja vu travel time blips show twin boys in Lister's future.

3. Balance of Power - Lister takes chef exam to outrank Rimmer.

4. Waiting for God - Hol translates cat smell Holy book proving Lister is cat deity.

5. Confidence & Paranoia Sick - Lister hallucinations come alive.

6. Me (squared Two) - Rimmer holograms disagree.

Bonus Disc:

Takes thought to find Smeg-ups (sink-toilet gizmo) and Japanese-dubbed pilot episode (goldfish aquarium) from knick-knacks in messy bunk-bed room menu choices, innit. Worth the work, not just bleeps and pratfalls. Real cat Frankenstein escapes cage (explains why actual footage reveals Lister's white-enclosed privates bobble from his shorts, and milk flee saucer), aged actor stumbles "the righteous path of stubble-ess (slobbiness is a word?)", Rimmer: "I've been thinking ... no, I haven't", Cat can't find mirror to admire self, Rimmer can't find pencil to report Lister. Not sure if Japanese have accents that convey class, or how jokes fare that depend on local slang (also here correct scientific term), such as verruca (plantar wart remover) cream for footless man. "Syonara, unbelievable, dangereuse, my shadow, catto, oolala, crispy" need no translation.

Collector's booklet is more lively, says embarrassment over gazpacho cold soup incident from life. Many Boring extras. Models and Launch. Babies cry, then their polaroid develops).

Deleted (as usual, with good reasons besides time) and extended scenes (beer can)

Music (guitar) great from sweetly or starkly simple to sweepingly symphonic. The theme "Fun fun fun in the sun sun sun" makes sense at the start "no kind of atmosphere, all alone here". Audio (speaker-sided talking toaster) I skipped, good for those who like audio books. Clips, Trailer (Hol screen-portrait), Photo Gallery (pinup).

Launch = talking heads with trivia: Allan Rickman and Hugh Laurie liked the Lister part. Pure luck that a budget space in Manchester for "dangerous, edgy" spot took on London 3x (confirmed, several sources) 3-year (unconfirmed, single source) reject.

Commentary:

Mostly boring, though reassuring Lister ate milk powder instead of crew ashes. The three actors dwell on their youth (23), changing: thickness of the one-off silvery forehead-glued one-off cutouts, depth of Prince-Charles-like side part approaching Rimmer's ear, height of Rimmer's curls escaping gel as day wore on. May explain why images of later shows have inked stencil template H. If babies keep crying, adlib relevant remark. I found "bonan matenon" IS Esperanto for good morning.

EarthSea 4*

dvd 2004 Earthsea, from Ursula LeGuin 1980+ series, is an 4* awesome vista of spectacular British Columbia Canada mountain cliffs, green trees and moss, blue sea and sky, schooners great and small, sails flapping, computer castles, in 1001 islands, an imaginary medieval time of cape, crown, sword, staff, horse. Trailer. Humor is humanizing, lighter and better than Tolkein or Rowling, less loss of loved ones, plus moral of self-acceptance. Fun at School.

Blacksmith's son Ged (Xmen Iceman Shawn of the Ashmore identical twins), bright blue eyes in hobbity rufflable red-gold curls aspires to more than a peasant's future. He has dreams and visions of a lovely brunette Tenar (Kristin Kreuk) beckoning him down an dim stone maze. On his departure from the village, his white-haired teacher Marion (Betty Philips, not voice) gives him a necklace to wear always, her only possession when washed ashore, memory lost, in a great storm. Evil King Tygath (Sebastian Roche, royal English accent amid plebian NA voices) conquers with Kargide troops and schemes with lover luscious blonde priestess Kossil (Jennifer Calvert, home Vancouver to London) for immortality by releasing the destructive Nameless Ones. Legend says the Amulet of Peace to heal Earthsea was broken and lost long ago, when a similar pair enacted the same plot, and a great storm destroyed much.

"Of course the other half of the amulet isn't secreted away in some flowery meadow next to a babbling brook (where the film began)" scoffs Ged, heading down into tombs below bloodthirsty horde headquarters, following advice of a delightfully lithpy toothy growl of dragon Orm Embar (unaugmented Peter Kent).

The quest passes through a world of great natural beauty, (Stargate Digital Vancouver) special-effect vicious spooks, and the aforementioned tricky riddling fiery dragon. Although not elevated by any unusual spark of distinction, this is the fairy tale classic we've always known, a lovely legend of faith and redemption, to sweet madrigal song chorus and rhythmic drums. Title track.

DVD dated 2004, probably no sequels, too bad.

Spoilers to the plot, not the end:

Treacherous Kossil poisons the temple leader Reverend Mother Thar (Isabel Rosselini). Animal husbandry expert Ogion (Danny Glover) gives Ged secret name SparrowHawk, but the boy is too impatient and heads for the island Roke school of magic led by English-accent Arch Magus Nemril (Alan Scarfe in own white beard). His pride and ability challenged, he gravely errs. From the temple guardians, he releases the soul-devouring Gebbeth (Mark Acheson) who kills all in his path to consume Ged. But steadfast pal Vetch (Christopher Gauthier) diverts his attention from food to help.

Scene Selection has sound track on every choice, an unusual bonus I like

Extras:

The World of Earthsea made real

Five days to midnight, not much of a trailer

Director Commentary

Robert Lieberman covered skin, tempered violence, hid dragon's body, left out lesbians. Subtlety has better effect than soapbox shouting of LeGuin. I'd puzzled over some oddness of Ged's father's voice. Turns out a heavy Scot brogue was dubbed over, as was the old lady Mary for an older soft English quaver, and a soldier. The director seemed unaware of the British high-class accents cast those who (thought they) were. Threw me when cameo venerated religious icon Lady Elfarren (Amanda Tapping) spoke normal Canadian, not her TV Sanctuary British accent. Juxtaposed against a modern phrasing and slurring is an archaic style I'd prefer more.

Deliberate incorporation of light crackles, flickers (3K candles), livestock, birds, water in every shot, real smoke guns, huts, cracking floorboards, 3K+ scrolls, magnified eye, amalgam of known cultures (Africa, Middle East, Moorish), avoiding look-alike long white hair and beard and pointy hats (our 21st century earth still has magic-users who look like Ogion), make us unconsciously accept sets and costumes as reality. Styrofoam has come a long way. I was unaware of the re-used sets; it lends continuity. Costumes add to my sense of reality: linen, leather, brocade, silk, fur, chain-mail. His sense of clown white makeup diminishing the scariness of the Shadow, teeniness of dungeon doors, the foreboding formidable. corresponded to mine.

Avoiding heavy melodrama or slapstick cartoon, the director strikes the right balance. What to do if a rat won't go though a hole and has to be stuffed through? Write extra lines and crack a tubby joke. Traditional closing scenes bring the cast together; on 1001 islands, a magic beam lights everyone. I used more trailers than my usual review, because none seem to correctly convey the balance of scenery, action, humor, and caring (too much silence, indoors, dreamy romance, or dark) in the original.

Spoiler Trailer better scenery gives away end

Tales from Earthsea is an 2010 anime version

Jumper 2*

Preview. Book. Fast fantasy action crosses continents, yet slow flat people faces. Hard to explain. Extras show indecisive director procrastination, maybe why I failed to connect with motherless teen hero David (Hayden Christensen), cheer for him and his hometown girl Millie (Rachel Bilson), and wasn't even sure if I had guessed the ending.
I like British sidekick Griffin (Jamie Bell), apparently the only actor constant from the start. Villain Roland (Samuel L. Jackson) and, suprise mother, Mary Rice (Diane Lane) provide counterpoint to the youths.

dvd Time Bandits

4* "Time Bandits" (1981 onto DVD 1999) starts with boy Kevin (Craig Warnock), surprised in his bedroom by six (hard to count because they hardly stand still) dwarves, starting careers as international thieves (Photo 1) with a stolen map of time portals for a multi-period film. Impeccable fitting fitted small costumes, steampunk-scrap style headgear. Hodge-podge vignettes start with historical figures, then descend into nonsense cartoon fairytale. Silly with intense menace, slapstick without cute conde,scension.

Minimal special effects with cuts, angles, black, sounds, models, smoke, giant Lego (I missed that), reverse shots, have great effect, above earliest Star Trek styrofoam alien rocks. The evil lair was a 12'x 25' plastic mini-model. The great escape was immensely clever teamwork. Lots of flashy explosions for the predictable end of pompous villain. Back in the present, the resolution did not resolve for me.

Spoilers:

The Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson) chases them through drunken Napoleon (Ian Holm), reminds me of the lemur king in Madagascar Penguins, Robin Hood (John Cleese) "crikey, rather, jolly good, cheerio". A hesitant suitor's proposal to Pansy (Shelley Duvall) is interrupted here; reincarnations of the couple recur. But the Evil Genius (David Warner) watches, wants the map, to get silicon technology, and diverts them to where (Morocco) Greek King Agamemnon (Sean Connery - Photo 2) cuts off the minotaur's (costume) head. Flash to a fancy ship, where else would they be but the Titanic (1958 real colorized slowed docudrama "Night to Remember" footage). Kevin loses his Polaroid camera here, but photos survive to save them at the end. A Ogre schooner captain and loving wife "rescue" them and they "escape" as a Giant's hat.

Strangely, the treasure chamber looks like the quiz show (host ubiquitous Jim Broadbent) the parents watch the first night. Lures of advertising? The final hollow-eyed scythe-hand monsters chasing look like the Lord of the Rings Dark Riders; does that mean the small heroes are like hobbits? Most improbable and distressing is the destruction of the resources gathered from all times "ultimate boy's bedroom" - cowboys, archers, knights, tank, rocket-flyer - to merry-go-round melodies. If the present-day fireman who winks is Agamemnon, why doesn't he adopt the boy again? The human asks "why do we have evil", but "something about free will" is no real answer.

Commentary Extra:

I never even noticed the camera often shot from below, "kid" point of view.I saw the plastic covers on the furniture of the materialistic TV-techno-obsesssed parents and on the villain minions, but I didn't link them as "all that is wrong with the modern world". Some symbolism went right over my head. The engaged couple with a unspecified "problem" was supposed to be what adults always say in front of children.

Amazing effects for little money $5M. Midget Kenny Baker was Star Wars R2D2, others Ewoks. Huh. Lead Randall's (David Rappaport) suicide and bearded partner Jack Purvis's paraplegic-accident main reason for cancelling sequel. Mini-models 6" did some stunts. So cutouts and small sets and Welsh castle looked large. The giant was not large, slow film speed and sound effects, miniatures, did the job.

Who takes care of Kevin when his parents die is a girl reaction, apparently. Boys know. When parents don't listen to kids, they die. After surviving danger, we've grown up and can survive. Especially if 007 Connery is guardian angel in background.

Stars: Craig Warnock, Sean Connery, Ralph Richardson, John Cleese, Kenny Bakery, David Rappaport, Jim Broadbent, Shelley Duval