Hey guys, I hope this post finds you all well, fingers crossed the world settles down soon!!
It’s been a varied week for me film wise, First up was the latest offering from M. Night Shyamalan, Old. In 1999 Shyamalan shook the world with The Sixth Sense and has seemingly been trying to recreate it ever since, for me he got closest in 2004 with the Village.
Old follows a group of holiday makers who find themselves trapped on a secluded beach, unable to return through the passageway that they arrived through. They also find that they age at an accelerated rate. What follows is a nicely paced mystery as our group try work out what is happening, why they are there and, most importantly, how to escape.
The one problem I had with this film is the same problem I have with most films from Shyamalan. The ending, or the reveal (or explanation?). This one left me with the same flat, deflated feeling. Probably made worse by the fact I had genuinely enjoyed the film up to then and the explanation, though full and not what I expected was just a little dull for me.
I’m not sure where I’d rate Old in the list of M. Night Shyamalans films, I guess they’re all good, bad and indifferent in their own ways and its hard to say if this is one I’d recommend to anyone that hadn’t seen one of his movies. But, if you want a mystery movie that is 2/3’s solid and don’t mind that there’s a risk you wont like the ending, then this is worth looking at. 7.5/10
Its easy to forget that Marvel films weren’t always the amazing, polished, visual treats that they are today, but trust me, at one time (not that long ago!!) it wasn’t always the case.
Back in the 80’s, long before Marvel studios came along, comic book movies were still in the experimental stage. We’d had a couple of Superman films, Howard The Duck came along in 1986 and that was pretty much it for the big screen, comic book properties seemed to be destined to be on TV.
In 1989 (for Germany, 1991 for everywhere else) we got the first ”serious” comic book movie from the pages of Marvel comics, their own dark angel : The Punisher.
Staring Dolph Lundren we got a sort of stripped back Punisher, notably he didn’t have the trademark skull on his chest (no idea why, probably some copyright issues between Marvel and the studio that made it : Carolco Pictures). There were also some changes to his back story. But what we got was a glorious 80’s action flick which is never shy to give us a(nother) over the top action sequence.
The plot, such as it is, involves Frank at war with both the Mob and the Yakuza who are at war with each other, with the Yakuza making a claim on New York due to the Mob being weakened by Frank. Dragged along in all this is Det. Jake Berkowitz, Franks former partner, played by the ever brilliant Louis Gossett Jr.
My main issue with the film is that Lundren and Gossett Jr only get around 5 or 6 minutes screen time together, which is a real shame as Gossett Jr really sells the broken relationship between the two amazingly well. Watching it recently I must admit seeing him struggle with knowing what his former partner and friend has become was a quality I just wasn’t expecting.
Unfortunately this film was crippled with problems behind the camera and it never got the release it deserved, almost being resigned to being a ”straight to video” film before it had even left the editing suite. But that hasn’t stopped it being one of my favourite versions of this character, Lundren especially fits the role much better than we saw Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson manage (though Jon Bernthal is the best I’ve seen, he hasn’t made it to the big screen yet)
If you want a cheesy, typically 80’s, but gritty action film with some genuine dark undertones then you don’t have to look much further than this forgotten gem. 8.5/10
lastly, the undoubted highlight of my week was recording the podcast. I had the great pleasure of interviewing Cal Dodd. Cal was the voice of Wolverine in the 90’s animated series of the X-Men, a series I believe that without we wouldn’t have the MCU, or at the very least, the X-Men movie franchise.
I must admit I was more nervous than I’ve ever been in recording an episode, but Cal was an absolute joy to talk to. I have always thought that the best episodes are the ones that just feel like a chat between mates and that was just what I got from Cal. I found him to be incredibly open, honest and warm. My favourite bit of the episode is when the interview part is over and we became just two guys chatting about the weather. It was one of those moments that I didn’t ”get” at the time but when I was thinking about it afterwards it was the part that made me happiest. If you remember the series and are looking forward to it coming back next year then I’d love it if you could give the episode a listen
That’s all from me this time guys, catch you soon!
Dead Mans Chest 