Thursday June 20
Our Idiot Brother [M-Net.03.30]
Black Snake Moan [e.tv.22.50]
Friday June 21
Zilch
Saturday June 22
SI AND AM AT 06.00
Lady and the Tramp [M-Net.06.00]
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [M-Net.18.00]
Real Steel [M-Net.23.30]
Semi Pro [e.tv.20.00]
Sunday June 23
A NOVEL BY JULES VERNE
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [M-Net.10.00]
Madea’s Witness Protection [M-Net.20.05]
Our Idiot Brother [M-Net.02.30]
The Mysterious Kingdom [e.tv.20.00]
Monday June 24
Lady and the Tramp [M-Net.09.30]
Sucker Punch [M-Net.03.00]
Tuesday June 25
KATE AND GINNIFER.IS THE RING REALLY THE THING?
Something Borrowed [M-Net.0035]
Dawn Anna [e.tv.22.30 and 01.50]
Wednesday June 26
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure [M-Net.09.30]
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [M-Net.01.30]
Real Steel [M-Net.03.00]
Griffin &Phoenix [e.tv.22.35]
A LEARNING CURVE
Surf’s Up [e.tv.00.45]
***
RICCI AND JACKSON. THERE IS A DEFINITE FRISSON BETWEEN THE TWO
This week sees two adaptations of works written in the mid 18th century; which goes to show that some things never really go out of fashion. Black Snake Moan [e.tv.Thursday.22.50] is based on, of all things, George Eliot’s Silas Marner. The adaptation is, shall we say, very free, using just the bare bones of Eliot’s story.
THE TITLE COMES FROM A SONG BY BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON. JEFFERSON LIVED THE BLUES LIFE; LEGEND HAS IT THAT HE WAS POISONED BY A JEALOUS RIVAL; AGED 38
Black Snake Moan is directed by Craig (Hustle and Flow) Brewster and produced by John (Boyz N the Hood) Singleton. Sam Jackson plays Lazarus, a deeply religious farmer and sometime blues guitar picker, who uses his own kind of force to save a local wild child, Rae, played with spirit by Christina Ricci.
BLUES IS GONNA GET Y0U...
As Lazarus tries to heal Rae, he learns a great deal about himself and the curative worth of trust and friendship. The action is gritty and gothic, the blues music reflecting the pain of living; Blues being the natural grandfather of modern day Rap and Rhythm ‘n’ Blues.
TALENT TO SPARE
This is indeed an intriguing movie, full of depth and inner darkness; the performances are superb and the music lingers long after the action is over; Jackson truly finding a role worthy of his formidable talent.
GEORGE ELIOT-HER FRIENDS CALLED HER MARY ANNE
At more or less the same time that Mary Anne Evans (she used a man’s name so that her writing would be taken seriously) was constructing her multi layered novels in England;
JULES VERNE-HIS FRIENDS CALLED JULES. HIS WORK INFLUENCED SUCH DIVERSE CHARACTERS AS EDGAR RISE BURROUGHS, ERNEST SHACKLETON AND WERNHER VON BRAUN
Jules Verne, writing across the channel in France, was beginning the culture of Science Fiction/ Fantasy. Verne has influenced almost everyone, from scientists, to writers and explorers. Unlike Eliot, Verne’s work has been filmed innumerable times.
THE CAST EXPLORE THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. THE ONE BUILT LIKE A MOBILE FRIDGE IS THE AFFABLE DWAYNE JOHNSON
In 2008, his Journey to the Centre of the Earth was filmed again; audience’s love Fantasy these days and the movie was a big hit. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [M-Net.Saturday.18.00 and Sunday.10.00] was conceived almost immediately. Josh Hartnett stars again, this time with Michael Caine and Dwayne Johnson; Vanessa Hudgens does service as the young love interest.
MICHAEL CAINE HAS GIVEN VIEWERS COUNTLESS HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT SINCE HIS DEBUT IN 1956, PLAYING PRIVATE LOCKYER IN A HILL IN KOREA
The plot is a clever coming together of Treasure Island, Gulliver’s Travels and Verne’s own The Mysterious Island. The visuals are breathtaking; the action and acting blithely over the top.
LOVE BIRDS AMONG THE BIRDS-HUDGENS AND HARTLETT
The Mysterious Island clips along at a jaunty pace; spliced like an episode from an old black and white serial, but that all adds to the ‘amusement et jeax’. The cast is both likeable and canny and don’t worry, a third installment is already in the pipe line; in the upcoming adventure, our heroes are bound for the moon.
BOY AND MAN MEET IN THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM
The Forbidden Kingdom [e.tv.Sunday.20.00] is a Martial Arts film starring those Kick, Sock and Smash Heroes Jackie and Jet. This is a fairly congenial story, encompassing time travel similar to The Wizard of Oz. A little boy in Modern America steals back in time, taking his friends with him.
THE ARTISTRY IN MARTIAL ART-JACKIE CHAN, MBE, IS THE MASTER OF THE CUNNING STUNT
There is a major fight sequence, choreographed by Woo Ping Yuen, which is spectacular, but the ongoing theme of The Forbidden Kingdom is one that embraces the ancient values of loyalty, fidelity and commitment. Feet and hands fly, but there is a strong moral code decency and honour too.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE WAS WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME
Another Sci-Fi writer whose work is very accessible today is Richard Matheson, who wrote the 50s classic The Incredible Shrinking Man. Real Steel [M-Net.Saturday.23.30 and Wednesday.03.30] is based on his story, Steel, first written for The Twilight Zone.
FATHER AND SON- JACKMAN AND DAKOTA GOYO
Hugh Jackman and his son live in a future where only Robots are allowed into the boxing ring, a variation on electronic cock fighting.
ATOM AND JACKMAN
The special effects as Jackman and his reconstructed Robot do an impromptu bout of shadow box is something to behold. Director Shawn Levy brings a lightness of touch to Real Steel, highlighting a tender camaraderie between father, Jackman and son, Dakota Goyo.
ROBOT IS A CZECK WORD MEANING SLAVE
There is just enough sentiment to bring a rusty tear to even the most cynical eye. The movie ends with hope for the future and a place for the underdog. Real Steel is original and beautifully acted.
DID EVERYONE LOOK LIKE THIS IN THE 70S?
In Semi Pro [e.tv.Saturday.20.00], set in the 70s, Will Farrell owns a no hope basket ball team, the audience is supposed to root for the underdog, here with silly hair and even sillier costumes. This kind of sports comedy has been done so often in the past, that the laughs, when they do come, are both forced and far between.
LADY AND HER TRAMP
In the field of animation, technological advances have been almost beyond belief. But, sometimes, it is fun to meander down memory lane. Disney’s Lady and the Tramp [M-Net.Saturday.06.00 and Monday.09.30] is a classic; the tale of Lady the cocker spaniel and her love for the mongrel, Tramp.
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JAZZ LEGEND MISS PEGGY LEE PROVIDED SONGS AND VOICES-MUPPET MISS PIGGY WAS NAMED AFTER HER
The movie was made in 1955 and featured music by jazz great Peggy Lee, who also voices Darling and Si and Am the Siamese cats, whose claws look sharp because they are. Lee was granted 2,3 million dollars in 1991, after she sued Disney over Lady and the Tramp transcription rights.
THE SPAGHETTI KISS
Voice over specialist, Barbara Luddy is Lady, who shares the immortal Spaghetti Kiss with Tramp. Walt Disney wanted to cut that scene, but fortunately, he was persuaded to change his mind.
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SCAMP IS A CHIP OF THE OLD BLOCK. HIS SISTERS LOOK ON
Nearly 50 years later, the Disney Corporation made Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure [M-Net.Wednesday.09.30], which is a paler version of the original, released direct to Video/ DVD. The movie is not bad; but not in the same league as Lady and the Tramp, nor was it meant to be, Scamp’s Adventure stands as a tribute to the original and the Golden Age of Disney.
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THE CHARACTERS FIND THEIR VOICES.LEFT TO RIGHT-SHIA LABOEUF,JEFF BRIDGES, JOHN HEDER, ZOOEY DESCHANEL,MARIO CANTONE AND DIEDRICH BADER
More modern and making full use of modern innovations is Surf’s Up [e.tv.00.45] a mockumentary in the ‘Surfer Dude’ School of wave watching. The sea is swimming with life and the gags are up and flapping.
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ONE WAY TO RIDE A WAVE
The vocals of Jeff Bridges and Shia LaBeouf make a great team; Surf’s Up may be modern animation for a modern world, but the movie upholds the old fashioned standards of honesty and hard work; Surf’s Up is a treat for children and adults alike.
AMERICAN WRITER EMILY GRIFFIN
Comedy comes in threes this week. Firstly, an adaptation of Emily Griffin’s highly regarded Chick Lit/ Sex and Shopping novel, Something Borrowed .The novel might be frothy but it has a serious undertone, the fairly new notion that for a woman, there is nothing wrong with being single.
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WILL THERE BE A SEQUEL?
The movie [M-Net.Tuesday.00.35] doesn’t catch this nuance and ends up as a case of Wedding Belle Blues; where Ginnifer Goodwin and Kate Hudson fight over Colin Egglesfield, while a few undeveloped subplots carry on in the background. Rather read the novel, tucked up with a undemanding hot water bottle and a box of chocolates.
EUGENE LEVY DOING HIS BEST.REMEMBER HIM IN A MIGHTY WIND?
Tyler Perry’s Madea came to life nearly a decade ago and fortunately or unfortunately will be with us for a long time to come. In Madea’s Witness Protection [M-Net.Sunday.20.05], Eugene Levy is amusingly harassed as the Witness, Doris Roberts has some good lines as his mother, but as usual the whole shooting match is Tyler Perry.
HE/SHE HAS HIS/ HER FANS
Why is it that men in drag always seem to look like a badly dressed, over made-up woman with big hands? This movie is for fans only.
PLAYING (UN) HAPPY FAMILIES
Our Idiot Brother [M-Net.Thursday.03.30 and Sunday.02.30] is a comedy drama, centered on a dysfunctional fighting family, all with a few skeletons hiding in their respective closets.
PAUL RUDD WITH WILLIE NELSON
Paul Rudd is wild and wooly, as the interfering titular brother; surrounded by Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer as his (not so) longsuffering sisters. The dialogue might be amusing and the situations droll but all are upstaged by a dog named Willie Nelson.
A MOVIE OR MERELY AN ELABORATE MALE FANTASY?
The Medical File is open wide this week; Sucker Punch [M-Net.Monday.03.00] can’t decide whether it is a Fantasy, a Drama or a Melodrama. This rather unsavory little film is tastelessly set amid the harsh reality of Mental Illness.
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DEBRA WINGER TRIES TO PROTECT HER FAMILY
Debra Winger as Dawn Anna [e.tv.Tuesday.22.30 and 01.50] overcomes illness; only to be engulfed in the tragic events that occurred at Columbine High School on April 20 1999. (Incidentally, the 110th Anniversary of the birth of Adolf Hitler)
PEET AND MULRONEY SHARE A TENDER MOOMENT
In Griffin and Phoenix [e.tv.Wednesday.22.35], Amanda Peet and Dermot Mulroney both have terminal illnesses; fortunately they handle their fate with grace and humour.
(UP AND) ATOM
I really enjoy the writing of Richard Burton Matheson, my pick is Real Steel [M-Net.Saturday.23.30 and Wednesday.03.00].
DON'T MENTION THE CRICKET!