24: Day 1 Review

I'd like to kick off my 24 Season One review with a side note about the show I wrapped up before starting my 24 "binge" (I plan to work my way through all my TV show DVDs over the next few months so my free time will be well spent indeed. Coming off of watching the brilliant series "The Prisoner" (which I posted about a little bit ago), 24 seems awfully small.

However, The Prisoner is unlike most other shows, and 24 is by far one of the more entertaining series to come out this decade.

Season one begain soon after the September 11th attacks. This may have changed the series entirely from what it was initially created for. In the first episode of the series a plane is blown up over the Mojave desert (that desert makes some dramatic returns in later seasons). Since they had already filmed many episodes of the series by the point the attacks happened, they were set in that story element. Personally I think the decision to cut the actual explosion of the plane, only to see the glow from the outside was a perfect artistic decision, if not the correct change to make for the sake of decency.

Anyway, let us not concern ourselves with only 1 hour of the series. The best is yet to come in the series as we follow CTU agent Jack Bauer off on a wild ride of being the hunter and hunted, which change at the snap of the fingers.

This season, like all following seasons do have their downsides. There always seems to be at least some plot "twist" or plot turn that makes absolutely no sense from a narrative standpoint, and seems to only either serve as filler, so they don't stretch out the more strong material, or as some kind of inside joke from the writers and producers who had friends that told them they could never get X on the air. Letting X be either a gay prostitute and his John, a dumb as bricks kid who feels safe only by searching out the person who kidnapped her earlier, or completely inept federal agents continually screwing things up with little to no questioning of their abilities.

This season is the most believable and straight-forward of the seasons, with genuinely shocking plot twists at times that the newer seasons could only dream of.

Season one stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Leslie Hope, Sarah Clarke, Elisha Cuthbert, Dennis Haysbert, Xander Berkeley, Mia Kirshner

***1/2 /*****

Hellboy

2004
Staring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans, Jeffrey Tambor, Doug Jones, Karel Roden
Director: Guillermo del Toro

I feel like a complete and utter idiot.

So I did my top 10 comic book films a while back and completely missed this one. To be honest the reason why this film seems to always be forgotten by not just me, but by many, is due to the subtle nature of the entire thing.

It stars long time actors and a fantastic array of supporting cast, but fails to garner the notice of the sector of the entertainment world that focuses on "star-power" (also known as "The movie could be crap but I'll go see it because [fill in Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, what-have-you] was in the film. It also doesn't help that the film's sequel seems to be forever in development hell, but that it seems to have finally begun and that we'll see a sequel in '08. Only 4 years in-between films...

*** 1/2 /*****

Duck You Sucker

Giù la testa (1971) (aka A Fistful of Dynamite)

Staring: James Coburn, Rod Steiger, Romolo Valli, Franco Graziosi
Director: Sergio Leone

Honestly, this film isn't entirely bad, but from the man who mastered the Western, this film is a major disapointment.

Much of what made his previous films (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West so good were completely absent in this film. The visuals are missing, the music is below the normal standards of one of his films, and frankly the "message" is so heavy handed at times that it's laughable.

Coburn's stint as an IRA fugitive who has a fondness for dynamite is about the only positive aspect of the film.

***/*****

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

(aka Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il) (1966)

Staring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach
Director: Sergio Leone

I'm hesitant to actually put any words down for this review, as I feel that there are almost no words to really describe how fantastic this film is. Looking at the spread here, it is hands down the best Western ever made. Ever. Sorry "High Noon", sorry "Rio Bravo", sorry "The Outlaw Josey Wales", sorry Tombstone, and sorry Unforgiven.

The film has three of the best characters portrayed on screen, and to be honest is hands above most other Western film characterizations, of which so many feel completely bland and unnatural in other films. The score is a masterpiece, and I'm grateful that Ennio Morricone finally got the recognition he deserved this past Oscar season.

The story is top notch. Not only is there a great deal of action, the story itself is an amazing journey. Set during the American Civil War, it follows the three title characters on a journey for riches they can barely believe in.

The end sequence is something that can only be experienced and not be explained.

*****/*****

The Young Rajah

Finally remembering about TCM's Silent Movie Sundays, I tuned in to check out the week's offerings. The film stars the famous silent film actor Rudolph Valentino.

To be honest they did the best they could do with what was surviving. The film had been almost completely destroyed over the decades, with about 35 minutes of the film totally surviving. Most of this footage is from the end of the film, so the first part is made up of stills, pictures, modern constructed pictures (generally close ups of letters and other material of the sort), and helpful bridging material. I was tempted to turn off the film early on, if only because of the challenge to watch something like this so late at night.

The story centers around Amos Judd (played by Valentino), an adopted son who was originally from (if I remember correctly) India. He turns out to be the ancestor of Arjuna, the hero of the Bhagavad Ghita. He has the misterious ability to look into the future. Living in America, Amos falls in love with Molly Cabot, unfortunately for him she doesn't return the favor due to her biased attitudes (though the father surprisingly approves).

The film covers a great many issues that would have been very taboo for the time. Interracial marriage, and the belief that one should be judged by their thought or character and not because of the color of their skin. I think I've heard that someplace before...

**1/2/*****

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones' Fourth installment gets a title, and lowered expectations.

2007 MTV VMA "highlights"

Yes, yet another year passes us by where less and less music is shown on the "Music Television" network. Here is the short list of what I found to be the "high" points - or to be more accurate, low points, which have made me ashamed of watching this travesty.

Here it goes in no particular order:

1) I liken Sarah Silverman's "humorous" shtick to kicking an injured dog repeatedly, just because you can. In other words, completely unfunny and old.

2) Britney Spears is better looking than she has looked in past months, but her choice of dress was wholly inappropriate. That sad attempt at choreographed dance moves was about as active as a senior's water aerobics class at the local pool. She walked from one part of the stage to another, then back. All of this set to the least convincing lip-syncing in years. Even 50 Cent looked completely confused by the entire routine.

3) Kanye West is not only a sore loser, he beats the race card. Expect whatever credibility he has to be completely done away with when he returns to the VMAs some day. Kanye, many more talented people than you have never won an award in their life, let alone be nominated. It is pure smug, self-disillusionment to think that anyone will honestly listen to your comments and agree that, you, a millionaire musician hasn't "gotten a break." 14:59... and counting.

4) Kid Rock and Tommy Lee get into a brawl. Do I hear crickets chirping?


I think that this entire award show can be summed up with one simple word: hype. MTV hyped this as Britney Spear's comeback and advertised this as some sort of spectacular event. It turns out that it was one of the worst they've ever had in the 23 years they've been at it.

*/*****

For a Few Dollars More

Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
Staring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Mara Krupp.
Director: Sergio Leone.

Clint Eastwood returns in "For A Few Dollars More" as the Man With No Name. Apparently since the last film he's picked a profession: Bounty Hunting.

Lee Van Cleef plays Colonel Mortimer, another bounty hunter. The film begins with a fantastic scene where Cleef enters a town to take care of a unwanted menace to the town. Personally this scene sets the entire tone of the film and got me hooked instantly.

I don't find this as impressive as A Fistful of Dollars, and I don't find it half as amazing as The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Never-the-less I do enjoy this film as one of the better examples of a western. Again this wasn't even done by Americans, but Italians working in Spain. To be honest I was always amazed at how realistic (or perhaps "rustic") everything looked in these films while so many American westerns which came out at the same time felt so unbelievable and, well phony.

Perhaps the only revelation of the film that I didn't buy was one of the most important moments. You'll know what I'm talking about once you've seen the film. Other than that, both Eastwood and Cleef play excellent roles in this sometimes forgotten film.

***½/*****

A Fistful of Dollars

Per un pugno di dollari (1964)
Staring: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, John Wells (Gian Maria Volontè), Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp.

The first in the "Man with no name" trilogy, the film is in actuality lifted completely from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. In many ways it's just as good.

Some people may not be as impressed with Eastwood's role in this, but I find his understated role a refreshing occurance in a genre (and era) filled with "big" actors that constantly played themselves such as Cooper, Fonda or Wayne. Not that I'm bashing these particular actors - though The Duke's roles are generally less interesting to me after you've seen two or three However he does command the screen, I'll give you that. Anyway, getting away from that tangent... the understated role of "Joe" works to the films advantage, as he's a character with motivations of his own. He has his own way of doing things, and gets the job done.

The acting is standard "Spaghetti Western" fare. Italian filmmakers filming in Spain, with dubbed voices for all but the "main" few cast members who spoke English. Through the 4 main films (the trilogy including "Once Upon a Time in the West") they are pretty consistent, and it's lovely to see the same people show up from time to time in a different role ("the old guy" for instance - if you've seen the movies you know who I'm talking about).

***½/*****

RIP Michael Jackson

While not directly related to films or television, I want to convey my deepest regard to Michael Jackson, probably the best beer critic that has ever lived. You will be missed. I will have a Belgian brew in your honor this evening.