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August 1, 2023

Static Age #25: Escape into Night (1972)

Escape into Night (1972) DVD box art


This Static Age’s spotlight goes to Escape into Night (1972), the British mini-series (6 episodes in total) that were made by ATV and broadcasted by ITV. Based on Catherine Storr’s ‘Marianne Dreams’ (1958) novel it is about a young girl named Marianne (Vikki Chambers, who went on to have a successful career in television) whose dreams become reality and the two dimensions blur with each other. The series were shot in color, but unfortunately the masters were lost (as was the case with a lot of British television of the era) and what we have here is the black and white TV recordings, but even with those the series really shine and make for a great fantasy show.

 

And now, let’s switch our focus towards some recent series…

 

 Narcos - Season 3

The 3rd (and final) season of Netflix’s Narcos (2015 – 2017) takes us to a post-Escobar Columbia, where the crime rate and cocaine peddling is as high as ever, only this time both dictated by new illicit kingpins, the same ones that worked with authorities to bring down the aforementioned arch-villain, only for power to change hands. Based on the true story of Latin American drug wars that spread their wings throughout U.S. and Europe, this final season is well-done and as factual as possible. There is a scene in a beauty parlor in New York that is a work of art.

 

The sole season of Netflix’s mini-series The Imperfects (2022) is about three pill-popping teenagers with special abilities that go after the scientists who turned them into flesh-eating monsters after using them for an experiment. Fun and teenage horror for the masses that unfortunately failed to find a wide audience.

 

1899 - Season 1

The sole season of Netflix’s 1899 (2022) tells the story of several immigrants from various countries who upon traveling in the sea, come across another ship that is surrounded by mystery. Set on an era when travelling was something important that you had to dress up for – a privilege reserved only for the rich, while the poor were working non-stop abroad in order to deliver – these mini-series immediately and from the first of its mere eight episodes makes you believe that you are watching an important piece of television. And so much is true I think, as it is well-shot, suspenseful and thrilling; not to mention several twists during the last few episodes that you won’t be able to see them coming.

 

And now, please allow me a word on some recent mainstream film releases…

 

Director David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) is featuring the unlikeable Zachari Levi on the titular role and has the outstanding distinction of being the worse DC feature in recent history. Part of the second half that includes some of Greek mythology’s beasts unleashed is trying to look interesting, but it is too little, too late.

 

Director Peyton Reed’s thoroughly entertaining Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) pairs the titular superhero (Paul Rudd) and his daughter (Kathryn Newton) against super-villain Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), all within the Quantum Realm. Having actors of the caliber of Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfieffer in supporting roles in a Marvel sequel tells a lot about how fandom has taken over Hollywood and comic book films have transcendent from nerd culture to the mainstream, essentially saving cinema by becoming pretty much the sole vehicles for blockbuster entertainment.

 

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Written and directed by Ruben Ostlund, Triangle of Sadness (2022) is an international co-production that became a Cannes International Film Festival sensation and it won the event’s prestigious Palme d’Or award. It is about a young couple (a fashion model and an influencer) who embark on a luxurious yacht cruise for the ultra rich, in which a variety of humorous and disastrous situations will ensue, resulting in one of the best dark comedies we’ve seen in ages. This is a commentary and a satire on the endless class war and a very intelligent one at that.

 

And finally I enriched my bookshelf with the following additions…

 

Frightgest Guide 6: Vampire Movies (2022, FAB Press, Surrey, England, U.K.) penned by Nathaniel Thompson is another welcome volume to the acclaimed festival’s series of guide books that are lavishly illustrated and better suited for newcomers rather than the initiated. A brief introduction on the vampire cinema is followed by several reviews (a mere paragraph each), but it is all done with so much affection that you can’t help yourself but be entertained, even if the overall experience offers little new information.

 

Speak about going out with a bang! Cinema Sewer Volume Eight (2022, FAB Press, Surrey, England, U.K.), edited by Robin Bougie is the final installment in the compendium series that pack issues of the same-titled fanzine with bonus material, and as usual we get a wide mix of horror, exploitation, cult, and porn film reviews, along with stunning gutter drawings! Bougie knows classic porn and loves classic fanzine aesthetics, so Cinema Sewer will be missed, but I am sure he wanted to leave it while it was on top and I look forward to his future endeavors.

 

Published in 2022 (PS Publishing, Hornsea, U.K.), the latest book in Electric Dreamhouse’s ongoing Midnight Movie Monographs series has Ashley M. Donnelly & Philip L. Simpson tackling the many versions of Manhunter (1986) and studying deeply every aspect of the film; it’s a short and fascinating read.

 

Highly political but also genre-aware, the cinema of Elio Petri is criminally understudied in English language bibliography (and understandably so as most of his output’s arguments are much too related to Italian politics to engage international audiences), something that renowned author Roberto Curti aims to change with his massive and thorough tome Elio Petri: Investigation of a Filmmaker (2021, McFarland, North Carolina, U.S.A.), which excellently works both as a biography of the author and a critical analysis of his films, while also providing the necessary historical context.


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