 |
| Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin in Police Squad! (1982) |
This
Static Age’s spotlight
goes to Police Squad! (1982),
starring (the previously serious actor) Leslie Nielsen as the buffoon detective
Frank Drebin, assigned to several cases that he solves with plenty of weirdness.
This police procedure drama satire proved so popular that an entire film
franchise ensued (this will also be covered, in a future installment of A Binge too Far) and indeed the series
had me laughing so hard that my belly was hurting. ‘A Substantial Gift (The
Broken Promise)’ has Sally (Kathryn Leigh Scott) shooting two men dead at point
blank, but as she tells the police a different story, it is now up to Frank to
crack the case. ‘Ring of Fear’ (A Dangerous Assignment)’ directed by Joe Dante
finds Frank against wise guys that fix boxing games. ‘The Butler Did It (A Bird
in the Hand)’ is about a mysterious kidnapping. ‘Revenge and Remorse (The
Guilty Alibi)’ is about a series of bombings. ‘Rendezvous at Big Gulch (Terror
in the Neighborhood)’ is about a crime organization that is bullying small
business owners. ‘Testimony of Evil (Dead Men Don’t Laugh)’ directed by Joe
Dante and starring Dick Miller finds Drebin trying to tackle a drug-pushing
operation.
And now, let’s switch our focus towards some recent series…
 |
| Penny Dreadful - Season 2 |
The 2
st season of
Penny
Dreadful (2014 – 2016) provides us with further adventures of the
supernatural kind for the dark team that consists of explorer Sir Malcolm
Murray (Timothy Dalton), gun expert Ethan Chandler (the show’s American casting
touch Josh Hartnett), Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and medium
Vanessa Ives (Eva Green). Aside from the eerie material (however chaotic the
mix-up of so many legendary characters), the series also provide some very
interesting thoughts on homosexuality and acceptance, as well as feminism and
religion. In particular, the mid-season romance arc between Dorian Grey (Reeve
Carney) and beautiful transvestite Angelique (Jonny Beauchamp) is a bold queer
statement in itself. Featuring imagery so disturbing that in the 1980s wouldn’t
attract the star cast that it did nowadays, this proves how much times have
changed and it comes highly recommended.
The 3rd season of Fargo
(2014 – present), created by Noah Hawley, is about two brothers (both played by
this installment’s star Ewan McGregor), one a rich businessman and the other a
poor parole officer in love with a gorgeous hooker (Mary Elizabeth Winstead),
they both get involved with the wrong people and have to deal with local
organized crime’s goons. What we get once again is Cohen brothers aesthetics in
the snow and a perfect blend of grimness and humor (very David Lynch-like).
Some subplots seem to be going nowhere (one could only get away with such
ambiguities in post-2000 television), yet they are all somewhat connected.
The 2nd season of Marvel’s Luke Cage (2016 – 2018) finds the titular superhero (Mike Colter)
enjoying the acceptance of the Black community that he gained the last time
around, going as far as having his own app, and occasionally roughing up bad
guys in Harlem that has become really easy on him. That is until he finds his
equal in the form of Bushmaster (Mustafa Shakir), a villain so ruthless that he goes as far as to behead his enemies. This
final season suffers from a slow start, but it picks up later when it becomes a
gang war epic.
And now, please allow me to speak a word or two about a recent
mainstream film…
 |
| Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) |
Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong
(2021) directed by Adam Wingard finds the two titular mega-monsters fighting
against each other due to a conspiracy generated by an evil corporation, but as
the battle ensues several more monsters enter the picture, and believe me, this
is a big picture; made on an estimated $200 million budget this could be
nothing less. A spectacle like no other with breathtaking action scenes and
spectacular CGI, it succeeds because it also respectful of the spirit of Toho’s
kaiju classics. Do not miss it.
And finally, I enriched my bookshelf with the following additions:
Sheridan Le Fanu’s influential lesbian vampire classic Carmilla (1872); Thomas De Quincey’s intense drugs and philosophy
apotheosis Confessions of an English
Opium-Eater and Other Writings (2013, Oxford University Press); and Matt
Ruff’s excellent road story of real and unreal terrors Lovecraft Country (2018, Picador).
Get books, comics, graphic novels and more at
bunny17media.com. Use the code CHC at checkout for 15% off your purchase!
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