Battlestar Galactica (1978) poster art
This Static Age is focusing on
Battlestar Galactica (1978), created
by Glen A. Larson and its sole season consisting of 21 episodes. Taking its cue
from George Lucas’ then-recent Jedi epic (the titles as well as Stu Phillips’
score are almost identical, but further inspiration can be found to have come from
old serials), this is the classic that spawned the television franchise, but
whereas it is now mostly remembered for its drama (and even its humor), for me
its real strength lies on its groundbreaking special effects that are a joy to
watch and make you feel as if you are inside a 1980s sci-fi video game; a great
experience indeed. Starring Ray Milland, the feature-length ‘Saga of a Star
World’ (which was in fact edited into a feature film release as well) is set a
thousand years after the War and finds the Twelve Colonies’ human population
attacked by the evil Cylons, whose murderous spree left only the titular ship
standing. Battlestar Galactica is now on a mission to find the notorious planet
Earth. Colonial Warriors are mysteriously infected in ‘Lost Planet of the Gods:
Part 1’, which leads to the discovery of the planet Kobol in ‘Lost Planet of
the Gods: Part 2’. In ‘The Lost Warrior’ Cylon fighters force Apollo to crash
on Equellus, which is basically a planet that resembles a Western movie. All
common sense should be suspended in order for the viewer to believe ‘The Long
Patrol’ in which Lieutenant Starbuck (Dirk Benedict) finds himself in the
Proteus a prison planet where the hostages are kept in unlocked cages for
generations, yet they have developed some very social skills such as cheering
when drinking; other gags in this otherwise memorable episode include the
introduction of CORA (Computer Oral Response Activated) which is a futuristic
Alexa, and Starbuck womanizing both Cassiopeia (Laurette Spang) and Athena
(Maren Jensen) at the same time. Starring Britt Ekland, ‘Gun on Ice Planet
Zero: Part 1’ and ‘Gun on Ice Planet Zero: Part 2’ take the action to planet
Aracta and are reminiscent of a certain alien takeover in the snow classic
sci-fi film from the 1950s that was remade by John Carpenter in the 1980s, as
well as the 1970s avalanche epics from Roger Corman. The western-like ‘The
Magnificent Warriors’ is featuring ugly alien dwarfs riding some horse-like
creatures and it is quite creepy as well as among the best episodes in the
series. The title of ‘The Young Lords’ is referring to a bunch of children that
rescue Starbuck when he crashes to planet Attila. The Battlestar runs short on
fuel in ‘The Living Legend: Part 1’ and ‘The Living Legend: Part 2’, when it
has to attack planet Gamoray in order to continue its journey. ‘Fire in Space’
is about Cylon arsonist-style suicide attacks. ‘War of the Gods: Part 1’ and
‘War of the Gods: Part 2’ find the Battlestar crew landing on a red planet,
which gives the cinematographer a chance to pursue some very unusual and
gorgeous lighting options. ‘The Man with Nine Lives’ is about an old con artist
who claims to be Starbuck’s father. Starbuck is framed for murder in ‘Murder on
the Rising Star’ and he and his friends spend the entire episode trying to
clear his name.
And now, let’s switch our focus towards some recent series…
Doctor Who - Season 5
The 5th season of Doctor
Who (2005 – present) is introducing Matt Smith as the eponymous character
(a more tongue-in-cheek and quite playful approach by the actor is on hand) and
the drop-dead gorgeous Karen Gillan as his sidekick Amy Pond. The series appear
to having grown up at least visually as is made apparent by the re-designed
titled (now looking more mature) and the cinematography (that is echoing a
certain Chris Carter sci-fi show from the 1990s). The hour-long ‘The Eleventh
Hour’ brings the dynamic duo against the evil Atraxi aliens that resemble the
familiar otherworldly creatures from a well-known Ridley Scott film from the
late 1970s. ‘The Beast Bellow’ finds The Doctor in a U.K. starship in the
future where he comes against the creepy-looking Smilers, some human-sized mannequins
that are a predecessor of the recent horror films’ eerie dolls and the like.
Set in WWII, the ‘Victory of the Daleks’, The Doctor and Amy join forces with
Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice) in order to defeat the Daleks, now disguised as
British soldiers. ‘The Time of Angels’ and ‘Flesh and Stone’ mark the return of
the creepy Weeping Angels, this time amidst a Byzantium spaceship setting. ‘The
Vampires of Venice’ sounds promising, both due to its setting (in 16th
century, no less) and its monsters, but the former leaves much to be desired as
the actual shooting was mostly studio-bound. ‘Amy’s Choice’ is a fascinating
episode about scary old folk that are alien within; starring Toby Jones. Silurians,
the ancient reptile-like monsters, are featured in the ultra-creepy ‘The Hungry
Earth’ and ‘Cold Blood’. The very sweet and emotional ‘Vincent and the Doctor’
is about master painter Vincent Van Gogh (Tony Curran) fighting his (alien)
demons. The Tardis has escaped The Doctor, who must now find it in ‘The
Lodger’. The titular Van Gogh painting in ‘The Pandorica Opens’ is found during
WWII in France as it was meant for Prime Minister Winston Churchill; the action
then moves to Roman Britain and Stonehenge in particular where the work of
art’s prophecy of the exploding Tardis comes true as all sorts of villains from
the Doctor’s past (including the Daleks, of course) are conspiring for his
destruction. The story as well as the season conclude with ‘The Big Bang’,
which had me thinking that had creationists been ever a little bit clever, they
would have by now turned the term into a punch-line of pornographic jokes.
Jokes aside, this season is offering one of the most intelligent and
condescending approaches to love triangles ever seen on television.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 7
The 7th (and final) season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013 – 2020) concludes the adventures of
the titular heroes and their battle against the evil forces of Hydra, this
time-traveling to the 1930s prohibition-era New York in order to change or
maintain history (whichever is more suitable) amidst a cultural chaos of
misogyny and racism. The series eventually go back and forth in time, namely in
the 1950s and 1970s (when the appropriate title cards are also appear) when
things are not that much better. The state-of-the-art special effects of the
show are only matched by the impressive costume design.
On the mainstream movie front, I caught up with the following…
The War with Grandpa (2020)
Director Tim Hill’s The War with
Grandpa (2020) is a lousy attempt at emotional comedy, in which a kid
(Oakes Fegley) and his grandpa (Robert De Niro) fight for the same room in a
big house. The film benefits from some very high profile star actors (Uma
Thurman and Christopher Walken) but is suffering from some very tired gags and
a predictable script. You will laugh a couple of times, but you’ll forget ever
seeing the flick quickly after it’s over.
And finally, I enriched my bookshelf with the following additions…
Kier-La Janisse’s already landmark House
of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror
and Exploitation Films (2012, FAB Press) is about the author’s journey from
foster homes to abusive relationships and from pill-popping moments to festival
screenings organizing, all through the support of viewing several horror and
exploitation classics. Having suffered many stigma-inducing situations, it is a
joy that the book makes it apparent that salvation can come via the aid of our
favorite genre films. The first section reads like an autobiography (albeit one
offered through the eyes of a person obsessed with cinema, like the readers)
while the second section contains dozens of capsule reviews of the films
already discussed and other related outings. In my entire life of reading film
related books, this is the most original I ever come across, and the fact that
it is also so well-written makes it an undeniable masterpiece.
Jasper Sharp’s excellent and astonishingly well-researched Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete
History of Japanese Sex Cinema (2008, FAB Press) is divided onto several
chapters, each one of them dealing tackling tent pole topics of the evolution
and triumph of the notorious Pink genre of erotic cinema. The amount of detail
and work that went down is apparent, as well as the crisp writing talents of
the author, resulting in a work like no other that is unacceptable to be
missing by any exploitation movie fan’s bookshelf. What’s more, the book also
proves that in order to understand cinema (and society and history as well) you
can never underestimate the importance of porn. And although it becomes clear
that the genre tackled within the pages of the book is not all about rape and
torture (as many people falsely believe), you will still need a good shower
after reading it.
Edited by Robin Bougie (and otherwise written mostly by him, save for
the contributions of a few talented writers), Cinema Sewer Volume Seven (2020, FAB Press) consists of two issues
of the author’s same-titled magazine as well as 80 previously unpublished
pages, making for a good 180+ pages of sleaze. From underrated 1990s flicks to
– ahem – fisting epics, this volume has you covered, but it really shines when
it tackles whatever that has to do with 1970s New York porn, where it is
apparent where its heart is.
Part memoir and part film review book, fanzine editor and online
columnist Nick Cato’s Suburban
Grindhouse: From Staten Island to Times Square and all the Sleaze in Between
(2020, Headpress) is taking us on a journey through various exploitation movie
classics. The author is writing strictly from memory, making each review
unique.
And finally, I had the chance to tackle the Frightfest Guide quadruple bill (all published by FAB Press) which
includes Alan Jones’ Exploitation Movies
(2016), Michael Gingold’s Monster Movies
(2017), Axelle Carolyn’s Ghost Movies
(2018), and Gavin Baddeley’s Werewolf
Movies (2019). Lavishly illustrated and gorgeously designed, these books
are not in-depth as their back covers claim as only one paragraph is dedicated
to each capsule film presentation, but for pop items they do their work as
they’re fun to read through both for newbies (who without doubt will learn a
thing or two and will also be introduced to an amazing new world) and those in
the know (who will have fun revisiting the classics).
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