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| Edwige Fenech in Private Crimes (1993) |
This Static Age’s spotlight goes to Private Crimes (1993), an Italian mini-series that consists of four feature-length episodes, produced by giallo queen Edwige Fenech (who also stars) and directed by acclaimed genre filmmaker Sergio Martino. It is set in a small Italian town, where a local prominent figure is assassinated. When Commissioner Stefano Avanzo (Ray Lovelock) takes on the case, he comes across a dark web of corruption and violence. This was originally broadcasted on RAI-TV, and Severin Films has used the network’s original 16mm print for the magnificent 2K that you can view on their 2-disc Blu-ray release, presented in 1080p Full HD (the framing is the regular television 1.33:1). What’s more, the release also offers an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger for the first episode, and the videos Edwige, Queen of the Giallo (which is an interview with Edwige Fenech) and Giallo in Lucca (which is an interview with Sergio Martino). I genuinely hope this release will sell loads of units, because the Italian genre television from the 1990s and 2000s has a rich history that remains unknown to other parts of the world, and I hope that this will change immediately.
And now, let’s
switch our focus towards some recent series…
The Midnight Club - Season 1
Created by Mike
Flanagan and Leah Fong, the sole season of The
Midnight Club (2022) – available for streaming on Netflix – is about a
hospice for terminally ill young adults who every night gather together to tell
scary stories. Aside from how creepy the portrayal of each story is, the kids
make some sort of paranormal pact that whoever dies first will hail the others
from the beyond. Add some Wiccan elements and numerous well-staged jump-scares,
and – voila – you a horror series. It may not be Flanagan’s brightest hour, but
it’s an important event because it takes the courage to start deep and
meaningful conversations about cancer.
Narcos: Mexico - Season 3
The 3rd
season of Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico
(2018 – 2021) starts with Amado Carrillo Fuendes (Jose Maria Yazpik) spending
three months in prison due to an unforeseen circumstance, but when he gets
released he puts his plans in use in order to become the region’s biggest drug
kingpin, but DEA agent Walt Breslin (Scoot McNairy) is on his trail. The series
finale season is some serious gangster drama and great television overall.
Marvel Studios’
miniseries Agatha All Along (2024) is
about the titular witch (Kathryn Hahn) who assembles a small group of estranged
colleagues and along with the help of an annoying teenager (Joe Locke) will
conjure the Witches’ Road. This is a refreshing and interesting dark fantasy
opus, with lavish visuals and a killer soundtrack.
Interview with the Vampire - Season 1
Created by Rolin
Jones, and based on Anne Rice’s same-titled vampire romance classic, the 1st
season of Interview with the Vampire
(2022 – present) kicks off with Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) meeting
Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) in 1910 New Orleans, when they develop a
homoerotic fling amidst the sociopolitical changes of the era and times. Some
of the gothic drama is a bit boring if you are not the target audience (i.e.
troubled teenagers), but the gore sequences are well-done and quite inspired;
and this is the only series in recent memory that you can see flying gay
vampires fucking each other.
The Penguin - Season 1
Following the
events of the 2022 Batman movie, the mini-series The Penguin (2024) has Colin Farrell perfectly cast in the titular
arch-villain role – in his lifetime performance – amidst a hideously decadent
and unsafe Gotham city, which he will try to rule as the new king of crime; it
is DC television at its best and a gangster epic for the ages.
The 1st
season of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
(2023 – present) is a gothic fantasy tale that tells the story of up and coming
neurosurgeon (an immensely beautiful Alexandra Daddario) that inherited magic
powers from her witch ancestors, and has them used for her occasional righteous
benefit, in her journey to proving herself as a strong woman and competent
health professional. Not very original, but very appealing to teenagers nonetheless,
especially those with an interest in the supernatural.
Firestarter: Rekindled - Season 1
The 2-parter
mini-series Firestarter: Rekindled
(2002), based on Stephen King’s novel is about a young woman (the teenage
version is played by Marguerite Moreau while the child version is played by
Skye McCole Bartusiak) who can set things on fire with her mind, but despite
her good intention she finds herself forced to battle with an evil man (Malcolm
McDowell) and his goons. Directed by Robert Iscove and featuring a great cast
that also includes Dennis Hopper, this makes for a very enjoyable viewing
experience.
The world is
under attack by an unknown threat in Netflix’s hit mini-series Zero Day (2025), and the U.S. government
is in panic, as it enlists the public figure of former President George Mullen
(Robert De Niro, back with a great performance) to help solve matters, but it
seems that he has a past that may complicate things. Political thrillers is one
of my least favorite genres, but this 6-part series is a winner that delivers
twists and turns that you never see coming.
Sun Records - Season 1
Suffering from a
terribly boring screenplay the Sun
Records (2017 – 2018) mini-series tells the story of the eponymous
recording studio and label that pretty much single-handedly gave birth to rock
‘n’ roll by grabbing unknowns and lost souls of the small bar scene and turning
them into superstars in the 1950s and beyond, and it is surprising and a crying
shame that one can do such a bad job with such great material.
It took me many
years, but finally I caught up with the 1st season of Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013), heralded as
one of the masterpieces of modern television. In the series we are introduced
to Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who is a chemistry teacher so deep in poverty
that he has to work a second job as a car washer. When he finds out that he has
lung cancer and only a couple of years to live, he decides to man-up, grab the
world by its balls, and become a crystal meth producer, in order to make money
for his family. Created by Vince Gilligan, this addictive drama is engaging and
fun.
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Salem's Lot - Season 1
The 2-parter
miniseries Salem’s Lot (2004) is
based on Stephen King’s same-titled novel, and is about author Ben Mears (Rob
Lowe) who upon visiting Jerusalem’s Lot to perform research for his upcoming
true crime book, he comes across something much more sinister, in the form of a
local conspiracy involving vampires. Not good by any stretch of the word, while
also typical of early-‘00s television, it somewhat benefits from a good cast
that also includes Donald Sutherland and Rutger Hauer.
Created by Neil Gaiman
and based on his same-titled hit novel, the 1st season Good Omens (2019 – 2025) brings us to
the end of times, but a shy angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon that fittingly
enough resembles a rock star (David Tennant), blinded by the joys of life on Earth
(or mostly London) decide to join powers, form a friendship and stop the
Apocalypse. The series are aesthetically a spectacle for the eyes, but its real
power lies on its frenetic atheist humor.
The 10 short
webisodes of Battlestar Galactica: The Resistance
(2006) take place in the New Caprica planet after the invasion of the Cylons,
and originally premiered on the Sci Fi Channel’s website. Chronologically they
take place between the acclaimed series 2nd and 3rd
season, and they are best suited only for the show’s hardcore fans.
The Walking Dead - Season 9
The 9th
season of AMC’s modern horror classic The
Walking Dead (2010 – 2022) attempts a new beginning (as per the title of
the first episode) with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group going on a
risky mission in Washington, to test the waters and see if it is possible to
start a new life there, but he has to burn several bridges to achieve the dream
and some of them would be literal. Tired and weak, this season marks the
beginning of the zombie series’ decline.
Doctor Who - Season 2
Inexplicably
unpopular, the 2nd season of Doctor
Who (2023 – present) is actually very good, even if quite too ‘woke’ to
appeal to everyone’s tastes. The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) is joined by the Nurse
(Varada Sethu) for further time travel adventures.
The 2nd
season of Netflix’s The Sandman (2022
– 2025), created by Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg, has Dream
(Tom Sturridge) meeting other entities that may be proven useful on his mission
to save a mortal soul from Hell. Aesthetically stunning, but suffering from an
endless array of long dialogue scenes, this is a disappointment and I am glad
that it got cancelled.
Wednesday - Season 2
The 2nd
season of Netflix’s Wednesday (2022 –
present) bears broadly the aesthetics of Tim Burton (who is once again credited
as one of the executive producers and he is directing several episodes) and has
the titular troubled Goth teenager (Jenna Ortega) dealing with further troubles
at the Nevermore high school that is now run by Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi),
among them dealings with a serial killer. Featuring some of the cleverest
dialogue you are likely to see in any current series, as well as brilliantly
dark humor, this is one of the best sophomore efforts in the history of the
medium.
Maybe there is
only one genre I despise more than comedy and that would be the musical. But
let’s talk a bit about comedy. The reason the genre leaves me cold is because
it cannot be ‘translated’ – it is usually strongly culture-specific – and it
gets dated and tired pretty quick. Having said that, and for reasons I don’t
understand, I sat down and watched a small number of comedy classics that I had
previously missed, so here’s my thoughts…
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One Flew over the...
Based on the
same-titled 1962 novel by Ken Kesey, One
Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) was stuck in Hollywood development hell
for well over a decade until it was made by director Milos Forman as this
masterful dark comedy that dares to take a look at how traditional psychiatry
can take a person with issues and turn him into a vegetable. The acting by all
involved (Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif) is top
clash, the story is brilliant in its simplicity, and all the major Oscars it
got were well-deserved, but the film’s real power lies in its critique of
institutionalization.
Rock ‘n’ roll
singer Nick Rivers (debuting Val Kilmer) is travelling to East Germany in order
to prevent an attack on NATO submarines, and this plot basis is the least
bizarre aspect of Top Secret!
(1984), the outrageous comedy by the writing/directing trio of Jim Abrahams,
David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. Featuring an ensemble cast that also includes
heavyweights Omar Sharif and Peter Cushing, this big budget ($9 million)
production was distributed by Paramount Pictures and it grossed $20.5 million.
It is now considered a classic of the absurd comedy genre.
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Scrooged (1988) poster
Based on Charles
Dickens’ timeless 1843 classic A
Christmas Carol (and adapted to screenplay form by Mitch Glazer and Michael
O’Donoghue), Scrooged (1988) was
produced by Richard Donner (who also directed) and Art Linson on a $32 million
budget and became an instant hit, grossing a massive $100.3 million. It tells
the story of Frank Cross (Bill Murray) who is basically a piece of shit – a
modern yuppie version of a television channel executive – who sacrifices
everything good in his life in order to make more money and become more
powerful, and in order to do that treating people in the worst possible way and
destroying their lives. All that until he is visited by three ghosts that scare
him enough to change his lifestyle. These kinds of big companies and their
merciless presidents seemed invasively new in the late 1980s and this film
works as a good and welcome – if a bit naïve – commentary on capitalism at its
most barbaric, but on the one hand it is a bit soft on the protagonist’s
character, and on the other hand it is playing everything safely enough to not
ruin its entertainment value. It is without a doubt one of the better examples
of the uneven horror comedy genre, and one could even call it a masterpiece.
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The 'Burbs (1989)
Set in an
American suburb, the properly titled The
‘Burbs (1989) has Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks, back when he was still a good
actor) suspects that his neighbors are hiding a satanic secret. Directed by Joe
Dante, executive produced by Ron Howard, and composed by Jerry Goldsmith – all
of them at the peak of their careers – this horror comedy could be so much
more, yet it doesn’t amount to much (little laughs if any, and no eeriness at
all), despite its stellar cast that it also includes Bruce Dern, Carrie Fisher,
and Corey Feldman.
In director
Richard Benjamin’s box-office bomb My
Stepmother is an Alien (1988), Kim Basinger plays an alien – ahem! – Sex bomb that’s on a mission on
planet Earth, but one thing leads to another and ends up falling in love with a
middle-aged human (Dan Aykroyd). Originally penned as a drama allegory for
child abuse, but after years of Hollywood studio interference this ended up as
an erotic comedy, but it is hardly sensual or funny, and it is justly pretty
much forgotten these days.
Young women
discuss their sexual frustrations on videotape, and these include innuendos of
a man who fancies his wife’s sister, in Sex,
Lies, and Videotape (1989) the debut feature from writer/director Steven
Sodenbergh who won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or (at merely 26 years
old he was the youngest director to chive this), which is somehow historically
important (in 2006 it was added to the United States Library of Congress’
National Film Registry) and influential to the 1990s independent film scene,
but it is as boring as the films it inspired.
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Death becomes her (1992)
Written by David
Koepp and Martin Donovan, and produced by Robert Zemeckis (who also directed)
and Steve Starkey, Death becomes her
(1992) is a ménage a trois (between characters played by Meryl Streep, Goldie
Hawn, and Bruce Willis) set in the glamorous world of Hollywood where the lust
for eternal youth get the protagonists to consume a magic potion. Black comedy
the fabulous way the major studios could only do in the 1980s (even if this
film came a bit later), this is also a fantastic showcase for a mixture of
practical effects and the newly-invented CGI. It was a box office success upon
its original theatrical release, but it seems to be almost forgotten now, aside
from the glorious celebration it enjoys from the LGBTQI+ community.
Director Steve
Barron’s Coneheads (1993) is a
product of its time, based on NBC’s Saturday
Night Live comedy sketches, and has a couple of aliens (Dan Aykroyd and
Jane Curtin) landing to Earth and try to fit in, in order to plan the
forthcoming invasion. Although this was a big production budgeted at $21
million (and it shows, especially in the shots that involve spaceships and
prosthetic make-up effects) and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it
underperformed at the box-office as it grossed a mere $30 million, but this day
it is reappraised for its commentary on migration.
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The Cable Guy (1996)
Director Ben
Stiller’s The Cable Guy (1996) has
the titular lunatic (Jim Carrey) demanding the friendship of Steven (Matthew
Broderick) so much that he won’t stop at harassing him. Darker than a regular
comedy, this 1990s classic benefits from a great cast that includes Jack Black
and Eric Roberts, as well as songs by Rob Zombie and Jefferson’s Airplane.
Written by
brothers Ethal Coen (who also produced) and Joel Coen (who also directed), The Big Lebowski (1998) has a trio of
losers (Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi) getting mixed-up in a
weird scenario of kidnapping and blackmailing. In 2014 the film was selected
for preservation by the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress,
but I couldn’t for the life of me see what is important about it, or even
slightly funny. It is a boredom fest, and even as a dude or stoner comedy, it
is rarely entertaining.
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Lost in Translation (2003)
Written and
directed by Sofia Coppola, Lost in
Translation (2003) is set in Tokyo where a disillusioned famous actor (Bill
Murray, in a role that fits him like a glove – playing someone who doesn’t want
to be there) meets an equally lost philosophy graduate (Scarlett Johansson) and
together they form a platonic romance in order to cope with cultural barriers
and loneliness. Touching, cute, and genuinely funny at times, this deserves all
the accolades it received.
Written by Edgar
Wright (who also directed) and Simon Pegg, Hot
Fuzz (2007) is about star police Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) who
is transferred from the line of duty, to what seems at first sight to be the
endless boredom of a West Country village where he partners up with PC Danny
Butterman (Nick Frost). It seems like he will spend the rest of his life giving
speeding tickets and escorting underage customers out of the pub, until a
number of accidents appear to be the work of a serial killer. This mega
production (especially for U.K. standards) is satirizing numerous classic
action films, but its real power comes from a very well-calculated screenplay
and genuinely entertaining comedy.
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The World's End (2013)
Written by Edgar
Wright (who also directed) and Simon Pegg (who is also starring), The World’s End (2013) is about five
old friends who reunite in order to complete a pub crawl they left unfinished
when they were teenagers in their hometown. However, they will find themselves
amidst an alien invasion and as drunk as they might be, the faith of humanity
now relies on their antics. Benefiting
from one of the best screenplays of the decades, as well as brilliant satire of
the sci-fi genre and British culture, this makes for great comedy.
But other than
comedies, I also caught up with some major studio classics that I neglected
seeing when they were first released, and here are my brief thoughts…
And finally, I
enriched my bookshelf with the following additions: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (1983), Alex Michaelides’ The Silent Patient (2019), Christian
Francis’ Maniac Cop trilogy (2025), and
the seven novels of the Stranger Things
series [Gwenda Bond’s Suspicious Minds
(2019), Adam Christopher’s Darkness on
the Edge of Town (2019), Brenna Yovanoff’s Runaway Max (2019), A. R. Capetta’s Rebel Robin (2021), Suyi Davies’ Lucas on the Line (2022), Caitlin Schneiderhan’s Flight of Icarus (2023), and J.L.
D’Amato’s The Dustin Experiment
(2024)].
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