Dredd (2012)

Filmmakers seem to struggle with making a Judge Dredd film that will work for mainstream audiences.  Danny Cannon's 1995 attempt, Judge Dredd, starring Sylvester Stallone, has garnered a bad reputation and although this 2012 film was better received, it didn't do well enough to warrant a sequel. It's a bit of a shame as there's a lot to like about this film, and it's one of my personal favourite films to adapt a comic book character.

The Stallone film tried to introduce Judge Dredd by cramming in a lot of different elements of 2000AD lore, including Rico, the Angel Gang and the ABC Warriors.  By contrast, this film goes small scale and most of the action taking place within the Peachtrees tower building. Dredd and new trainee Anderson are investigating a triple homicide. They locate the killer, Kay, inside the tower block, but the Preachtrees gang leader, known as Ma-Ma, reacts by initiating war protocols and locking down the building. Dredd and Anderson must try to survive as they are hunted by gang members while using bullets and Anderson's psychic ability. All the while they drag along their suspect, Kay with them. Eventually they uncover Ma-Ma's secret creation of the drug-slo-mo. It's not clear whether the the decision to make the film small was for budgetary reasons but it was still a good one. The small scale nature of the threat gives us a day in the life of Dredd, and a decent idea of what Mega City One is like that could have been explored in future sequels.

The casting in this film is pretty good. Karl Urban is a decent enough Judge Dredd and it was pretty bold of the filmmakers to keep Dredd under his helmet and not showcase their star, but it was ultimately the right decision. Olivia Thirby gets to be the heart of film as Cassandra Anderson. Lena Hedy is also pretty good as the villainous Ma-Ma, choosing to play the character with cool energy rather than for loud and over the top. I'm not quite sure the role was written for such a young actor, given that her backstory is described as 'block legend' and there is little evidence of her past. Nevertheless, this works well.

The rest of the cast are decent. Wood Harris sticks in the mind as Kay, the clansmen and suspected murderer that Dredd and Anderson are forced to drag around for a large part of the film. . It's also fun seeing Domhnall Gleeson playing a victimised security controller, a nice contrast to his more powerful role as General Hux in Star Wars.

The film has quite striking visuals. Peachtrees is a wonderful graffiti filled environment. The effects work is pretty nice with slomo, making glass shards and flecks of blood look beautiful. Paul Leonard-Morgan's industrial score also helps create a decent atmosphere.

Ultimately this is not a groundbreaking piece of cinema, but a pretty decent simple entertainment if you're after a night in.

7/10

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Before the TV series, Sleepy Hollow was a film released in 1999 and directed by Tim Burton film. As with many Tim Burton films, Sleepy Hollow stars Johnny Depp. This time around he is playing the role of a police inspector, Ichibod Crane. He is sent out to Sleepy Hollow in order to investigate a series of murders in which the victims have had their heads removed. Crane is  an eccentric character, but nonetheless holds rational views on crime detection. He also has a dark past. As Crane investigates, he discovers that the murders are being committed by a headless horseman. With the help of Christina Ricci and Young Masbeth, Crane must discover the power of the person behind the horseman before it is too late. 

Johnny Depp is more than suited to playing the character of Crane. He is likeable and a bit eccentric at the same time. Christina Ricci is quite good. It's not quite the same role as Wednesday Adams, even though the subject matter is quite similar to that film.It's also fun to spot all the British thespian actors from Michael Gambon to Iain McDirmad.

The plot is fairly straightforward. We care about Ichibod Crane and his close friends but not so much the other victims. Timothy Burton directs the film in the same style as Nightmare Before Christmas. The music is well composed by Danny Elfman. 

As a horror film, Sleepy Hollow is quite good. There are quite a few gruesome sequences such as when animals are being used ingredients in spells. The Hessian is a pretty good villain.

To sum up, I would say that Sleepy Hollow is well worth watching. 

Doctor Who: Series 10 Trailer

You wait ages for a Doctor Who trailer then two turn up in the same month. It's nice to see that the BBC is taking a bit more care in trying to draw attention to the show. This one was leaked a few days ago but I held off talking about it until its' official release.

This is a fantastic trailer; full of planets, locations and aliens. Far better than the 'Same old, same old' that characterized the Series Nine trailers. If the trailer is anything to go by, then it looks as though Steven Moffat is making this a beginning rather than a downcast ending.

The new monsters look good. The Emoji Robots look quite funny. They remind me a bit of the Smilers from The Beast Below. The Wooden statue looks fascinating. We got our first look at the new Ice Warrior variant and it is an Ice Lady. It will be interesting to see whether she will be a villain or a hero.

The Doctor looks excited, as does Bill. This trailer manages the rare feat of managing to make Nardole look like an iconic Tardis crewmember.

We will be able to enjoy this series on 15th April. The first episode title, reported to being A Star in Her Eye, in DWM, has been changed to be called 'The Pilot'.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 20 Years

Today marks twenty years since Welcome to the Hellmouth, the first story in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series aired. This series was a kind of sequel to the 1992 Buffy movie which was notable for inverted the old horror movie trope of the blonde victim being the victim of monsters. This time, the blonde was the one who defeats the monsters. The film seemed a bit too frothy and camp, but the television series was far superior. It lasted a good seven years and left behind quite a legacy. 

When it started, the show was a High school fantasy drama where a young slayer was coming of age.
These first three seasons drew inspiration from superhero comics like Spider-Man, where the hero had to balance their responsibilities as a hero with her responsibilities of being a student. The show could have stuck with this format, but it continued to evolve by allowing Buffy to graduate and move to College and then into adult life. It even got its own spin-off, Angel.  It's legacy can be seen in various shows. Smallville would never have existed without Buffy, nor would the far inferior Twilight. When Russell T. Davies brought back Doctor Who, he ussed Buffy as one of the templates for creating a modern genre show.

The first time I watched the show was when School Hard  aired on BBC2 in early 1999. I continued to watch the show on and off and became more drawn into it as time went on. I was probably a bit young for it at first, but I still enjoyed the monsters. As I got older, I understood the growing up message. Even now there are very few shows that have surpassed it.

Buffy herself was the ditzy blonde. She got a lot of character development over the years as she went from sassy schoolgirl to confused adult and finally to mature young woman. She even took on a parenting role in looking after her younger sister, Dawn.

Willow was Buffy's best friend, a girl who starts out shy but becomes a confident young witch. Alyson Hannigan did a brilliant job as the character.

Xander stays relatively the same, as an easygoing guy. He is more foolish in the early episodes but becomes a confident construction worker and is the voice of reason in the Scooby gang.

Anthony Stewart Head was also great as Giles, the Watcher. This was a role that caught people's attention and he had a wealth of roles after this.

The two vampires with souls, Angel and Spike. Angel started out noble but Spike went from being a villain to becoming one of Buffy's most crucial allies. His journey was so long it would take a while to put together all the content.

There were many other great recurring characters, including Cordelia Chase, Tara, Anya and many others. A lot of the actors can be seen in a great deal of other programs.

All in all this was a great show. I never quite got into the comics but the show was great. Hopefully the anniversary will see more Buffy related content coming out.

Cyber-Nostalgia (Doctor Who Spoilers)

It seems that Steven Moffat has finally given in to Peter Capaldi and brought back the Mondassian Cybermen for the Series Ten finale. There are a few slight modifications to the design, including a smaller chestplate, and a smaller headlamp, but these are recognisable as the originals. It's going to be interesting to see how they're integrated into the modern series. Is the Doctor actually going to visit Mondas or are they just on Earth? Are they invading the planet or have they brought there by time travel shenanigans? Will they even be the main enemy in the episode or is this announcement just a smoke screen to hide a bigger threat? Numerous possibilities present themselves, but expectations have certainly been raised.

As with the return of the 60s Daleks in The Magician's Apprentice, I'm somewhat happy about this but somewhat weary at the same time. It feels as if the modern show is becoming increasingly self-indulgent when it comes to bringing back old designs. Older fans might see this as a return to the 'good old days' but it's often been the case that these older fans tend to overstate the the body horror aspects of these original Cybermen. Only a few of the original series Cybermen stories actually presented the horror of Cyber Conversion. The Tenth Planet did not feature any conversions, even if the characters discuss it. These original costumes were considered ineffective enough to be replaced for The Moonbase. Some people find the sing-song voices creepy, others think they sound silly. Fan's like them, but today's audiences may not be quite as willing to indulge them. Time will tell.good news is that the finale is being directed by Rachael Talalay. If she can make the Mondassian Cybermen as scary as the Veil from Heaven Sent, then we're in for a great story. 

Another old enemy making a welcome return for this finale is Missy but it is not yet known whether she is working with the Cybermen. I hope it's different this time, otherwise it all sounds a little too similar to Dark Water, with even the same director coming back.

It's nice that although Peter is leaving the show, he will at least have had the opportunity to fight some of his favourite monsters. Given the way he's talked about The Web Planet, perhaps this will pave the way for the return of the Zarbi in the upcoming Christmas special? Now that would be something. 

Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge

The third of these Spider-Man omnibus movies, The Dragon's Challenge,  happens to the first one I ever saw. I can still remember seeing the cassette cover when I was just a child, and getting excited about the discovery of a live-action Spider-Man. This was at least five years before Toby Maguire made his on screen debut so it felt like a big deal.

The cover to this video cassette was a little misleading.  It features the arresting image of Spidey in combat with Chinese martial artists in the Streets of Hong Kong. While Spider-Man does fight martial artists in China, there are rarely with more than two adversaries at a time and Spider-Man beats them fairly easily. The title on the box is also misleading. The Dragon's Challenge was originally broadcast as a two part story titled The Chinese Web. The original title certainly suits the story more, which is places greater emphasis on industrial espionage than on martial arts and dragons.

The story begins when J Jonah Jameson is receives a visit from an old friend, Min Lo Chan, Minister for Industrial Development in China. Min is suspected of having robbed and murdered a Chinese schoolteacher who was working for the American forces in the Second World War. Min needs Jonah's help to find three ex-marines who know that Min is innocent. However, Min has been followed to New York by goons working for Chinese industrialist, Mr Zaider. This Mr Zaider wants
Min imprisoned or killed so that he will get a contract to build a steel mill in Shan Thung. He sends his American goon, Evans, to go to New York and kill Min.

The first half of this story, has Peter searching New York city for the whereabouts of the three Marines while as Spider-Man he holds off Evans' assassins, who are working to kill Min. Events are complicated when Min suffers a heart attack. Peter is able to find and convince Jonathan Flemming to testify with him to  China. Flemming has a convenient letter of confession written by the murder of the Chinese schoolteacher.

In order to testify that Min is innocent, Peter, Emily and Flemming have to travel to China, the setting for the second half of this story. You can tell the production team really enjoyed filming here because
the plot literally grinds to a halt so that Peter , Emily and Flemming can hang around temples and enjoy the local culture. While it's nice to get a bit of background on China. There is no threat or tension, save for a couple of Evans' spies tailing them. It's more like a travelogue than a superhero show.

The plot starts to move again when Evans hires some Karate Masters to kidnap Flemming. These Karate Masters succeed in ambushing Flemming in a marketplace and make off with him, evading a short and dull boat chase with Spider-Man. Fortunately Peter had earlier managed to place a Spider-tracer in Flemming's pocket and uses it to track him down. We then get another paceless scene of Peter Parker chasing after Flemming while he sits around. There's no time limit on Flemming's life, so no reason for us to worry for his safety.

Spider-Man traces Flemming to a building where Evans, Zaider and the Karate Masters are waiting with the kidnapped Flemming. The video blurb promised a "duel with various Karate masters"And how does Spider-Man deal with this dangerous fight? He webs them up....Yeah. That's it. That's the solution. A lot of build-up for very little payoff.

The previous two films didn't have any costumed super villains, but at a least a brainwashing scheme or a terrorist threat felt like big enough threats for a superhero. Plans involving contracts and espionage feel unworthy of Spider-Man.

6/10