Media Notes: Roundup for April 2021

 

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during April 2021.


Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available):

• The Perfect Storm (Action. Adventure. Drama. Literary adaptation). Plot description: "In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail." Note film opening says the "film is based on a true story," so you can go in knowing that Hollywood took quite a few liberties. The film is a good sea drama, man against nature story. It starts a bit slow but it then builds up. Great performances from George Clooney and the rest of the cast. Film also features great special effects. It is an intense film especially in the third act as they face the storm. Before that, as I said, it can feel a bit slow on the drama. I'd say 3.5 out of 5 stars. Watched 4/2. Via TubiTv.
  
• Film is based on the book The Perfect Storm: a True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger. I may give the book a try down the road to see just how much the film left out or altered for the dramatic effect. 
• Dirty Harry (1971. Action. Crime. Thriller). Plot description: "When a madman calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough-as-nails San Francisco Police Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath." The first in what would become a series of Dirty Harry films with Clint Eastwood in the title role. As it is the first film, we get to see Callahan work on other tasks aside from chasing Scorpio, way to establish the character. The movie is definitely a product of its time from the scenery to the plot (Zodiac Killer certainly had the attention at the time), so in a way I do find it interesting watching it just for the look at the times. This is a pretty good thriller with a decent pace, though there are a lot of dark scenes where it may not be easy to see a detail here or there. However, the darkness does add to the tension and thrill of the plot. It is still a good film, even if a bit dated. It also makes pretty good use of some eerie music now and then to set tone. Andrew Robinson portrays Scorpio, and he plays the psychopath pretty well. On a trivia note, the character of Scorpio is very loosely based on the real life Zodiac Killer. This is a film that on the one hand is relatively tame, compared to some other rogue cop films that have come along since, but also Callahan did set a bar for rogue cops who may act outside the rules but they still seek justice and to do what is right. Callahan may be tough and rogue, but he is not corrupt, has his code of fairness, and in the end seeks to do right even when the bureaucracy and the system are incompetent. Overall, I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/3.
• Boss of Bosses (2001. Biography. Drama. Crime.) Plot description: "The story of the rise and fall of the powerful New York City organized crime boss, Paul Castellano." Chazz Palminteri portrays Paul Castellano in this made for TV film. One of those films that starts at the end, in this case when Castellano is murdered, then goes back in time to a young Castellano getting his head start and going from there. The youth segment is fairly brief, about first 20 minutes of the film, then we move on to Castellano in power, though we do get some flashbacks to his youth here and there. One way is through Castellano having nightmares of his younger days. Castellano lays out a vision to control the city through the unions the mob had infiltrated and the construction business as well as other ways to be under the radar. He forbid his underlings to deal in drugs, knowing how risky it was. But his underlings greedy as ever ignore the edict. Between that, Castellano's personal indiscretions, and the FBI, it is a matter of time until the fall. As I said, the man did have a vision, but as often happens, he's surrounded by idiots more interested in the short term gain versus the long term benefits. Like any other film, they do take some liberties with the story, such as the detail of planting the listening device in his house, which happens very different in real life than what they did in the film for example. To be honest, the real story of how they put the device is may have been more dramatic than what we got in the film. Overall, Palminteri certainly can do the part, but this is not a movie to get excited about much. Aside from his performance, there is not much here other than very basic made for TV fare. It's an OK drama, but you may want to get a good book about him instead. 2 out of 5 stars. Via YouTube. Watched 4/5. 
• Ratchet and Clank (2015. Animation. Video game adaptation. Action. Adventure).  Plot description: "When the galaxy comes under the threat of a nefarious space captain, a mechanic and his newfound robot ally join an elite squad of combatants to save the universe."It is a cute movie that does integrate many elements of the video game.To be honest, the game was one of my favorites, so I was curious about the movie. Plot is fairly basic of young hero saves the galaxy kind of thing. It does have some light humor here or there, and of course, the look of the game. The animation is good, and they bring in a pretty good cast for the voice acting including the voice actors from the video game. In the end, a pretty light film that is amusing but not as substantial as the games. I did like, so I'd say 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/16.
• Frank Nitti: The Enforcer (1988. Crime. Drama. Biopic. Made for TV film). Plot description: "True story of Al Capone's notorious hitman." Once again, a movie that starts at the end of the story, then works its way backwards in time to tell the life story of the title character. The movie can be slow, and it takes some liberties as these films often do. Still, it is a decent film. It does look at how the Feds bring Capone down by getting him on tax evasion. This was arranged by Chicago business interests who wanted to get rid of Capone. Keep in mind, a lot of Chicago was in favor of Capone or bought by Capone but there was a small group of businessmen who saw Capone and his mob as bad for the city's image. Michael Moriarty plays the special prosecutor brought in to do that. However, the city mayor and others have an interest in either keeping Capone in power or putting a successor in place. While there is mention of Elliot Ness, that is all you get in the film pretty much, so that detail is a bit more realistic. The political intrigues are an interesting part of the film. Naturally, the main focus of the film is Nitti, and Anthony LaPaglia does a good performance, portraying him as naturally smart yet more quiet than the loud Capone. Capone's portrayal is not that good though as they paint him as too violent and oafish, and while he was violent, he was not as dumb as he comes across in the film. An interesting detail is they use footage from silent film and later other reels to convey passage of time over the years. Another interesting detail, albeit a bit embellished, is we see a bit of Capone later in life, when the syphilis was finally finishing him off, damaging his brain. Overall, I liked it, so I'd say 3 out of 5 stars. Watched 4/23. Via TubiTv. 
• Candyman (1992. Horror. Thriller. Literary adaptation). Plot description: "The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth." One of those classic horror films I am finally getting around to watching. This is an older movie in a setting mostly pre-Internet, so I find interesting when she does research she is using microfilm to look over newspapers and she uses a regular film camera in the field. The film does start quite slow, very little happens in the first 40 minutes or so (and this is an hour and a half film). I know they are building up the tension, but the first part is still seriously slow. Once the Candyman appears, as of course she should after she summons him, things start to get interesting but not by much. Tony Todd does a good performance as the Candyman, for what little time he gets on the screen. The movie aims to be a psychological thriller (is Candyman making the student commit unspeakable acts, or is he doing it, or is she insane?) but it mostly drags. It's too bad since the premise of the Candyman did have a lot of potential, and as I said, Tony Todd does a good performance, just not enough of it.  The movie's pace really picks up in the last half hour or so, but good as the last act is, feels too little, too late. Though I have to say the ending was pretty good. If nothing else, I can now say I've seen it. By the way, the musical score does the movie no favors either. Still, I'd say this was OK at best, so 2 out of 5 stars. Watched 4/23. Via TubiTv.
  
• I did not know this was based on a Clive Barker story, "The Forbidden." The story can be found in volume five of his Books of Blood. I will try to look this up, see if it is better than the film. 
• House on Haunted Hill (1999. Horror. Thriller). Plot description: "An amusement park mogul offers a group of diverse people $1,000,000 to spend the night in a haunted house with a horrifying past." This is a remake of the 1959 film with Vincent Price. I have not see the older film yet but perhaps down the road I will. As for this film, well, for starters as in many remakes, they have to ramp up the CGI and special effects, and they put a lot of it into the opening credits of this movie, a detail that often worries me because can indicate the movie may not be as good relying more on flash than substance. Geoffrey Rush portrays the mogul, named Price by the way, plus Rush displays a certain resemblance to Vincent Price, down to the thin mustache (in the original, Vincent Price is the mogul but his name is Loren); it was an interesting choice and touch I thought. The opening scene in the amusement park was pretty good, nice way to start things; it also reminded me a bit of the Tower of Terror ride that Disney World in Florida used to have. Soon we get to the haunted house, which Price is manipulating, but we soon find out the house. which used to be a mental asylum run by a doctor who was basically a serial killer, is really haunted, or is it? As the suspense builds, we soon find not all is as it seems as double crosses blend in with the real haunting. Film has a very good atmosphere; setting works pretty well. Aside from Rush, the other characters are mostly typical horror film fare, i.e. you don't care about them that much. Still the film is alright for a scare or two. I'd say 3 out of 5. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/24.. 
  
• Hannibal Rising (2007. Action. Adventure. Crime). Plot description: "After the death of his parents during World War II, young Hannibal Lecter moves in with his beautiful aunt and begins plotting revenge on the barbarians responsible for his sister's death." The prequel to the Hannibal Lecter film series that explores his origins. Ending up in a work camp, only survivor of his family, he escapes, makes his way to France and his aunt, and soon begins his patient quest to get his revenge on those who killed his sister, and this is the beginning of what would grow into the legend of Dr. Hannibal Lecter.The film is pretty good, though it does have some pretty slow moments. Hannibal may be a villain, but a sympathetic one here given those responsible for his sister's death are true evil monsters. Some viewers may wonder how much is justified for revenge, but at the same time, let's be honest, those guys are getting what is coming to them in this revenge story. The film looks pretty good in terms of setting and cinematography, making use of darkness well as needed. Overall, not as great as the previous ones, but it is pretty good on its own. I do wonder if we really needed to know Hannibal's origins, but as I said, pretty good film in the end. The film soundtrack was so so when compared to the previous films where the music really enhances the terror and mood. Gaspard Ulliel does a great performance as the young Hannibal; it catches the essence of the Hannibal he is becoming and will become down the road. I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/30.
• The film is an adaption of Thomas Harris' novel Hannibal Rising (link to my short review on GoodReads). According to sources, it is suggested Harris did not really want to write this book, but film makers sort of forced him into it, and he did not want to lose control of the character if the film makers chose someone else to write the story (see Wikipedia entry for the book, citing an article from Entertainment Weekly).
• Freakshow (2007. Horror). Plot description: A group of thieves decides to hide as workers in a freaks show (carnival sideshow). They decide to plot and kill the show's owner to get his fortune, but the freaks are onto their plan and decide to punish the thieves. The opening credits feature some photos of old time sideshow and freaks which I found interesting to look over. It is a bit of a nod to the 1932 film I think. The film itself does take place around the 1920s, Great Depression era; the soundtrack features various old time songs from that time, which help set the tone and time period. The movie is low budget, but it has some things going for it. Besides the soundtrack, the circus gear is vintage, and it has real sideshow performers in the cast. There are some small sideshow performances, which were good, but way too few. However, despite what it has going for it, this is a very slow film that just drags on and on. The acting is pretty stiff and overall very little happens through most of the film. By the time the plot unravels and anything really happens, we are in the last 20 minutes of this 1 hour and 25 minutes film. Way too little too late. A pity as done right this could have been a decent crime caper or such, but the result is a very poor film not really worth it. No stars for this one. This was bad. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/30.
  
• This film is a retelling of the 1932 film Freaks directed by Tod Browning. I may have to see if I find the original, which seems more like the mystery suspense type without the attempt at bad horror.
  

 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• America's Dumbest Criminals (1996-2000. Reality. Humor. Crime).  See my June 2020 wrap up for commentary on this. Continued this month with the fourth and final season of the series.  
• Space: 1999 (1975-1977. Science Fiction. Adventure). Started watching this in January 2021, and watched a bit more in February 2021. Picking it up again with episode 5 of the first season. Watched episodes 5-8. The stories and writing on this are pretty good, often with pretty tight stories with a sudden twist at the end. Sometimes there can be a small element of horror here or there even but overall we get some decent science fiction in the stories. Now and then there was a bit of formula as in the Alphans get in some serious trouble or a mystery and they get saved right at the end. This is where the sudden twists often happened, twists that often gave viewers something to think about. This show often asked some interesting questions, and that made it pretty good. Granted, watching it today the special effects are dated but overall it is a good science fiction drama. Plus, as with many old shows, it is fun to see who may be a guest star now and again. 
• LEGO Marvel Superheroes: Maximum Overload (2013. Animation. Action. LEGO. Marvel Comics. Short film). Plot description: "Spider-Man and Marvel's Super Heroes take on a mischievous Loki and a team of super villains in an all-new LEGO adventure." This is a cute short film that is light and entertaining. Not a lot going on, but it is amusing, and it features LEGOs. And since this is a Marvel film, yes, Stan Lee makes a cameo. Via TubiTv. I'd say 3 out of 5 stars.
• LEGO Marvel Superheroes: Avengers Reassembled! (2015. Animation. Action. LEGO. Marvel Comics. Short film). Plot description: "The Avengers are forced to 'party' with Ultron when he seeks to disassemble the team by taking control of Iron Man's armor and enact a nefarious scheme to take over the world." Another amusing short film. Action is quick and entertaining. These shorts are good for a quick watch, and they are cute too. The animation on these is spot on, well made. 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv.  
• Midsomer Murders (1997 to present, still going. Mystery. Crime. Detective. British series). I commented on this series in the July 2020 roundup. I continue from last month. Via TubiTv, which has up to Season 20. 
• Season 6, Episode 2: "Death and Dreams." Plot description: "When Martin Wroath is found dead in his home in Midsomer Worthy, Barnaby is unconvinced that he committed suicide with his own shotgun in an unnecessarily complex fashion." In true small town fashion, the first thing housekeeper of the victim does after finding the dead guy and talking then to the detective is to go round the small town and telling everybody that Wroath was dead. Amusing in a macabre way. When other people start getting murdered and ropes go missing, like the rope in a flagpole and some clotheslines, Barnaby has quite the case on his hands. Then more rope disappears. As in other episodes, we do get the cast of eccentric small town characters, and while almost everyone wanted Wroath dead, for being a miserly asshole among other things, the mystery goes beyond him. Soon we learn the one suspect that seems so obvious is not the killer, and we gradually realize who it really was. The culprits are somewhat disturbing by the way. Pretty good mystery overall. 
• Season 6, Episode 3: "Painted in Blood." Plot description: "Joyce is taking part in an open-air art class, being held on the village green of Midsomer Florey, when she discovers the body of an elderly fellow student, Ruth Fairfax, concealed beneath some undergrowth shortly after a session. Just as Barnaby begins to learn that Ruth was not all she seemed to be, officers of the NIS pull him off the case." Naturally he can't just let it go, investigates anyhow, and soon uncovers more including the fact the NIS is not being thorough enough. Soon Barnaby finds a connection to an old multimillionaire heist, a witness in witness protection, and higher ups trying to save face by trying to keep things quiet, mainly because they are hoping to steal the money for themselves (yes corrupt intelligence cops). It takes Barnaby at his best thinking and persistence to solve this right.
  
• Kojak (2005. Crime. Drama. Mystery). This is a remake of the 1970s series Kojak with Telly Savalas as the title character. In this new series, Ving Rhames plays the title role. I remember enjoying this when it was on television, and I always like Ving Rhames' work. Chazz Palminteri also does a good performance as Kojak's captain on some of the episodes. TubiTv picked it up, so decided to give it another look. The series includes a two-hour pilot episode and 9 additional episodes. The series is well written, good stories, and the performances were good. As I said, too bad it only lasted one season. Watched on weekend 4/15.