Burt Reynolds was not really someone I followed too closely for some reason, however it seems wrong to not have some thoughts about his passing, given his mark on pop culture.

I did not get into his more popular movies such as “Smokey and the Bandit” or “Cannonball Run”.  I never went out of my way to avoid his movies, but I just hadn’t seem many of them.

Even so, his impact on our American psyche is undeniable.  It is very unfortunate someone who could convey such vigor and charisma onscreen in his younger years declined health-wise in recent years. I believe his mind remained pretty sharp until the end…or close to it, so I guess that is a blessing.

What I have read recently indicates that he was a pretty complicated guy, as most Hollywood figures tend to be.  Of course, everyone is pretty complicated when you get right down to it.

Even if I lack any real personal, deep sense of loss over Reynolds’ passing, I do offer condolences to his family and those more devoted fans who would feel his absence keenly. I hope he has found some peace at last, and I will likely come across more of his works and find plenty to actually enjoy.

“Hour of the Cybermen” is a Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions and stars Colin Baker.  Andrew Smith wrote this particular story where the Sixth Doctor is summoned by his old allies, UNIT, to look into a very unusual drought afflicting Britain. The Cybermen have masterminded a new attack on Earth, and the Doctor will have his work cut out for him to thwart it.

This episode has a quite a few gems tucked away in it for the long-time fans.  The most obvious one is that David Banks and Mark Hardy reprise their roles from the television series as the version of the Cyberman from the 1980’s.  Much like the Doctor, the Cybermen have some varying versions over the years.  What was amusing about Banks’ interpretation of the Cyber Leader, he often seemed oddly boisterous for being one of a race who had all of their emotions removed. I have to admit to letting out a bark of laughter when I heard the booming, modulated “Excellent!” reverberating around my car. Fortunately, it was not a schtick that was used more than once.

Colin Baker really seemed to relish the script as well. He is very reliable in this series, probably because the writing is so much better than what he was stuck during his time on the television series.

There were some fairly surprising twists.  It seems that the character of Daniel Hopkins, played by Blake Harrison, is going to be the thread through a trilogy that will conclude with the Seventh Doctor.

The whole support cast was very engaging.  There was even an actress with the rather unlikely billing of Frog Stone.

The Cybermen have been my favorite of the Doctor’s many foes. There was something enticingly chilling about their single minded goal of converting people to their imposing silver image, removing their emotions and memories.

The episode comes off very well.  There is a pretty good blend of creativity and the familiar.

“Operation Finale” stars Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley, and depicts the capture of Adolf Eichmann, a former high ranking SS Officer who had helped organize the Holocaust during World War II. It is directed by Chris Weitz and written by Matthew Orton.

Isaac portrays Peter Malkin, one of a team of Mossad agents from Israel who extracted Eichmann, played by the undoubtedly talented Ben Kingsley, from Argentina in 1960.

This was a piece of history I knew little about, so I was glad to have caught it.  The movie drags a bit at times, but the performances are solid enough. Kingsley brings a lot of depth to his portrayal of Eichmann. Although it is absurd to sympathize with a Nazi, it was interesting to hear Eichmann’s perspective on why he participated in the atrocities of that time.  Kingsley’s acting abilities have not faltered with age and his performance is here is solid evidence of that.

The other cast members such as Melanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, and Haley Lu Richardson are solid enough in their roles.

I am not sure how many artistic liberties were taken, but this was by and large and pretty convincing account, although there are some narrow escapes that leave me wondering as to their historical accuracy.

I did enjoy the effort to make the Mossad team relatable and at times very likeable. I tend to envision Mossad agents as being rather stoic and mysterious.  Since many of the roles are indeed real people, it should not be surprising that they would have a bit more depth than those in a work of fiction. Somehow, I was surprised and impressed that like most people, they did have weaknesses and fears that had to be overcome to accomplish their assignment.  Well, not so much surprised that the real people involved were flawed, but pleased at how they were presented in the writing and performances.  The movie also does a pretty decent job of emphasizing the importance of Eichmann’s capture to the Israelis and reminding the audience of the indescribable heartache of those who lived through the Holocaust and lost so much.  I imagine no movie could capture the full scope of such an event, but this film certainly makes a pretty good attempt at it.

One minor distraction was that the efforts to make Kingsley appear younger in some flashback scenes didn’t look that convincing. One the other hand, the flashback scenes were somewhat important.  The practice of de-aging actors in Hollywood still seems to be an imprecise art at best.

The major expectations of the movie seem to have been met and at times exceeded. I think most history aficionados and plenty of regular movie watchers, such as yours truly will appreciate this latest offering from MGM.

 

 

A few years ago, I started writing little critiques on Facebook of any movie I have seen or a book I finished reading.  I would refer to it as my schtick.  I actually found to be a bit of a compulsion as time went on.  I have had it suggested that I should start a blog doing that, and so I think I needed a new hobby that could lead to somewhere profitable if I put the time into it. Even if it just remains a hobby that I do for free, that’s okay.  I still have a real job.

One vision for this blog is to share my thoughts on various films I see for the first time. Although I see a lot of current films, there will also be some older movies that I have not seen.  Some of them I should have seen.  For example, I have yet to sit through “The Godfather”.  I will do so one day, I promise. Some movies may be those one would think I should have seen, but I likely won’t.  “Gone With the Wind” falls into that category. I am likely only going to sit through that in the company of a pretty girl and a decent stock of liquor.

I will also be reviewing any books I have read for the first time.  Most of the books I read are by current authors, however I have been making more of an effort to explore the classics as well. I tend to lean toward mysteries, thrillers, and occasionally science fiction. I am known to indulge in Star Trek novels which are also fair game for this site.

I am also an avid fan of the British program Doctor Who. Not only do I watch the television episodes, I collect the audio dramas released by Big Finish Productions and BBC Audiobooks. Those will be included in this series at times.

Hopefully, this will be a satisfyingly eclectic collection of thoughts and musings of aspects of pop culture that I enjoy.  There will be plenty of material involving more mainstream and familiar entertainment, but it will be mixed in with some lesser known works that may have been enjoyed long ago.

I will also likely write blogs commenting on pop culture news. For example, if the new James Bond is announced once Daniel Craig leaves the role, I will likely share whatever thoughts and reactions to that here.

This blog will be something I will be adapting and evolving as time goes on and I get more practice in expressing my views in hopefully a more eloquent manner .  I appreciate anyone who is willing to continue reading this and offer some feedback.

Once again, I want to reiterate that I will be writing about only what I have read, seen, or heard for the first time from beginning to end. I expect that I will be posting a blog at least a couple of times a week.

For those who have liked or expressed some appreciation for my posts on Facebook, I thank you very much. I would also appreciate any feedback or efforts to share this blog page with anyone else who may have similar interests. I also am eager to start a dialogue with a new audience as well.

I believe I have said what I have needed to in this introduction to this new schtick….or rather, a newer version of an old schtick for me.