Film Review: Not All Satanic Serial Killers Are That Interesting

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Longlegs is a horror film that has an interesting plot idea but somehow manages to miss the mark in keeping this viewer engaged. Osgood Perkins is the writer and director, so he can shoulder most of the blame for this film’s downfalls.

Maika Monroe plays the lead role in the shape of FBI agent Lee Harker. Nicholas Cage, Blair Underwood, and Alicia Witt are included in the cast, so there isn’t a lack of experienced performers. Cage plays the demonic killer known as Longlegs, and he delivers his usual distinctively manic performance.

Lee Harker displays a peculiar intuition concerning a series of similar murders that involve the father inexplicably slaughtering his family before taking his own life. There are strange letters being sent to Harker, and she finds that her own past may play a part in these atrocities that are connected to Satanic rituals as well. There are plenty of dark aspects to give Harker some disturbing dreams and memories.

The revelation as to how Longlegs operated is kind of interesting. As I mentioned, the basic plot is actually not that bad. The problem is that I didn’t really like anyone. Lee Harker as a character is just not that interesting in spite of her mysterious, troubled past. Cage was just too weird, and I found myself wondering how he eluded capture for decades in spite of his distinctive facial deformities and bizarre behavior. I suppose since he was getting some guidance from Satan, apparently, that could have helped him avoid the attentions of law enforcement.

I don’t usually bring in what the professional reviewers note in this film, but I was somewhat surprised that the critical score was higher than I would have thought. The audience seems to have a much more tepid reaction. I think I will have to agree with the general audience here.

Anyway, the idea has some potential, but there isn’t much more merit beyond that.

Book Review: Negotiations Go Awry Over Bajor

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Pliable Truths is the latest title written by Dayton Ward and is a mediocre addition to the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel range.

Ward takes the reader back to the era of the television series just after Captain Jean-Luc Picard endured captivity and torture at the hands of the Cardassians. Also, the Cardassians subsequently withdraw from their occupation of the planet Bajor. Captain Picard is tasked with overseeing the negotiations between the Cardassians and the Bajorans aboard the space station known as Terok Nor. Of course, Terok Nor is on the verge of being redesignated Deep Space Nine. Picard’s mission is complicated by a bombing and assassination. Also, the Cardassian responsible for his recent torture has arrived, which causes some understandable disconcertion. Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise have several challenges to meet and a few mysteries to solve.

Dayton Ward has written several Star Trek novels for many years, and he is usually reliable. The problem here is that fans have already been through this era of the canon. We know what happens with Bajor after the Cardassians pulled out. There is no real suspense to be had. There were some interesting moments between characters. The reader gets to revisit the earlier days of Odo, Quark, Kira, and Garak just before Commander Benjamin Sisko arrives as the Starfleet representative. Garak’s scenes were kind of fun. He is, of course, the Cardassian tailor with a mysterious past and is much more dangerous than he first appears.

Ward isn’t a bad writer, but I just wasn’t interested in revisiting this portion of the canon. It also seems to take forever before the bombs started detonating, and characters started getting taken off the board.

Hopefully, the next novel in this series takes us into some uncharted territory.

Next up, I will see what author Max Seeck has waiting for me on Ghost Island.

Film Review: Axel Foley Turns The Heat Back On

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F manages to somewhat redeem the beloved franchise after the cinematic dumpster fire of its immediate predecessor. Eddie Murphy reprises the role of Detroit detective Axel Foley who keeps having reason to bring his distinctive style of mayhem to Beverly Hills. The screenplay was written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Ettan. Mark Molloy is at the helm as director and at least does this with some competence and care for the series.

John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot are the returning cast members from the previous films. Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are newer and effective additions to the world.

Axel Foley has managed to somehow stay on the Detroit police force for these past several decades. At some point since he was last seen on screen, he had gotten married, sired a daughter, and divorced. He and his daughter have become estranged in recent years. She has moved out to California and has become a defense attorney. Her latest case has her mired in a deep nest of police corruption and drug trafficking. When she is getting a little closer to proving a client innocent of murdering a police officer, she is threatened rather dramatically. Of course, that isn’t going to set well with the relentless Axel Foley, which brings him back to Beverly Hills, much to the chagrin of his daughter.

Foley manages to catch up with his friends, Chief Taggart and now private investigator, Billy Rosewood. Rosewood has landed into some trouble of his own since he was helping Axel’s daughter and was on the scent of some dirty cops before he disappeared.

Taylour Paige, who plays Foley’s daughter, holds her own alongside the undiminished charisma and talent of Murphy. There were some interesting character moments as the script tries to fill in the background between the estrangement of father and daughter. Although he is still recognizably Alex Foley, there is some evidence of maturity mixed into the familiar brashness.

The script does a good job of evoking the affectionate sense of nostalgia for these characters and showing that they are not frozen in time. Relationships ebb and flow, and circumstances are always changing. It was interesting to get a sense of what Foley would have been like as a father, and he wasn’t that good at it, but the audience can still root for him to be better.

The new cast members seem to be enjoying the experience as well. Murphy still looks somewhat believable in his action sequences, although he isn’t quite as acrobatic as he was in the previous films.

The actual plot is a bit of a mess, but that’s not unusual for this franchise. It’s still better than Beverly Hills Cop III, Overall, it was fun to revisit this world even if I am instinctively suspicious of Hollywood’s insistence on resurrecting these franchises decades later. It’s not a great film, but it’s reasonably entertaining.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The War Doctor Signs Up

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The War Doctor Begins: Forged In Fire is the beginning of what appears to be a promising series of Doctor Who audio dramas released by Big Finish Productions. Jonathon Carley steps into the role created by the late John Hurt of what has become known as the War Doctor. This is when the Doctor as regenerated into an incarnation intending to enter the Time War as a participant. This Doctor has rejected the moniker he has used for centuries because he is about to engage in methods of fighting that none of his other selves would condone. This trilogy is directed by Louise Jameson, who is basically immortalized in the Doctor Who canon as Leela of the Sevateem. Jameson has been indulging her creative talents outside of acting and seems to be doing quite well at it. Nicholas Briggs returns to voice the Daleks. Adele Anderson, John Dorney, Helen Goldwyn, and Tracy Wiles are some members of guest cast making their welcome contributions.

The first of the three episodes is entitled Light the Flame by Matt Fitton. This picks up moments after the Eighth Doctor has regenerated on the planet Karn before the Sisterhood of the Flame. The War Doctor already has to decide what his fight in the Time War will entail, but he first has to save Karn and the Sisterhood from a ruthless plan concocted by his own people.

I am not too sure of the main story, but Carley puts in a wonderful performance. It is almost eerie how much he can make his voice emulate John Hurt’s. As the War Doctor regains his footing after a traumatic regeneration, the audience gets treated to a compelling emotional journey as the differences from his pervious selves becomes more evident. It’s not always easy to follow, but Fitton still provides a strong introduction for this actor and this early version of the War Doctor.

Lion Hearts is the second story provided by Lou Morgan. The Tharils, who were first seen in the television serial, Warriors’ Gate, are now caught up in the Time War. The War Doctor has joined a rescue operation of a captured friend, but that of course becomes even more complicated than he anticipated. Morgan does a really good fake out as she teases the audience with how ruthless the War Doctor may actually become. I really enjoyed the story once I remembered how I first saw the Tharils and could more properly picture them in my head. Yet again, Carley continues to impress with his version of the War Doctor.

It is long-time contributor Andrew Smith who closes this set out with his script, The Shadow Squad. The War Doctor is going after the Dalek Time Strategist, but he learns of an even more devastating weapon. The Daleks has developed a plan to erase the contributions of certain Gallifreyan fighters from all of history in order to turn the Time War into their favor. The War Doctor meets the Temporal Eradicator, and he will find out just how merciless he is willing to be in order to end this terrible threat to the cosmos.

It gets a little confusing discussing this series since the main character has rejected his title and identity at this time. I guess for purposes of clarity, the audience knows this is still the Doctor in spite of his protestations. However he wants to be addressed, Carley seems to be the right actor to carry off the role. I was skeptical when the producers of the television introduced this secret incarnation in the fiftieth anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, however I think I will enjoy these releases and exploring this era of the Time Lord’s long life.

Big Finish continues to display a mastery of the sound design and casting of talented actor. The scripts are all interesting at varying degrees. As usual, I have a preference, but all three stories are solid. Even though John Hurt’s death is sad, Carley’s performance is more of a way to honor his legacy than actually replace him.

There are still a lot of other ranges I will be listening to, but it will not be long before my next foray into the era of the War Doctor.

Film Review: Not Quiet Enough

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

A Quiet Place: Day One is a horror prequel that manages to maintain the suspense almost as effectively as the other two films directed by John Krasinski. Michael Sarnoski wrote and directed this particular installment which stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn. Other cast members include Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou.

Nyong’o plays a woman, Samira, who is suffering from terminal cancer and under hospice care. although she is still able to get around pretty well. She and some fellow patients take a trip to New York City to see a marionette show and maybe get a pizza. She is accompanied by a seemingly indestructible cat as well. This is the day that the invasion of the aliens with the super hearing begins and tears into the world. Samira makes her way through the city trying to get home and picks up a companions named Eric along the way. Of course, the cat kind steals the show at times.

The performances really spark here. Samira is an interesting character because she is somewhat resigned to her health situation and has a dry, cynical attitude that is quite understandable and compelling at times. Her somewhat mysterious past is slowly peeled away as the bond with Quinn’s character, Eric, grows during their brief time together.

In the meantime, the hulking, screeching aliens continue to feast on the other New York residents.

There are not that many surprises with the aliens since they are just single-minded and lightning fast. The suspense was well played though. The script was actually kind of interesting, and it was easy to sympathize with Samira, who has a terminal illness and an alien invasion to cope with. This film doesn’t avoid all of the typical tropes of the genre, so there are some moments that are easy to predict. I did not learn anything really new about the creatures other than there was some nest at a construction site that had some eggs scattered around. There is not much explanation as to how the creatures arrived and if there was a deeper purpose other than killing hapless humans.

In case anyone needs reminding or has yet to see the other two films, these creatures are blind but have frighteningly superb hearing. Any noise from their prey can bring a brutally swift attack upon them.

It’s a pretty solid piece of scary entertainment. Although it is doubtful we will see Samira again, it hopefully will not be too long before Nyong’o is seen in her next cinematic endeavor.

Film Review: A New Horizon Beckons

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter One is the beginning of what looks to be a pretty engaging and beautifully captured film series directed by Kevin Costner. He also co-wrote the script Jon Baird as well as stars. The cast is huge and includes Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Sam Worthington Jena Malone, Will Patton along with many others.

The film begins in 1859 when the town of Horizon is established in the San Pedro Valley. Four years after that, the town is raided by a tribe of Apache. Many of the residents are scattered as the consequences of the raid start to unfold. This is one of those epics where there are many groups of characters to follow. Costner plays a horse trader named Hayes Ellison who gets caught up in one of the disputes. This leads to him killing a man who was about to threaten the life of a young woman he had met. Ellison and the prostitute named Marigold have to flee Montana before the dead man’s crooked brother catches up with them. Various groups of characters are apparently going to converge on Horizon as the series progresses.

I am not going to be too much into trying to describe this plot because that will really test my patience. Costner is attempting to revisit an epic style of cinema with this complicated, romantic western. Although the story could use a little tightening up in some ways, it’s still a laudable and mostly successful effort. The scenery and set design look gorgeous. I have no complaints about the cast or their performances. There’s a certain gritty feel to the piece that comes across quite authentically. Many important pieces to a good film do come together quite nicely.

It is still too easy to lose the timeline when watching this. There is the sense that Costner has bitten off more than he can chew at times. The shift from various situations and stories can be a little jarring and distracting. I almost felt like I needed to keep notes to make sure I kept some of the relationships straight.

I: do appreciate the ambition that Costner has displayed here, and he pulls off most of it. It could be that much of my impressions is influenced by this being a very early introduction to the overall story and the characters, and it will be easier to follow once the next films are released.

I do recommend that more people see this film because it is better than much of what has come out of Tinseltown lately. It is a celebration of American history and an homage to the grit and courage of those early pioneers. The Native Americans also are portrayed with some depth and complexity as well. Costner created something that attempts to avoid a lot of caricature and shallow stereotypes. There are moments of moving compassion in the midst of the cruelty of the times.

If nothing else, Costner did accomplish something in that I am certainly looking forward to seeing the next installment.

Book Review: Some Family Dramas Can Turn Deadly

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

In Plain Sight is another thriller from C.J. Box, featuring Joe Pickett and his family, and is a compelling, enjoyable addition to the genre.

Joe Pickett has been a Wyoming game warden for a few years now and is happily married with two daughters. Since this is a crime novel, he and his family have endured more than their share of unwanted attention from some nasty characters. In this novel, it gets a little more personal when some threatening and gruesome pranks are being committed against the stalwart and dedicated game warden. Also, Pickett is keeping his eye out for a missing ranch owner who has left behind three peculiar sons at odds over her property and legacy. He also is getting a tough serving of Wyoming politics when his new director has little appreciation for what could be a little too much of Pickett’s honesty and integrity. Pickett is getting tested in a variety of unpleasant ways, but none of that is going matter if he cannot keep himself and his family alive.

Box is a very solid and reliable writer, and this novel helps to cement that impression. I am enjoying my occasional figurative visits to Pickett’s neck of the woods. I found the plot with this strange yet influential family rather interesting. The Joe Pickett series is best read in order of release since there is a progression in his professional and marital life. I have mentioned this before, but I like reading of a protagonist who remains committed to his wife and children in the midst of perilous people and circumstances swirling around his homestead.

There are some pretty good twists and turns that get pretty gruesome at times. This novel was released in 2006, so I have a ways to go before I am caught up to the current entries into the series, and so far, I plan to stick with this.

As for now, my journey of literary indulgence will detour back to the twenty-fourth century to visit some old friends aboard the USS Enterprise-D in the latest Star Trek: The Next Generation novel by Dayton Ward entitled Pliable Truths.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Genesis Revisited

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions does not make that many mistakes when it comes to their Doctor Who audio range, however Daleks! Genesis of Terror appears to be one of few outright missteps. This is basically a retelling of the classic serial known as Genesis of the Daleks, which starred Tom Baker. This version is based on the first draft submitted by Terry Nation. Baker returns to perform the first part and is joined by Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane Smith and Christopher Naylor as Harry Sullivan. Nicholas Briggs provides much of the narration, and other cast members read much of the synopsis for the remaining five parts.

The Doctor is sent by the Time Lords to the early days of the creation of the Daleks where he is tasked with trying to avert the terrible genesis. He meets the creator, Davros, while the war between the Kaleds and the Thals raged mercilessly.

The screen version is one of my favorite stories, but this is essentially a repeat of that although most of it was just summarized by Briggs and several other narrators.

I guess there is some mild interest to be found here, but I am not sure retelling one of the most popular serials was all that necessary. Big Finish releases this as part of the Lost Stories range, but this was just an early draft or treatment of something that’s already considered a classic among the fans.

There is another release of this sort from Big Finish based on The Ark in Space, and I am not that motivated to try that one…at least not yet.

Film Review: The Battle Of The Generations Rage On

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Old Dads is an unsurprisingly raunchy comedy film directed by Bill Burr; however, it is not as funny as his stand-up routine. Burr co-wrote the script with Ben Tishler, who was apparently not much help. Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine co-star as his two best friends and business partners.

The premise here is that these three buddies are older that most typical fathers and their struggles to understand the younger generation, which includes their wives and significant others. The three friends had sold their company but were able to remain on as employees with a Gen Z supervisor who doesn’t respect their supposed wisdom or something. Burr’s character has gotten sideways with a progressive daycare principal. He has an erratic temper, which is what Burr relies on for his stand-up routine. All three of these guys have some friction in their relationships. Basically, they have to save their relationships, get their jobs back, and learn how to play nice with others.

There was no one I could bring myself to actually like or root for. I like Burr’s comedy generally, but somehow it didn’t translate all that well for this film. The profanity was a bit much, and I can tolerate a lot. There were times that I could almost sympathize with Burr’s character, Jack, such as when he called out his wife for not standing by him all that much. Just because he has a temper didn’t mean that he was always wrong.

I think there is a goldmine here with the idea of some of these older fathers with young children, but Burr didn’t seem to tap into it very effectively.

I didn’t have very high expectations for this one, but this still turned out to be surprisingly disappointing.

Book Review: Some Puzzles Are Deadlier Than Others

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni has an intriguing plot and an interesting protagonist, but it still fell short of being that impressive somehow.

Trussoni does bring up some fascinating aspects in her main character named Mike Brink. Brink was once a promising college football star when he suffered a head injury that did not cripple him physically, but he did not escape unscathed. There is a rare medical condition known as acquired savant syndrome. Brink woke up with a peculiar ability to see patterns and solve the most complex of puzzles. It took him a while to get the hang of controlling the sudden flood of information. His football career came to an end, but he found a new outlet with becoming a celebrated puzzle maker.

Brink is asked to meet with a woman in prison for murder after she constructs a strange puzzle that he recognizes. Jess Price has spoken very little, but Brink starts having strange dreams, and his investigation into the woman’s circumstances open the door for him to get a look at something called the God Puzzle. The plot behind the murder conviction of Jess Price turns into something stranger and more spiritual than he could anticipate.

This is another novel that ends up not being terrible but somehow still unsatisfying. The problem could be that the plot required quite a bit of technical exposition due to the nature of the complex puzzles introduced. The main character has a fascinating condition and is pretty likeable. Trussoni is likely going to revisit Mike Brink and his unique abilities, and I may not be too deterred from trying out a follow-up.

In spite of some of my dissatisfaction with this novel, I can understand why another reader would appreciate it more. The basic plot idea is pretty compelling, but I have issue with how it was written. There were times that the story sort of stalled.

There’s a chance I may enjoy this more if I give it a second read or I try another one of Trussoni’s works. It’s not like it was a torturous read, but I was hoping I found a surprise literary gem. Alas, my hopes were dashed, but I have read worse.

Next up, I will return to the forests of Wyoming and observe game warden Joe Pickett as he solves his own puzzle that is occurring In Plain Sight.