The technology of the office has come a long way since the computer upended the way we do commerce. Yes, the computer has become a necessity, not just an expensive way to one-up your competitors. Still, the small office needed documents created, budgets drafted, data … Continue reading Lotus Jazz (1988)
We tend to think of our lives as set. What is going to happen will happen regardless, whether it be through nature or nurture or some divine intervention. There’s no halting the master plan. In 2009, as the shooter genre was entering a crossroads in … Continue reading Darkest Of Days (2009)
None of us is perfect, and that is what makes us human. As such, we tend to have regrets, from the slight to the many. Only hindsight can tell us how these smaller regrets might end up having a significant impact on our lives, like … Continue reading A Sound Of Thunder (2005)
The various global conflicts throughout human history have spilled countless gallons of blood, but have also given us many tales of heroism, where quick wits and nerves of steel have helped change the course of battle. The media tends to love this, spending myriad hours retelling these stories. In 1981, with strong financial backing, Director Terrance Young attempted to retell the lives of those involved with The battle of Inchon!
With the destruction of World War 2 behind it, the Asian front is in a precarious position. Ideological differences and foreign influences have split the Korean peninsula in two. Both sides want reunification with them in charge. That is, until six years later, after receiving backing from the Soviets, the North Koreans launched an invasion force that pushed the South to the brink of extinction. If Operation Chromite can be made a success, the fight to retake the peninsula can begin.
The main selling point of Inchon is the film’s depiction of the many perspectives of the people involved. I say many perspectives, but the film doesn’t focus on the North much. From the high decision-makers trying to plan Operation Chromite, to the lowly troops and civilians who lie in the balance, Inchon shows the human struggle in all avenues affected by the titular Inchon landing. In almost a similar perspective to the hit dramedy M.A.S.H. However, if you want to see plenty of daring action scenes, Inchon still has you covered.
The story behind the film might be more infamous than the film itself, with lots of figures you wouldn’t expect financing a feature film lending 40 Million, a lot of money for a film back then. But you can see that investment is reflected in the talent assembled. The film casts Laurence Oliver as General McArthur, who campaigned in the region during W.W.2 and whose expertise is called on again here. You also might recognise the original Shaft himself, Robert Roundtree is here too. Terrance Young, who you might remember from some of the more iconic ’60s James Bond films, was picked to direct this film. Robin Moore, who wrote the novel that The French Connection was based on, wrote a large part of the script too. Along with Jerry Goldsmith providing yet another iconic score.
While this infamous film is hard to find, and its reception is still talked about to this day, Inchon is more than just the fascinating story of how it came to be. If you do find a copy, watch it because you can. If the gathering of big names doesn’t impress you, then the opportunity to see some more perspectives on the Korean War, outside M.A.S.H. The tapes are circulating, still making sure that as far away as the film was from the battle, you can still see Inchon!
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Throughout the course of history, genres rise and fall, tastes change and the effect is gradual enough that there’s rarely one defining moment that pushes it. There is no single trigger point. Unless, of course, an expensive flop explodes publicly. In 1980, an ambitious epic may have halted a career, bankrupted a studio, and brought down a genre in telling the story of what happened at Heaven’s Gate.
We watch the graduating class of 1870, as they are about to embark on their future. 20 years on, James is a Marshall trying to keep order in the declining days of the Wild West. Racist sentiment is increasing amongst the frontier, and a rich cabal of landowners is looking to commit out-and-out murder to further their profits. As blood is spilled on the ever-growing border, this conflict is represented in the struggle between James and Nathan, who are fighting not just for their ideals, but for the affection of the same woman too. The lives of the community of Heaven’s Gate will be caught in the balance, as they will turn to any means to keep their way of life.
Your mileage may depend on what cut of the film you see. The film tries to live up to the moniker of epic by clocking in at around 5 and a half hours. Concerned financiers edited a large chunk of the film out to make it more approachable to the average cinema-goer in the early 80s, and modern home releases attempt a compromise somewhere in the middle. What is left is an interesting tale, you feel the in the air, even during the lighthearted moments, where the cast engages in an extended roller skating sequence. If you’re committed to seeking this out, you won’t find much that suggests that this project and the talent behind it were doomed to failure.
Directed by Michael Cimino, who is following on after the success of The Deer Hunter, got given a blank check to make this film. Auteur vision-making in films is not exactly rare; their success and failures have been well-documented, as are the stories of them living and dying by the sword. Heaven’s Gate does amass some talent in front of the camera, not only to see them in an extended rollerskating sequence, or the late great John Hurt, and Kris Kristofferson too. He is pitted against Christopher Walken in an ever-encroaching showdown on many fronts. Considering this was the last gasp of the Western for some time, it is fitting that they managed to gather some great players for it.
Through a careful retelling of history, Heaven’s Gate will go down in infamy, much like Xanadu and Ishtar, and not because of the similarly named group. The Western took a step back after the film’s spectacular failure only to be reworked a decade later into 90s introspection, a studio and a promising career were left in its wake. But also a sweeping epic about a fascinating time in the life of America, a tale of romance and conflict that is indicative of the soul of the nation. If you get the opportunity, roll don’t walk to give Heaven’s Gate another chance.
If you want more positive reviews delivered to the e-mail box of your choice, you can click on that little text bubble at the bottom of the screen. Do you agree or disagree? or have a suggestion for another pop-culture artefact that needs a positive light shone on it? Leave a comment in the comment box below! But remember to keep it positive!
Shooters have given players a grand opportunity to glimpse past and future conflicts from the comfort of their own homes. Whether storming the sandy dunes of Mars or storming the beaches on D-Day, Shooters have utilised some classic periods as their conventions lend themselves to … Continue reading Gods and Generals (2003)
In any conflict, there are winners and losers, this cannot be helped of course as that generally is how conflicts tend to resolve themselves. Whether you were right or wrong doesn’t really matter, or may not even be truly knowable, but the debates will echo on long after the cession of any hostilities, long after any surviving member can rebuke the argument. In 2003 to follow up on the cinematic epic of Gettysburg over a decade ago, Ted Turner and others chronicled some of the tacticians of the losing side in Gods and Generals.
Following the life of Civil War belligerent, Stonewall Jackson, Gods and Generals focuses on the Civil War largely from the Confederate’s perspective. Almost immediately after the initial attack of Fort Sumner, we learn how he got the name Stonewall and his actions up until his death after the Battle of Chancellorsville. Gods and Generals threw a spotlight on General Lee, and selected few tacticians of the Civil War.
Focusing almost exclusively on the runners-up of the Civil War, Gods and Generals feels like the call and response to the other Civil War epic Gettysburg a decade earlier. Attempting to show the South’s Secession solely from their eyes. While, there have been many factors offered towards why the South did try to break away a century and change ago. The film has characters with the almost flowery poetic language used to justify their actions, it might be a tough pill to swallow as the causes and motivations of the war are heavily debated to this day. Yet if you want to see some of the greats of cinema take on these characters, Gods and Generals gives you another chance.
Sans the great Martin Sheen, a lot of the cast of Gettysburg do return, albeit playing new roles. General Robert E. Lee is Robert Duvall, but among him are such titans acting like W. Morgan Sheppard. Stonewall himself is Stephen Lang, who has recently risen in ranks after playing Pickett in Gettysburg. He is a capable actor, from his time as Freddie in Manhunter to his recent appearances in the Avatar films as the Colonel. Depending on what version you watch, you might also get extended footage of one John Wilks Booth, a valued player on Sondheim’s musical, and noted hater of quote-unquote tyrants. Rounding out the cast of characters in this Civil War play.
You don’t get many epics like Gods and Generals, certainly not ones clocking in at over three and a half hours. However, attempting to match up with the impressive might of Gettysburg might have forced Ted Turner et al down this path. It goes without saying that now is your chance if you watched Gettysburg and developed more of a taste for more epics based around the time. Although there were three books in this trilogy, Gods and Generals couldn’t muster up that much of a demand for the final instalment to be filmed. Although the South’s flirtation with independence lasted officially for only a few years. The efforts to compile the saga to film have gone on a lot longer.
If you want more positive reviews delivered to the e-mail box of your choice, you can click on that little text bubble at the bottom of the screen. Do you agree or disagree? or have a suggestion for another pop-culture artefact that needs a positive light shone on it? Leave a comment in the comment box below! But remember to keep it positive!
With the rise of fake news, lies, more lies, and statistics, it seems modern culture is turning its back on April Fool’s Day. What might be taken with a tongue firmly in your cheek could be taken earnestly, and a growing population taking pranks to … Continue reading April Fool’s Day (2008)
Being a Mother is hard work. Stereotypically, you have to deal with all the food work, and preparing your young kids, who might not be grateful, let alone appreciative of all the small sacrifices that you have made for them for their future. Yet deep … Continue reading Mother’s Day (2016)
Episodes on a T.V. show can be in a unique position in that they might be the entry point for a franchise. You’d hope your viewers start at the beginning, but you never know thanks to word of mouth, syndication, or whatever that episodes down the line might be the entry point for new fans. You also want to keep the momentum going for existing fans, all while never knowing if it is enough to avoid a premature cancellation. In 2012, following on the heels of the first episode, Sonic had to both move fast and break things to keep the momentum going. In Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2.
Fans tuning in to the franchise will find the revamped experience familiar. You flow through the standard 3 acts of each stage plus a boss fight. Collect a certain amount of rings, and you go through a bonus stage, where you grab the rings to reach a chaos emerald. So in a familiar but different approach to Episode 1 Meaning that you can jump straight back into the action.
Episode 2 feels similar to the first one but with one key difference. Episode 2 brings in tails, taking the course of the Mega Drive games by introducing the bi-tailed fox in their second outing, Tails’s inclusion is useful in quite a few ways. Mainly by pushing the X button (or your equivalent on whatever device you have), Tails can help you out. Sometimes by flying you sky-high, sometimes by morphing into a super speedball. The game adds a couple of new obstacles to make use of these added abilities. If you have both episodes 1 & 2 on your console of choice, you get to unlock Metal Sonic from the Sonic CD game et al. to play around with. It’s a cool throwback to all the additional fun that could be had with a lock-on cart for your Mega Drive.
Much like episode 1, the game incorporates a soundtrack that feels like a slightly evolved version of the standards that you’d expect from the Mega Drive. The stages evoke some backdrops of classic Sonics levels, too. Although that might be written off as window dressing, it is still a nice addition. The callbacks are frequent in Sonic 4, with even the intro harkening back to Sonic 3’s cool introduction. The physics and homing attacks also remain, making binge-playing both episodes a viable path.
Episode 2 is the ultimate end for Sonic 4, still in that time before the second renascence with Mania, or set the movie world afire. It’s hard playing through these two episodes without wondering what a third would be like. Seeing a revamped Collect The Spheres mini-game, or whatever inclusions Knuckles would bring. Sonic 4 remains a curious case of a bygone time when episodic gaming was en vogue and the franchise still didn’t know what it wanted to do to itself. But for those who wanted to see the franchise’s need for speed in the early 2010s, Sonic 4 remains a viable option in their queue.
If you want more positive reviews delivered to the e-mail box of your choice, you can click on that little text bubble at the bottom of the screen. Do you agree or disagree? or have a suggestion for another pop-culture artefact that needs a positive light shone on it? Leave a comment in the comment box below! But remember to keep it positive!
The Real Mr. Positive 