The Dead Zone

Did you miss me? For a while, I wasn't sure whether or not to continue writing this blog. Turns out, I have to record my thoughts on films somewhere. So I am back, if only for my own amusement.

I return with The Dead Zone, a David Cronenberg film based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, which I recently re-read. And I have to say, as films based on King's books go, this is actually pretty good. There have, of course, been some disastrous results (Dreamcatcher comes to mind, also The Shining for reasons that would have to be explained in a separate blog entry and probably will be in the future.

Here we have Johnny Smith (played by Christopher Walken, includes no dancing), who develops psychic abilities. How he comes by this new gift remains a mystery. In the book, there was a childhood incident that started it all and the car accident coma that shook everything loose. In the film, we go straight from a headache on the roller coaster to a bad car accident to a five-year coma.

Apart from the jump right into adulthood, the changes made to the source material are not significant. There are two omissions I do miss, however. Firstly, the Wheel of Fortune episode, that gives a glimpse of Johnny's abilities does not happen in the book. It was exciting to read but not essential for the story line, I guess. Secondly, I would have wanted to see so much more of Johnny's mother. In the book, she is this really interesting Christian nut that makes life very trying for the elder Mr. Smith and Johnny himself, presenting ready explanations for Johnny's waking up from the coma and his new prophetic second sight to pretty much everything else. Alas, here we only meet her for a very short time.

After the two big revelations Johnny has and shares (among several minor ones) - the accident that is to befall his pupil Chris (also adapted from the book story and the book version of Chris) and the unmasking of the serial killer (as dramatic in film as is in book) - we come to the major event that is Greg Stillson, played by the always wonderful Martin Sheen. I will go as far as calling him the best actor of his generation.

To think that this Stillson will go on to become Jed Bartlett, a very different kind of politician altogether!

The question on whether or not one should take action to change a future outcome has been addressed repeatedly (more then once by Stephen King himself) and always seems to boil down to one of two questions.

1. If you could go back in time to kill Hitler, would you do it?
2. If you could go back in time to prevent Kennedy's assassination, would you do it?

Here, Johnny's attempt to kill the potentially evil Stillson does sort of fail but not really. Even though Johnny does not manage to shoot Stillson and dies while trying to, the incident reveals that Stillson is really just a petty coward, using a small child to shield himself from a would-be assassin.

Mission complete.

7/10

Octopussy

In case you wondered, 'Octopussy' is a woman. She lives on an island with women on it. Lots and lots of women. And, yes, Bond beds her.

Now that we got that out of the way, here's the story in a nutshell:
Bond has to follow a general stealing jewelry from the Russian government. The trace leads him to an Afghan prince and the title-giving Octopussy. He unscovers some plot that involves...wait for it...nuclear weaponry. And Fabergé eggs. Obviously.

The locations this time around are East Berlin and the much more exotic India. Some of the character's names include Kamal Khan (the Afghan prince), Orlov (the general), Gobinda (bodyguard and henchman), Mischka & Grischka (circus artists), Gogol (Russian writer a Soviet general) and - my favorite - Penelope Smallbone (assistant to Moneypenny). None of the cast names rings a bell for me (other than the usual suspects).

This features an abundance of ridiculous and very obvious one liners, that more often than not miss the mark (I think). It's all very silly, really. Also, if you suffer from Coulrophobia, do not watch this!

Ok, maybe that's just me. I was never much a fan of the franchise, only having seen the occasional film (and remembering Goldfinger rather fondly). I only became a fan when Daniel Craig took over and decided to watch all Bond films - from earliest to latest. It looks like anything that become before the re-vamping with Craig as Bond was not for me (I suspected as much). At this point, I'm in it for the villains, who are not much to speak of in Octopussy.

4/10

Never Say Never Again

This is the one James Bond film that is not officially part of the series. From the very first instant - when the beginning credits set in - we know that everything is different. There is no shadowy figure in the round seeker of a gun turning towards the camera and shooting followed by a song performed by the superstar of the moment. There is a different M, a different Q, even a different Felix.

But the story is very James Bond-y and the original 007 is back (again). The location is as exotic as ever and the cast is fantastic: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Max von Sydow, Edward Fox, Kim Basinger, Rowan Atkinson. The fashion (other than Bond's classic tuxedo) is painfully 1980's.

The woman in the picture does not only commit a typical 1980's fashion crime, she is also totally bonkers. For instance, she insists on being the best lay Bond has ever had and wants him to put that in writing. James, of course, has been handed a pen out of Q's little shop and shoots her with it. The crazy bitch is not the only woman that ends up in Bond's arms before he saves the day.

Some more recurring themes: a casino and some deep sea diving. Nothing new, but an interesting attempt of trying to secure a piece of the franchise cake. It remains the only one thus far.

6/10

Sleepaway Camp 1+2

Today you get two reviews for the price of one: Sleepaway Camp 1 + 2. Why bother splitting them up when the bad guy is the same one in both?

I'll tell you right away: Angela is the killer.

Sleepaway Camp

Ah, good old trash-y camp horror!

In the the final scene, when the killer's identity is revealed - it turns out to be little Angela. You can see it from a mile and the big surprise is not who the killer is but what the killer is.

Angela and her overly protective cousin are sent to camp by the weirdest aunt (to Angela) in horror film history. Angela is very, very shy and spends her days just staring at people, refusing to swim (hint!) and generally freaking people out by her mere presence.

So, anyway, kids die. And in the end we learn that Angela is a boy! See, back at the beginning of the film, a father is in the water with his son and daughter and gets killed in a freak boating accident. We were then led to believe that the girl survived, but really it was the boy.

Yes, it's bad.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers

Angela (played by Pamela Springsteen, as in "sister of...") is back at camp (another camp, but near enough to the original camp for kids to tell the grisly story of the previous murders by the campfire) - this time she works there. For some reason, the kids here are older than in the first part. Back then, the average age appeared to be 12, 13 years, now we have young adults with chesthair and breasts (that classy girls don't have to flaunt, mind you).

This time there is not even the slightest attempt to keep the killer's identity secret. Angela is now an actual woman, after having spent time in an institution and having had a sex change. Yes, I know...

Apparently, she just loves the camp life, crappy songs about happy campers and all. People die in various grisly ways, they get stabbed and cut with knives/Freddy Krueger gloves/drills, burned alive or even drowned in the outhouse (eww!).

In the end, she has killed off everyone and gets away scott free.

There are several more films in the series...
Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland
Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor
Sleepaway Camp V: The Return (aka Return to Sleepaway Camp)
Memorial Valley Desaster (aka Son of Sleepaway Camp)
...and why not? The options are endless, apparently.

Angela's run lasts until part IV.

Sleepaway Camp: 1/10
Sleepaway Camp II: 1/10