The Unwritten: Volume 09 (2014)

The Unwritten FABLES (2014)

Authors: Mike Carey / Bill Willingham | Illustrator: Peter Gross | Page Count: 144

"Thank you, dear. We're all done with the exposition now. It's time to make a leap of faith."

The Unwritten celebrated its 50th issue by having a crossover with Fables, another Vertigo title. The story is credited to both Carey and Bill Willingham, the latter being the chief writer on Fables. It's a series that I've not read; I wanted to for a long time, but some of its many TPBs are expensive to buy, so rather than have half I prefer to have none. And if the full series is anything like what features herein, I feel I can live happily without it.

The basic premise of Fables is a standard 'what if...' scenario: what if the characters and creatures from folklore and fairy-tales, such as Rose Red, Pinocchio, Ozma, etc, were real and living together in a community. But the deeper concerns of the individuals and of the group is something that I've no prior knowledge of.

K-9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981)

K-9 and Company:
A Girl's Best Friend (1981)

Dir. John Black | 50 mins approx.

The fourth Doctor's (Tom Baker) robotic pooch K9 (Mark III) got itself a pilot episode for an offshoot TV series that didn't get green-lit. It's similar to the parent show, but there are no aliens or reckless jaunts through time. That doesn't mean all is rosy and safe, however. Instead, it has a coven of Hecate worshippers that are planning something nefarious in the pastoral English countryside.

Despite not having her name in the title, the real star of the show is Elisabeth Sladen as the forthright, journalistic-minded Sarah Jane Smith.

The title implies that K-9 would've been constant, but would the 'company' have been changeable? Were more cameos planed for future episodes?

I don't know, but I know that it wasn't the final TV offshoot for either of the two main protagonists.

The Almighty: Studio Albums (1989-93)

Blood, Fire and Love (1989)

I discovered Blood, Fire and Love, the band's début album, when I was about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't that age when the record was released, just that age when I discovered it. But that's not important. What's important is that after half a dozen playthroughs I began to think it was great, believing it could be the sound that would ultimately destroy pop-tinged Hair Metal.

I thought it was a Rock album for the ages, the perfect soundtrack to a night of cheap cider and trying (mostly in vain) to get one's leg over.

Hearing it again after so many years have passed made me smile guiltily and a little shamefully.

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Dir. Randal Kleiser

Second Sight Films' 2019 re-release of FotN offered the perfect opportunity for me to revisit the film yet again. Encoded from a new 4K scan, with a restoration supervised by its director Randal Kleiser, it's significantly better than their previous 2012 Blu-ray edition. The press release doesn't state if it's from the OCN or not, but judging by the astonishing level of detail in the picture, I'm guessing it is. There'll likely be a 4K edition at some point in the future, but until then the 2019 disc is, to my knowledge, the best that the film has looked on the home media format.

It holds a special place in my heart still, being only the second film that I ever saw at the cinema, as a child, and it likely contributed in no small part to the enduring love of science-fiction cinema that developed in me as I matured.

It's a family film about a twelve-year-old named David (Joey Cramer) who's forced to deal with a frightening and unexpected change in his life.

Twisted Sister: Live at Wacken: The Reunion (2005)

Twisted Sister:

Live at Wacken: The Reunion (2005)

Dir. Dave Streicher

Something about A.J. Pero's snare sound seems a little off at the beginning, at least it does to my ears, but thankfully his timing isn't and as the live show goes on everything gets progressively better.

Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda are both on point, while Mark Mendoza pounds the bass like the 'animal' he's named for. If you didn't know prior to watching how long Twisted Sister had been apart, you'd be hard-pushed to guess from the performance alone.

But best of all, frontman Dee Snider hasn't lost any of his passion. And it's uncanny how much of his lyrics, penned decades ago, are fitting to a reunion occasion.

♪ You thought it was gone / But the fire goes on. ♪

The filmed version of the Wacken gig isn't just music; it's intercut by each member separately discussing the breakup and eventual road to reformation. As a fan of both the band and the documentary format I found it interesting, but I'd prefer that kind of thing be on a separate disc and have the live performance presented in full and uninterrupted.

Clone (2010)

Clone (2010)

Dir. Benedek Fliegauf

Films that elicit powerful emotions without the use of words often linger in my mind longer than films that use dialogue for the same. It's mostly because dialogue is a mechanical process that can be as alienating as it is beautiful, whereas silence can break a heart more effectively than a callous word.

The language of Clone (aka Womb) is the language of loss. It’s the story of Rebecca and Thomas (Eva Green and Matt Smith, respectively). When left alone, the emptiness in which Rebecca exists isn't a void - it’s a birthplace waiting for life to happen.

Until then, the heavy silences and recurring symbolism that drive the narrative forward will require a viewer's complete attention.

As is often the case with challenging and controversial works, it holds a lower than deserved rating on movie sites that use aggregate scoring. Personally, I'd score it a perfect 10.

Star Trek IX: Insurrection (1998)

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Dir. Jonathan Frakes

The usually dependable Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) goes ape-shit whilst on an alien planet, during an undercover mission for Starfleet. Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew make it their business to find out why.

Insurrection is a mixed bag. The good bits are exciting and even sometimes funny, but for long-time fans it's obvious that it's treading old ground.

However, if you can somehow ignore that you've seen the same kind of thing multiple times already in the weekly TV series, then the story itself is entertaining enough. It's less action-filled than the previous TNG feature film, but on the flip side it contains more quiet, reflective moments, focussing on family and environmental concerns.

The many rewrites are obvious, but production values are high, and aside from one face-palm moment involving Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and a joystick, it's worth watching.