Star Wars: The Force Awakens (12A)

The movie saga, which began in 1977, is back with its original three stars, in a massive new blockbuster movie, which takes up the story with a new generation of Jedi knights.
Light and dark and good and evil are still parts of the theme of the saga, and while this story is set thirty or so years after the movie ‘Return of the Jedi’, which was released in 1983, the plot must continue to be a guarded secret by those who have viewed the movie.   As much of the story as can be told is - a new Galactic war beckons with a group called the ‘The First Order’, which grew out of the ‘Empire’ from previous movies.  However some Resistance fighters are also on alert to the growth of the first order, writes David Flynn.
You could fall back in the cinema seat a couple of times with the flying galactic debris, thanks to the action as beautifully portrayed in 3D. 
This writer could see similarities between this ‘Episode 7’ of the saga, and the pilot episode of the television series, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (1978).  Interestingly there was a court-case back in the day between that series and Star Wars with the latter claiming ideas were stolen.  Similarities are still there, but who knows who is to blame??
‘The Force Awakens’ is really interesting, and features newcomers to the saga, including, Domhnaill Gleeson as the First Order’s General Hux, and Daisy Ridley as Rey,(who was brilliant) and John Boyego as Finn.  It is also no secret that Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) returns for this episode.
It’s got a fine storyline carried throughout the action, and delivered well through good cinematic scenes.  No scenes are more beautiful than the scenery of Skellig Island, Co. Kerry, which is breathtakingly featured in a pivotal scene of ‘The Force Awakens’.
It’s the best of the Star Wars movies since ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ in 1980, and it’s great to see many of the old favourite characters again, including Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2 in this galaxy far away, and long long ago. 

Brooklyn (12A)

The live and loves of a 1950s Irish emigrant girl between her native Ireland and New York is brought to life on film, in ‘Brooklyn’, from Colm Toibin’s longlisted Booker prize novel of the same name.

The movie, writes David Flynn has certainly brought to life the small-town Ireland of the 1950s, in a very unflattering light.  People queuing up in a small grocer shop, and taking the sarcasm of proprietor, Miss Kelly, played splendidly by Brid Brennan really brings home the lack of choice of customers without the big superstores of today.

Enniscorthy is the town in question, which is beautifully photographed throughout, as indeed is the whole ‘Brooklyn’ film, most especially the Irish beach scene, and the exteriors of 1950s New York.

Eilis, played by Irish star, Saoirse Ronan, is a girl living at home with her widowed mother and older sister.  She works in the grocery shop, but her sister wants a better life for her, and arranges safe passage for Eilis to emigrate to Brooklyn.  Vivid images of the boat over to America showed the sea sicknesses suffered, and the loneliness of the trip.

The early scenes of America show the loneliness and despair of living and working as an emigrant. However happiness happens for Eilis when she meets a boyfriend, but then news of Ireland brings her home again, where she faces much different challenges than were there before she emigrated.

The set dressings of ‘Brooklyn’ are oh so cosy, and the many different sets, ie Eilis's mother’s kitchen, the US landlady’s dining room, and also her private sitting room are displayed in a very warm setting of furnishings and other props. Well done to whoever was involved in that.

Acting by Saoirse Ronan puts her as a cert for the BAFTA, and in strong contention for the Oscars and Globe Globe.  Emory Cohen played the role of Tony, Eilis’s New York love interest, and Domhnall Gleeson plays Jim Farrell from back home in Enniscorthy.  Gleeson had the edge in the acting stakes, but while he wasn’t on screen as long, his part was also better written than the Tony part.

Mention has to go to Julie Walters for her increased cameo role as the landlady. 

Intense is the best way to describe Saoirse Ronan’s performance.  It tied in with the storyline of Eilis in Wexford and New York. 

The movie is good for youngsters to see what communications was like in an era of not so long ago.  It felt odd; watching people waiting in priest’s offices to phone loved ones across the world, telling them about the deaths from home.  No mobile phones or internet then.

The colour of ‘Brooklyn’ the movie is very vivid, and it’s a rare window to 1950s Ireland, with a great production that is ahead of the storyline.

 

 

Spectre (12A)

Bond is Back, even though it seems only a few weeks ago since his last outing, in the brilliant ‘Skyfall’.  However that was three years ago, and the story of Bond follows on from the death of the most popular of the M figures (Judi Dench). 
In 'Spectre', Bond discovers M has one last message for him from beyond the dead.
The message leads to Daniel Craig on his fourth outing as James Bond.  The licensed to kill spy heads from Mexico City to the middle of Europe to meet a beautiful widow, Lucia, played by the oldest Bond girl ever – 51 years old, Monica Belucci.  Lucia is connected to a crime conglomerate, which after their love tryst, Bond attempts to infiltrate, which leads him to an even deadlier group called Spectre.  At the pulse of Spectre, is a force which begins a personal battle for Bond.  The head of Spectre is played by character actor, Christoph Waltz.
What appears to be a subplot of this Bond 24 story, is Irish actor, Andrew Scott playing Max, the head of a new security group, which is aiming to bring down MI6 and its spy programme.  Along the way Max comes head to head with the new M, played by Ralph Fiennes.  So therefore we get two Bond villains in this feature film. 
Bond forms an alliance with Madeline Swann, (played by Lea Seydoux) the daughter of a legendary assassin, to help bring down Spectre and its enemies.
Since Daniel Craig took over the Bond lead in the 2006 movie, ‘Casino Royale’, it has been a back to basics, rebooting journey for the character.  Here we have another part of his backstory, which uses elements of the many other Bond features since the 1960s. 
‘Spectre’ is an unsatisfying movie, which at 148 minutes is way too long.  The main storyline falls flat, and comes across almost as a clone of a lot of the earlier feature films.  Daniel Craig did his best with the script, but he seems tired, and rumours abound that he is not interested in playing the role again.  Lea Seydoux and Andrew Scott also do their acting best with the script, as does Christopher Waltz, but it’s hard to have any enthusiasm for the storyline.  It’s surprising that Ralph Fiennes found himself in this franchise, and pardon the pun, he seems out of character.

David Flynn

Everest (12A)

Mount Everest climbers have come a long way from the time of Edmund Hillary, who in 1953 was the first person to reach the summit, without technology and assistance at hand.
Here is a movie portraying a true story about a motley crew climbing, in freezing conditions, the last vestige for them – the peak of Mount Everest, writes David Flynn.
‘Everest’, gives an insight into the world of the climbers of the high mountains.  In the movie, the difficulties of climbing to the peak, in blizzard conditions, couldn’t be shown more clearer, with or without the 3D.
It’s almost 20 years since two private expeditions at work on the mountain met the almighty storm – the likes of which hadn’t been recorded before.  
Seemingly each individual had to pay the sum of $65,000 to go on an exhibition to climb the peak of Everest.  These folk were made up of middle-aged men in the last hours of any sort of youth, still searching for that high mountain to climb.   The movie gave an interesting insight into such a venture.  A base camp high on the mountain housed the different groups for induction and relaxation before they climbed.
Warnings appeared to be thin on the ground before the impossible snow storm hit the mountain.  People from the two expeditions were caught between base camp and the peak, and lives were in jeopardy.  The efforts of the climbers appeared fruitless when they attempted to come back down the mountain, and through the storm.
The temperature continued to plunge and the wind cut like a knife, not mentioning the snow, and lack of oxygen available.
Emily Watson, in an interesting cameo role played Helen Wilton, the boss of base camp. Jason Clark, (who when young in 1998, acted on ‘Titanic’) played the pivotal role of Rob Hall, who was a guide on one of the expeditions.  Keira Knightly played his pregnant wife in some claustrophobic scenes, not on the mountain.  
Josh Brolin played the middle-aged Beck Wethers, and Golden Globe winner, Robin Wright played his wife, in just two scenes.  Jake Gyllenhaal played the happy-go-lucky, too positive climber, who was bound to come to harm’s way.
One of the writers of Everest – William Norton has a good CV, and wrote the recent hit, ‘Les Miserable’ which starred Russell Crowe, and Crowe’s breakthrough movie, ‘Gladiator’.
‘Everest’ was shot on location in Nepal, and you’ll feel that you are on the edge of the mountain, at the cinema.   It is available in both 2D and 3D but it makes little difference, because the way its filmed makes you feel you can walk onto the mountain.  It’s gripping, it’s cold, but it’s worth watching.

Terminator Genisys (12A)

A sci-fi saga, which originated in the 1980s returned to its roots last weekend, alongside the movie’s star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was returning to the role that made him famous.
In 1984, the movie ‘The Terminator’ was released starring Schwarzenegger, and this new movie, ‘Terminator Genisys’, is the follow-on from three other sequels, and a tv series.
This version of the otherworld story begins in the late 21^st century with the legendary hero, John Connor, (who has led the humans against the machine Terminators), sending his protégé Kyle Reese back to 1984, to protect John’s mother Sarah, before he is born, and therefore ensuring the future of the Resistance.  Confused? Why wouldn’t you be?
However before Kyle gets there, Schwarzeneggar has become Sarah’s protector, (known as the Guardian) and has been since her childhood, and the guardian’s task is to beat off his lookalike Terminator, who has arrived from the future to kill Sarah.  And yet, Kyle is also on the way to also save her, sent by her son from the future. 
The characters of Sarah, Reese and the Guardian find themselves in a world where they are trying to move on to another time, twenty years later
Confusion is the order of the day with ‘Terminator Genisys’, and that is where it falls down.  It tries to be two or three movies thrown into one.
Schwarzenegger is himself and doesn’t even bother to try and act.   In fact, he’s as wooden as ever, but he’s a star, and still as physically strong as ever at age 68 years.  Jason Clarke did his best with the part of John, but he was let down by a poor script, 
Sadly underused in the film was Oscar winning actor, JK Simmons who played a cop that witnessed destruction by the Terminator thirty years previous.  However he, like Courtney B Vance, who played another minor character, was underused.
‘Terminator Genisys’ is allright for a reminiscent laugh about the 1980s movie.  However, it’s not to be taken seriously.
David Flynn

Jurassic World (12A)

The opening scenes of this new blockbuster is featured in a house in a snowfilled Midwestern landscape, where a young long-haired boy is looking at pictures of dinosaurs through a Viewmaster Camera.  The room is designed in 1970s décor, and a film camera is featured on a shelf in the background.
However as the movie sails into the next few minutes, the viewer sees the movie is set in the present day, where two young brothers are being prepared by their divorcing parents to visit their aunt, Claire played by Bryce Dallas Howard.  Claire is curator at a theme park called Jurassic World.
‘Jurassic World’ – the movie is set twenty two years after the blockbuster, Stephen Spielberg movie, ‘Jurassic Park’, which sired two further sequels.  In 1993, cinemagoers were fascinated with the lifelike display of the dinosaurs in the original. Today, some of the shows of this latest movie are in 3D, making the subjects more lifelike.
This movie is set twenty two years after ‘Jurassic Park’, and the site is a major and true to life Dinosaur Park.  It is going through its recessionary phase, and fighting to stay in the race, so it must be the best, and gain new and more fantastic dinosaurs.  So a major new animal attraction is planned to attract new viewers.  However the plan backfires, in shades of King Kong the movie.
Action is aplenty in the feature when the new creature is unveiled, and when he acts up.
Meanwhile, when the two boys visit Claire, they get lost on the Jurassic journey, and end up in the forbidden dinosaur habitat land.
The hero of the hour, Owen, who sets out to rescue the boys and many others lost in the clutches of the dinosaurs, is played by Chris Pratt, and the character has a past love/hate relationship of sorts with Claire.
Owen is a type of 1930s movie serial hero, and the movie is a typical blockbuster disaster story, of which were popular in the 1990s.  ‘Jurassic World’ captures a lot of the feeling of that recent time.  However there is not much originality going on here, and everything happens as expected.  But the special effects are better than the previous three films and it’s edge of the seat stuff, and the 3D also doesn’t disappoint.   
David Flynn

In Memory of Star Trek's Grace Lee Whitney 1930 -2015

Here is an interview with Grace from 2001.   She had just published her autobiography, 'The Longest Trek - My Tour of the Galaxy'. Grace talks about her days on Star Trek, and how she got started in show business, including giving a new perspective on Marilyn Monroe, following working with her on 'Some Like it Hot' in 1959.

She survived through a serious assault, alcoholism, drug abuse and rejection, but what is most inspiring about ‘Star Trek’ star Grace Lee Whitney, is not alone her survival but her consistent determinism to come back and stay successful in a tough profession.

Grace was a blonde actress who appeared in the original ‘Star Trek’ series in 1966 although her character Yeoman Janice Rand was discontinued midway through the first season.

Grace's autobiography, ‘The Longest Trek - My Tour of the Galaxy’ was recently published.  She writes in a very frank and honest way in the book about her life, her dreams, her disappointments and her mistakes.

She also writes about her early career as a singer and musician and the excitement of appearing with Marilyn Monroe in 'Some Like it Hot'.

In the book and in an interview with this writer, Grace sheds new light on the legend of Marilyn, based on working side by side with her and getting to know her on the set of the smash-hit movie.

“She was a wonderful actress and a wonderful comedienne--so funny and so sexy.  And so tragic, too. She drank on the set in order to get loose enough to perform.  She didn’t think she could go in front of the camera without a little “liquid medication.” I didn’t understand alcoholism at the time, because I was too deep in the disease myself, I wasn’t yet in recovery. But now I look back and I see her as a sister in this shared disease of alcoholism," said Grace.

“I remember that Billy Wilder, the director, had her do so many retakes on the dock in the final scene for Some Like It Hot.  He had her running up and down the dock in spike heels, running after Tony Curtis. She kept telling Billy, “I can’t do any more takes!” But he told her he needed the shots, so she did them, even though she was pregnant at the time. Shortly after that, she went into the hospital and miscarried. And I think it hurt her terribly that she lost that baby. The baby was someone she could love, someone who would love her back, simply and unconditionally. And she was so desperate to be loved. Her marriage ended just a couple years after she lost the baby. Then, a year after her divorce, she was dead.

“I identify with her so much. She grew up hungry for love, like I did.  She even converted to Judaism to marry Arthur Miller, just like I did when I married my first husband. 

Grace went on a downward spiral with the help of alcohol and tranquilisers when she was sacked from 'Star Trek'.

“I created the role of Janice Rand with the help of Gene Roddenberry, but he gave me a lot of leeway to create the role and bring the character to life. Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock in ‘Star Trek’) was my acting coach, and he also gave me a lot of insight into my character on the show.  I had done so many one-shot roles before on many TV shows, like ‘The Virginian’, ‘Bonanza’ and ‘The Untouchables’, but this was my first continuing role, and I was looking forward to growing and developing that role over a number of episodes. That’s why it hurt so much when my character was written out of the show,” said Grace.

Grace talks of how much she enjoyed working on 'Star Trek' and reveals that she was sexually assaulted, in the offices of Desilu (the production company that made ‘Star Trek’) by a man she only names as ‘The Executive’.

Peculiarly, just a few days after Grace claims the assault took place she received a phone call from her agent, telling her that she had been written out of the series.

“It was a horrible shock, like losing my entire family," said Grace.   “I have always felt that there was a definite link between the sexual assault and my being written out of the show.”

"One of the ironies of that whole experience was that I was told I was off the show just days before Star Trek premiered on NBC.” said Grace.  “When the first episode aired, I was already gone, my name had already been painted off my parking place on the studio lot, and I was history. Then, after the show premiered, I started getting fan mail--the fans had no idea I was already written out!

In the intervening years after leaving ‘Star Trek’, Grace found it hard to come to terms with the assault and being sacked.  She remains tight-lipped about ‘The Executive’s’ identity.

‘Star Trek’ has reached such cult proportions among science fiction fans, that it has led to the cast from the original series and from its offshoots to tour the world and make appearances at ‘Star Trek Conventions’. 

Grace is a favourite at the conventions and it was through these that she got back to the world of Star Trek in the late 70’s in the first ‘Star Trek’ feature film. 

In the intermediary years she was heavily addicted to drugs and alcohol.  Happily after a time, Grace did become sober.

“I believe alcoholism is a disease I was born with. I took my first drink when I was 13 years old. Then, years later, after I was sexually assaulted and lost the role on ‘Star Trek’, I went into a tailspin of drinking and drug abuse. But while I was actually on the show, I never took a drink on the set. If anything, I was more of a pill head at that time.  I was taking diet pills that were prescribed for me by a "Dr. Feel-Good,".

“It was a commonly prescribed diet pill in those days, especially in Hollywood.  I was very hyper and energetic most of the day, and after work I couldn't come down, so I took a few drinks and sometimes I would drink too much.

“I went to the bars with the best of them. Jimmy Doohan (Scotty) and I closed many a pub on the weekend.”

She did a few television comebacks after Star Trek such as a two part ‘Batman’ in 1967, ‘The Virginian’ and ‘The Big Valley’ in 1968, ‘Cannon’ in 1974 and ‘Barney Miller’ in 1975.

She has appeared on four of the big screen movies and in a popular guest role on 'Star Trek - Voyager'.

“William Shatner is a hunk! He’s a very handsome, attractive man, and very charming and charismatic. As I have been watching Star Trek again on the Sci-Fi Channel, I've been thinking, "No wonder I was so crazy about this man!" He was a dashing, bold, larger-than-life starship captain--the perfect choice for the role of Captain James T. Kirk.  I really respect William Shatner as an actor.  I think he made Star Trek what it was.

“As an actress, I was often attracted to my leading men, but Bill and I were never romantically involved.

 And he gave me a wonderful endorsement for my book--so I love him for that!”

In the early years of her career she was a singer and opened clubs for the likes of Billie Holiday and Buddy Rich.

She made her Broadway debut in ‘Top Banana’ with Phil Silvers (‘Sgt. Bilko’).

She went to Hollywood to take part in the film version of ‘Top Banana’ and later continued fronting her own band, before she starred in ‘Some Like It Hot’.  She did many other television roles in series such as 'Gunsmoke before winning the plum role of Yeoman Rand in 'Star Trek'.

Grace talks deeply in her book about finding God and about how her religion helped her battle her drink and drugs problem.

“In life, you have to deal the cards that are dealt you. I think I've made the most of a fairly bad hand. If I dwell on the unfairness of having been written out before the full potential of my character was realised, I suppose I could be angry and bitter about it. But I'm not bitter. I try not to dwell on what might have been. I try to dwell on what is and what is yet to be.” said Grace.

Grace has been married twice, over a period of thirty years, and she is a mother of two.
She says she has been on a spiritual journey since becoming sober and that now she has taken on “the Lord as a lover.”

She is still friends with many of the ‘Star Trek’ people such as Leonard Nimoy who she calls her best friend, and the one who saved her life in the days following her dismissal from the show. 

She is also friends with George Takei (Mr. Sulu).  Both of them did a ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ special in 1996.

She is also close to Star Trek stalwarts Jimmy Doohan, Walter Koenig (Chekov), Marina Sirtis (Troi) and Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar).

She recently did an episode of ‘Diagnosis Murder’ with Takei, Koenig and Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

“I don't see Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) or DeForest Kelly (McCoy) very much anymore, which is sad because they've both been so kind to me over the years. De actually brought me into the Star Trek world again after I had been away for ten years--he was the one who told me about this new phenomenon called Star Trek conventions!” said Grace.

The strange thing about Grace’s sudden departure from ‘Star Trek’ was the fact that several scripts, which had yet to be filmed, had already been written around her.

The role of Yeoman Rand was beefed up for ‘City on the Edge of Forever’, in which Joan Collins guest starred.  This is considered the most popular and most critically acclaimed of all the ‘Star Trek’ shows.   Grace’s role was also expanded for ‘The Trouble with Tribles’ and ‘Dagger of the Mind’.  After her departure, Yeoman Rand’s dialogue was given to other actresses.

She is a supreme positive thinker, who has definitely triumphed over adversity.  It is also interesting to note how she feels no bitterness against whomever or whatever caused her to be written out of the show.

Grace Lee Whitney died of natural causes on May 1st, 2015.  She was 85 years old.

 

 

 

 

Exodus: Gods and Kings (12A)

This is definitely not the Charlton Heston and Cecil B. De Mille version of the Moses story.  Instead this version of the story of the Hebrew man who became Egyptian royalty and went back again, is told in a matter of fact way, without as much fanfare as the earlier version had.
However ‘Exodus’ did have its moments of plagues and horrors that no movie before it has ever shown.  Compelling it is and graphic.
Producer, Ridley Scott returns to a format he is familiar with, but sadly this movie is no ‘Gladiator’.
Christian Bale as Moses gives it his all, but seems unhappy along the way without a more believable script, which also needed more believable characters.
The story of Moses about courage and faith and taking on the mighty Egyptian empire is a David and Goliath story – which of course was another biblical story.  We all know who won those battles.
Obviously the movie had great visuals of hundreds of thousands of slaves, battle scenes, rodents crossing the city streets, among many others.  It’s difficult nowadays to tell if they are real, or computer generated.  Sadly the latter seems to be the case, for financial and other reasons.
There is a burning bush, as in the biblical tale, but surprisingly it’s not as interesting a visual as the 1956 version.  The image of God is not that of an invisible force with a bellowing hollow voice, but that of a young child scolding Moses.   It works for this version of the story but it seems too easy a way to present the story.
The 3D visuals in the movie is not really necessary, but overall the story is well told, and not the worst movie around.
David Flynn

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (12A)

It’s incredible that Peter Jackson managed to make three blockbuster movies out of a not very ample sized novel.  However he has done so, and with nearly as major a series as he did with the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.
In this third and final movie, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) continues his journey with the Dwarves, and they are forced to engage in a war, to keep safe the Lonely Mountain.
Dragons, looking and acting dangerous, and magnificent old towns built especially in New Zealand for the The Hobbit set, all show off a beautiful adventure.  Along the way, Gandalf is rescued from prison and gets in on the act. 
Oh wouldn’t it be brilliant to be 10 years old again, and to really appreciate these visuals.
The love affair between dwarf, Killi (Aidan Turner) and the elf, Tauriel played by Evangeline Lily, which doesn’t feature in J.R.R. Tolkein's novel, is featured strongly in the movie. 
Ian McKellan returns as Gandalf, in this his sixth movie playing the same role, as does Orlando Bloom as Legolas.  Oscar winner, Cate Blanchett returns as Galadriel.  Other familiar faces include Sylvester McCoy (a former Dr. Who), Hugo Weaving, and Ian Holm as the older Bilbo.
The movie goes on and on, but with your 3D glasses, it’s worth the two and a half hour effort.

David Flynn