Cosmos, Carl Sagan & Crabs

As a kid in the early 80s, the original 'Cosmos' by (the late) Carl Sagan made quite an impression on me but not because I was interested in astronomy or such but because it was 'different' from the other documentaries that was being shown during that time. Firstly, the special effects during the space sequence was very 'state of the art' for those times. Secondly, Carl Sagan had a distinctive and enthusiastic style of talking which could make even the most boring topic interesting. Yes, I was weird as a kid :) but weren't we all? Anyways, amongst the few strange things that I remember from my childhood (which is very blurry to me now) was an episode of Cosmos that had Carl Sagan talking about a crab with a human face on its shell. Thanks to technological advances and YouTube :) I was able to find the clip with that scene on it again which I would like to share here now. Although I was very fond of the original series, I have not seen the new version with Neil deGrasse Tyson yet. Enjoy... 

                          
                                                      

(video courtesy of KipEsquire's Rants)

Link below for those interested in Cosmos-Carl Sagan 7 Disc Collector's Edition (Remastered) DVD Boxset.

Cosmos Collector's 7 DVD Boxset Amazon (US) (paid link)

Salem (WGN America TV Series)

Currently, I'm following Salem, a new original TV series by a relatively unknown channel WGN America. I feel this series is worth mentioning because despite my earlier presumptions (before viewing) that it must be another run-of-the-mill series about the Salem witch hunts in the 17th century, it was on the contrary a different kind of beast altogether. Although the series does deal with witches and those famous Salem witch trials, the story is cleverly woven around the premise that the witches were real people who were conspiring to revenge against the puritans. The series stars some interesting new faces on TV namely (English actress) Janet Montgomery as the charismatic Mary Sibley, a powerful and wealthy witch who is plotting revenge on the unsuspecting townsfolk who have wronged her. Despite myself, I found the series to be very addictive due to the soap opera like story complete with twist and turns, secrets, scandals and conspiracies. If Dark Shadows was a soap opera about vampires, this series is a soap opera about witches. Mary Sibley might even give Alexis Carrington a run for her money ;). So my verdict on the series, if you're looking for light entertainment why not give it a shot. Who knows, you might get hooked like I did. By the way, the series also stars Shane West (Nikita) as John Alden, a war hero and Mary's former love interest who returns to Salem after nearly a decade. His reappearance (she thought he died) soon rekindle old feelings within Mary and complicates her plot for revenge (he doesn't know she's now a witch). I don't want to give too much away but Mary is not all bad witch and you can't help rooting for her and John to have a happy ending. WGN has ordered a second season of the series so I guess I can look forward to the continuation of the story. I really disliked that many of the previous TV series that I was fond of e.g. Emily Owens M.D. and Do No Harm was cancelled after only one season. Signing off for now :)

(Trivia : The theme song is by Marilyn Manson)

Addendum  (30th April 2024) : For those looking to watch this old series again or are newbies, you can view all three seasons on Amazon Prime. Perhaps because Salem was produced by the relatively unknown and now defunct network WGN America, the series was never properly released on any physical media (DVD or Blu-Ray). And if you want to see more of the beautiful actress Janet Montgomery, you can always catch her performance as Dr Lauren Bloom in the later NBC hospital drama, New Amsterdam, which ran from 2018 to 2023. Link to Salem on Amazon Prime provided below. 

Salem (Amazon Prime) (paid link)

Penny Dreadful (Showtime TV Series)

With reference to my post on Gothic Horror Movies from the 90s dated 11/5/2014, gothic horror is now scarce on tv/cinema so naturally I was curious about Penny Dreadful, a new series from Showtime. The first two episodes of the series, which is created by John Logan and produced by Sam Mendes, had initially been available on demand for some time before airing on Showtime and is a mash-up/loose remake of  famous classic horror stories namely, Dracula, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. As with most Showtime series, production quality is high but content can be very adult (not recommended for kids/family viewing). The series borrows heavily from elements contained in the classic stories but the plot/story line differ greatly from the books. I have only watched the first two episodes and while watching them, is greatly reminded of another movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Actually, I was piqued by the series when I heard that Timothy Dalton, Eva Green and Josh Hartnett was involved in the series. I liked Eva Green's performance in the remake of Dark Shadows and I haven't seen Josh Hartnett for a while so it was worth a try. The story starts with Sir Malcolm Murray (Dalton) who enlists the help of  Vanessa Ives (Green), Ethan Chandler (Hartnett) & Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) to find his missing daughter, Mina Murray, who he suspects was abducted by a vampire like creature. After watching the first two episodes, I was left with mixed reactions. The series does show promise (there are six more episodes for Season 1) but was at times a little too slow paced  and messy (like it was trying too hard to combine all elements of Dracula, Frankenstein, Dorian Gray & Jack the Ripper!?) but I like to give some series time to develop and find its footing. Will I watch Episode 3? Yes, because most of my favourite series like Grimm and  The Following has ended their season run and I'm not A Game of Thrones fan :).  If you would like to watch the trailer and behind the scenes videos for Penny Dreadful, you could always check out the Penny Dreadful Production Blogs on YouTube (link below). 

Penny Dreadful Production Blogs

Addendum  (5th May 2024) : All 3 seasons of this high quality series from Showtime is available on dvd, blu-ray and Amazon Prime (links provided below). For those who are interested in what the (rather elusive) actor Josh Hartnett is up to these days, you can catch him in M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming psychological/mystery/thriller film 'Trap' in August 2024. 

Penny Dreadful (Amazon Prime) (paid link)

   

 Penny Dreadful Blu-Ray (Amazon US) (paid link)

Movies from the 80s (When I was a Kid)

Being a kid from the 80s meant growing up without internet, smart phones, facebook or (gasp) blogging. I also grew up with films like The Goonies, Back to The Future and Ghostbusters, so imagine my delight when I visited a nearby Uniqlo outlet with my nephew and niece (who are in their teens) and we spotted some t-shirts (from their American Movies line) which had characters from some famous movies from the 70s and 80s namely, Star Wars, Gremlins & Ghostbusters. Although they are familiar with Star Wars & Ghostbusters (I doubt they have seen the original movies), they were puzzled about a character on one of the t-shirts that had an image of Gizmo on it. When they asked me who/what the furry and cute creature was, I replied that Gizmo was a 'mogwai' and was featured in the Gremlins movie and its sequel. After that, they asked me what a 'mogwai' was so instead of explaining it to them, I decided to show them the movies instead. To my surprise, they seemed to enjoy the movies immensely although the special effects appeared really dated. I didn't really expect them to appreciate movies like these since kids today are used to more sophisticated movies with lots of CGI instead of puppetry but I guess they get can get jaded with the films today that are so slick they sometimes lack 'heart'. Anyway, I plan to  introduce them to Ghostbusters next (after they have finished their exams) one fine weekend. I always regarded Harold Ramis (who recently passed away), Dan Aykroyd  & Bill Murray as the funniest comedians during the 80s and when they got together for this film, it was just pure laughter and fun. I hope they share my enthusiasm for the movie. 

UNIQLO American Movies/ Back to the 80s (Women) Graphic T-Shirts

Gizmo, still adorable after all these years :)

Vexed (British TV Series)

Lately, I'm sure many caught Toby Stephens as Captain Flint in Black Sails. Personally, I have not seen the series (not really into pirate films/movies) but whenever I hear of Toby Stephens, I am always reminded of a little known series by BBC2, Vexed, which is still on hiatus after the second season. This series was created by Howard Overman ,who was responsible for series like Hotel Babylon, Merlin, Hustle & Misfits, and is actually a comedy police drama about two police detectives who can't get along with each other but still manage to solve cases together. The first season ,which comprised of only 3 episodes, starred Lucy Punch as DI Kate Bishop who was later replaced, in the following 6 episodes of the second season, by Miranda Raison as DI Georgina Dixon. Frankly, I liked the second season more because the writing was funnier and I felt Miranda Raison was a better foil to Toby Stephen's DI Jack Armstrong (of course, that is just my opinion). The thing is, after seeing Vexed, I can't really reconcile Toby Stephens with his more serious roles like Captain Flint and Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre (which I have not seen either). Because I'm fond of the series, I'm still hoping that there will be a third season to it. Heard rumours that some networks in the US are interested in remaking the series but I feel part of the charm of the series is Toby Stephens. Without him, the series just won't be the same. Decided to post a video with a scene from the series (which still remains my favourite) of Jack inventing a song (on the spur of the moment) to avoid doing some real police work which Georgina asked his help with.

               

(Video Uploaded on YouTube by Ambermoon42)

Seriously, Mr Rochester?

Those interested in watching this series for the first time or wish to revisit it, can purchase both seasons on DVD from Amazon US or watch the episodes on Amazon's streaming platform, Prime, courtesy of Acorn TV. Links provided below.  

      Vexed Series 1 DVD Amazon US  (paid link)

     Vexed Series 2 DVD Amazon US (paid link)

    Vexed Amazon Prime (paid link)

Constantine (NBC TV Series)

Lately, horror (not the seriously scary ones) has been making a comeback on NBC with shows like Grimm (my favourite) and Dracula. Now, NBC has released the trailer for Constantine which is based on DC's Hellblazer comics. Despite being panned by critics, I truly liked the 2005 movie of the same name which starred Keanu Reeves. However, after watching NBC's trailer, I'm left with mixed reactions. On one hand, the lead actually talks like he's English (which should please fans of the comics) but is the story good enough for a TV series?  Incidentally, NBC has not given any date for the premiere of the series but has already ordered a full season of the show.

Those who want to know more about the 2005 movie Constantine starring Keanu Reeves and whether the movie will spawn a sequel can check out my post on 30th April 2024 titled Constantine 2, Is It Really Happening?

             

(Constantine Season 1 Trailer Courtesy of Series Trailer MP)

Below is the link for Constantine : The Complete Series on Blu-Ray/DVD.  

Constantine The Complete Series Blu-Ray (Amazon US) (paid link)

  

Gothic Horror Movies from the 90s

What I find extremely lacking these days, in cinemas or on tv, are good gothic horror films which were abundant during the 90s. Present day audiences prefer their horror films to be more visceral. Amongst three of my favourites (all produced by Francis Ford Coppola) are Dracula (1992), Haunted (1995) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). All films were big budget films which starred big names like Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins,Wynona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken and were remakes of classic stories except for Haunted which was a lesser known film which starred the often underrated Aidan Quinn, Anthony Andrews and the then unknown Kate Beckinsale. The film, adapted from a James Herbert novel of the same title, contains some adult themes (not unlike the other 2 films) and has all the elements of a good gothic horror story, lots of atmosphere, a haunted house, mysterious characters with hidden pasts and lots of surprises. Despite being often overlooked and forgotten, this film still remains my favourite amongst the three films simply because it was very well made and written.The deceptively simple plot about a skeptical professor who arrives (at the behest of an elderly nanny) to debunk the paranormal going-ons at her country estate may seem cliche at first but the story later reveals the characters complicated backstories which eventually ends with a surprising twist. I can't help but wish more films like these were produced but I guess gothic horror don't really appeal to the younger audience anymore. Apparently, "sparkly" vampires do ;) .

Addendum (5th May 2024) : Provided links below for those who are interested in the above movies.

Haunted 1995 DVD Amazon US (paid link)

Dracula Amazon Prime (paid link)    

 

Dracula Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)

    Sleepy Hollow Amazon Prime (paid link)  

   

       Sleepy Hollow 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray Amazon US (paid link)

When Calls The Heart (Hallmark TV Series)

Finished watching the first season of a new TV series from Hallmark, When Calls The Heart, which I unintentionally discovered. Usually, I don't watch Hallmark but was pleasantly surprised by this series which is loosely adapted from Janette Oke's Canadian West book series. Initially, the series was introduced as a 2 hour movie in October 2013 (which I haven't seen) starring a different lead actress & actor, Maggie Grace & Stephen Amell (Arrow). However, in the series, they were replaced by Erin Krakow & Daniel Lissing (which in my opinion were a better choice of leads) .The first season (12 episodes) which aired from mid January until late March this year was written by Brian Bird and produced/directed by Michael Landon Jr (yes his father was Michael Landon of Little House on the Prairie fame). This series is the second collaboration between Janette Oke and Michael Landon Jr (the first being the Love Comes Softly series). I was impressed by the high production value of this series (set in 1910), the consistently good scripts ,the great cast which includes Lori Loughlin, guest stars like James Brolin and the chemistry between the leads. If you like wholesome drama (suitable for family viewing) with great stories, plenty of romance and a sprinkling of humour, this series should be right up your alley. Noteworthy, Hallmark has not yet confirmed the second season for this series but has released the first four episodes on 2 dvds ,Lost & Found and A Telling Silence, on February and April this year. The movie itself was released on dvd late last year and if response for the dvds are encouraging, they might release the complete first season on dvd later this year (which I'm hoping for). Since Mother's Day is just around the corner, the dvds (from Word Entertainment) should make great gifts for some die hard romantic mums, don't you agree? ;)

Update : Hallmark has confirmed a second season for the series and the 2 dvds, Lost & Found and A Telling Silence, will also be re-released by Millennium Media in June this year. However, they will be sold as Walmart exclusives. Still unsure whether the dvds from Millennium Media will carry English & Spanish subtitles (found in the 2013 movie dvd) or if they include the extras (interviews & deleted scenes featured on the Word Entertainment dvds which incidentally are not subtitled). The Word Entertainment dvds are sold on Christianbook.com.

Addendum (5th May 2024) : 

All 11 seasons of Hallmark's When Calls The Heart are now available on Amazon Prime. However, if you're looking for the DVDs, then you should check out the webstore for Edify Films who has been releasing all the seasons and specials for this series in Episode Edition and Collector's Edition Boxsets. The Collector's Edition usually contains bonus material besides the episodes.  

Links below :)

When Calls The Heart (Amazon Prime) (paid link)

When Calls The Heart (Edify Store)