E.R. Torre's Blog, page 111

Berni Wrightson, Rest In Peace…

When I was very young, there were four works that influenced/inspired me.

For the movies, it was Steven Spielberg’s Duel, the first film I recall seeing and understanding, even at the very young age of 5 or so.  It helped that the film was essentially a silent movie!

For TV, there was the original Star Trek, then on its first wave of reruns. For comedy, there was Get Smart! For books, I recall being hospitalized with a kidney problem while very young and being given the very first of the many Hardy Boy books released and, though it was hard at the time, I read through it and that first step lead to me becoming a voracious reader and wanting to be a writer.

For Comic Books, it was Swamp Thing #10…

What I didn’t know when I bought that book at a drug store waaaaaaay back when was that this would be the last time Berni Wrightson illustrated his co-creation.

The book mesmerized me and made me realize comic books, like movies, like TV shows, and like books, could be works of art. It took me several years but over time I managed to get the other 9 issues of the run and found the pairing of Len Wein’s writing and Berni Wrightson’s illustrations among the absolute best runs of ANY comic book series.  To this day, it remains one of my very favorites.

When I managed, after a while, to work in the comic book field for a few years, I attended a North Carolina convention and, much to my regret, didn’t attend a “professionals” party given that first night. It proved to be my one and best chance of meeting Mr. Wrightson and, alas, I blew it.

Mr. Wrightson’s works had a HUGE influence on me and, to this day, Swamp Thing #10 remains my all time favorite comic book ever.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Wrightson.

While I’m sure many lavished you with praise for your work and your illustrations for Frankenstein are probably remembered the best by the most, it was your work on Swamp Thing that will forever remain in my mind.

Fascinating find…

Found this article by Kate Springer on CNN.com:

Secret treasure: Historic banknote found inside ancient Chinese sculpture

At the risk of giving away too much from the article (you should read it!), this is a photograph presented in the above link showing both the sculpture and the banknote found inside it:

The banknote is 700 years old and, naturally, a rarity.  Makes one wonder how it got there (did the owner of the sculpture hide it there with the intention of using it later?  What happened then?  Did he/she simply forget it was there?  Did they pass away before telling anyone it was there?  Did they sell/give away the sculpture and forgot they had cash stored within?  The possibilities are, I suppose, endless)

Fascinating, fascinating stuff.

This was also in the article and provides yet another fascinating look at how things rolled back then:

The (discovered) bill is endorsed by the emperor himself, with three official red seals and a line that reads: “Authorized by the Department of Finance, this bank note has the same function of coins. Those who use counterfeit banknotes will be beheaded, the whistle-blower will be rewarded 250 Liang silvers plus all the properties of the criminal. The third year of Hong Wu period.”

Yikes!

They took counterfeiting very seriously back then!

The Other Side of the Wind…finally released?!

In the history of film, there is perhaps no more triumphant/tragic figure than Orson Welles.  Despite a troubled and tragic youth, Mr. Welles would rise to prominence in the New York theater circuit and radio (including notoriety for his War of the Worlds broadcast) before releasing his first film, the critically acclaimed -and the film many consider the best ever made- Citizen Kane.

But despite critical acclaim, Citizen Kane was not a huge financial hit at the time of its release and its reputation grew over the years and at a time when the studios couldn’t make much money off the film, either through video release or TV presentation.

Mr. Welles’ career following the release of Citizen Kane was up and down.  Mr. Welles’ followup film, The Magnificent Ambersons, was ultimately taken from his hands and as he assembled a rough cut and at least an hour of footage was cut and a “happier” ending tacked on.  Mr. Welles’ notes on the movie and his views of what he wanted to make with it are available but, unfortunately, the footage cut is lost forever.  Still, the film as it stands is considered another classic despite the fact that it clearly did not represent Mr. Welles’ vision.

After this, Mr. Welles took on acting jobs and, when he found the funds, directing work.  Many consider Touch of Evil (1958) his last great directorial film but even this work was taken from his hands by the studios and reworked before its theatrical release.  For many years that version was the only version of the film available.  Mr. Welles would pass away in 1985 but years later his notes on how he envisioned the film were rediscovered and, in 1998 a version closer to Mr. Welles’ was released to home video and proved a far better cut (certainly IMHO) than the theatrical version.

Mr. Welles’ last directed film, The Other Side of the Wind, was filmed in the early 1970’s and starred John Huston and Dennis Hopper, among others, but was never completed.  Unlike Touch of Evil, a rough cut of the film was never made and due to financial and legal issues, Mr. Welles never was able to finish it.

Now, in an article by Elyse Wanshel for Huffington Post, it appears the film will eventually be released after all:

Netflix will complete and release Orson Welles’ unfinished film

Though Mr. Welles never created a rough cut of the film as he did with Touch of Evil, his notes were available and, after Netflix cleared the legal/financial issues surrounding this movie, they now have the right to complete and release The Other Side of the Wind.

I’m a fan of Mr. Welles’ work and am curious to see the assembled product.  Because Mr. Welles passed away so many years ago, it is obvious what will eventually be available, by necessity, has to be assembled by other hands.  Nonetheless, given the great results for Touch of Evil, a film which I thought was only “ok” in its theatrical cut and nothing short of a revelation in the new, closer to Welles’ vision cut, I’m curious to see what the people working on The Other Side of the Wind do with that film.

On my radar…

Over at Salon.com Max Cea reviews the documentary American Anarchist.  The film, directed by Charlie Siskel (he is the nephew of movie critic Gene Siskel), focuses on William Powell, the man who in 1971 published the very controversial book The Anarchist’s Cookbook.  The review of the film can be found here:

American Anarchist contends with the deadly impact of a writer’s words

I’m incredibly fascinated with the subject matter.

Back in High School, I recall at least one fellow dorm dweller having a copy, though I suspect it wasn’t so much that the person who had it fancied themselves an anarchist but rather they wanted to own this controversial book.  In the book, Mr. Powell, who wrote it when he was 19, weary of the Vietnam War, and held a “radical libertarian’s” viewpoint, offered a manual of how to make DIY explosives/weapons and drugs.

Mr. Powell is now 65 years old and, according to the review, was not aware of the “influence” this tome has had over the years, including being found among the possessions of the Columbine shooters.

According to the review:

(Mr. Powell) has publicly denounced the book’s message and argued for it to be taken out of print. “Over the years, I have come to understand that the basic premise behind the Cookbook is profoundly flawed,” he wrote in a 2013 Guardian op-ed. “The anger that motivated the writing of the Cookbook blinded me to the illogical notion that violence can be used to prevent violence.”

Further, the review notes Mr. Powell is not that interested in looking into his book’s connections to other acts of violence.  Though he clearly regrets the book and its contents today and wishes it was “out of print”, I get the feeling from the review that Mr. Powell feels the publication of the book is not unlike a gun-maker producing weapons which subsequently are used for violence.  The defense is the old “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” cliche.

I’m very likely simplifying things as Mr. Powell no doubt holds his own views and I cannot get into his mind.  Nonetheless, the documentary intrigues me.

I certainly feel for Mr. Powell as 1971 was a rough time to be a 19 year old.  With the Vietnam War raging and the draft still in effect, the idea of going overseas to fight -and possibly die- for what many considered by then a worthless war must have created a tremendous strain in many people of Mr. Powell’s age.

His book, created at the height of these very harsh times, will likely be his life’s legacy and it must bother him that a book he now wishes was “out of print” remains out there and, possibly, influencing minds if not actions.

As someone who writes, this proves to be a cautionary tale.  Whatever you choose to write and publish might linger for many, many years beyond the time of publication and if you’re forward thinking you may want to carefully consider this before releasing something into the general public.

It is possible to regret your words.

Fax machines and… electric cars?

Over on Salon.com Jonathan Coopersmith offers a fascinating -and dead on, IMHO- article regarding one of the bigger issues which may be holding back the success of electric cars: the variety of different charging stations.  He notes this issue is not unlike the slow/stagnant growth of fax machines in the 1960’s and 70’s and how, after a single fax “standard” for operation was adopted the fax machine became huge.

Read the article for yourself:

What fax machines can teach us about electric cars

Without stepping too much on the article, Mr. Coopersmith notes that in the early days of the fax machine each machine had its own sending/receiving “language” and therefore you could only send a fax to a person who had the same type of machine as you did.  If you worked for Industry “A” and needed to send a form to Industry “B” but your fax machine was created by the XYZ company and the people you were trying to send your form to had a fax machine created by MNO, chances are you were out of luck.

That changed when the Japanese adopted a single fax “standard” operating system and, suddenly, that fax created by the XYZ company could send faxes to a MNO fax machine and vice versa.  Soon, all fax machines worked together and, as obvious as this may seem in retrospect, it really pays to be able to send a fax to any machine, regardless of who made it.

The problem Mr. Coopersmith points out with electric cars is similar.  When driving your gas powered car, you can drive up to any gas station and fill ‘er up.

That’s not yet the case with electric cars and their charging stations.

Granted there are other issues with electric cars (such as the distance they can travel on a charge, how long a charge takes, etc), but I believe Mr. Coopersmith is right in saying the charging stations/charging of electric cars should be standardized.

If you have a Tesla car (I envy you), you shouldn’t have to be on the lookout for only Tesla charging stations.  Similarly, if you have a Chevrolet Volt or Bolt, you shouldn’t be looking for only Chevrolet charging stations.

Like gas stations, there should be universal charging stations, places where you can take your electric vehicle and charge it up regardless of what brand it is and, as Mr. Coopersmith notes toward the end of his article, Tesla appears to be moving toward this goal:

In the last few years, Tesla has veered from its initial exclusivity to cooperation. In 2014, Tesla announced it would share its patents royalty-free – including its charger and plug designs – to encourage the spread of electric vehicle technology. In 2015, the company agreed to make its cars and charging stations compatible with China’s new standard, possibly by using adapters at charging stations.

I long for the day we finally rid ourselves of the outdated, noisy, and polluting gas engines.  They’re a technology that is over a hundred years old now and, given all the advances in battery technology, should be on its way out.

Perhaps with the standardization of electric charging stations, the end of the gas powered vehicle might be closer to reality.

Though one wonders how long before the self-driving vehicles gobble up the driving market anyway!

Hollywood (racial) Castings…

Samuel L. Jackson, during an interview for (I’m guessing) his new Kong: Skull Island film, had some thoughts on the use of British actors to play African American roles, such as the lead in the hit film Get Out:

Samuel L. Jackson Revives Debate on British Black Actors in American Roles

I appreciate Mr. Jackson’s point.  There is something to be said about British actors playing “American” Black people, especially in a film where the American Black experience is an integral part of the movie’s plot.  Mr. Jackson, too, is not alone in lamenting the use of actors to depict certain racial roles they clearly are not.

A short while ago, for instance, there was an uproar over Emma Stone playing a Asian/American in the movie Aloha (the actress herself weighed in on the controversy) and Rooney Mora playing a Native American in Peter Pan.

I suppose it would be weird to see, say, notable American actors like Clint Eastwood or Robert Redford playing, say, Sherlock Holmes or James Bond.  Especially if they were trying to emulate a British accent.

Keep that example in mind because there is also an effort of late regarding casting a person of a certain race when the original character was not originally presented that way.  In this, Samuel L. Jackson can very easily be listed as prime example “A”.

One of Mr. Jackson’s bigger roles of late is that of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel movies.  A character who, in the comics, looked like this…

That’s him, before getting his eyepatch, on the far left of the image.  The character moved from a WWII fighter to a secret agent (this was to capitalize on the James Bond craze in the 1960’s) and came to look like this…

A movie, believe it or not, was made in 1998 with David Hasselhoff in the titular role.  Here’s the movie’s poster:

Still don’t believe me?  Here’s a fan made “trailer” for that film:

My point is this: One can argue in favor of characters written to be of a certain race and when presented on film should be played by actors of that race.  But what about when you take well established (or even not so well established) characters on the page and completely change their race for the screen?

In the case of Samuel L. Jackson playing Nick Fury, I think the end result wasn’t by any stretch a bad one.

However…

For no other reason than the fact that Will Smith was a very popular actor at the time, he was cast in the role of James West for the film version of the popular 1960’s action/adventure/fantasy series The Wild Wild West.  Here’s an episode from the original TV show, which featured Robert Conrad (that’s him in the still from the episode!) in the role of James West:

Casting Will Smith in the role of a secret service agent in the “wild west” of the post Civil War era was, I’ll be completely blunt here, idiotic.  Granted The Wild Wild West, both TV show and movie, were meant to be fantasy, but the idea of a black male roaming the wild west in fancy duds and not being immediately noticed by the locals just doesn’t work, especially for that time frame.

I suppose the “color blind” casting was meant to broaden this role but in this case, as opposed to Nick Fury (who, let’s face it, was known mostly to comic book fans before the Marvel films were released and became such big hits), I felt it hurt the overall product as much as the silly film surrounding it.  I can easily imagine a film being made featuring Will Smith in the post-Civil War era and working as some kind of secret service agent, but not in the way presented in The Wild Wild West TV show and subsequent movie.

So here’s the bottom line: I think one can get behind the idea Mr. Jackson presents that when a role is created for someone of a certain background/racial heritage it is indeed appropriate to want a person of that background/heritage to play the role.

It is also appropriate, some might also argue, that when a character is originally created to be of a certain race/background and has been depicted that way for many decades, then perhaps there should also be some respect given to keeping the casting there consistent as well.

Morgan (2016) a (mildly) belated review

I’ve noted before that as far as my opinion on movies are concerned, I’ve mellowed out considerably and give features far more of the benefit of the doubt than before.

But there are limits to this and I present to you Example A: Morgan.  Here’s the movie’s trailer…

Directed by , son of Blade Runner/Alien director Ridley Scott, Morgan feels like an attempt to tread in Blade Runner territory with more than a little of Frankenstein.  Perhaps the movie was meant to be a Blade Runner prequel?

Anyway, Morgan () is an artificial creation housed in a remote forest lab.  She is five years old though looks to be in her later teens and, as the movie opens, she viciously attacks Dr. Kathy Grieff (, completely wasted in a small cameo role).  The attack, which results in Dr. Grieff losing one eye, is in turn investigated by the corporation funding the Morgan “project”.

Sent in to check the status of the scientific group, Morgan, and the viability of the project itself is Corporate clean-up specialist Lee Weathers (, sadly one note and morose throughout this film).

She begins her investigation and meets the various people in this scientific community, almost all of whom, including Dr. Grieff, have strong positive feelings toward Morgan and try to convince Weathers that Morgan’s attack was an anomaly and that she deserves a second chance.

Ok.

So we have Weathers meet up with the group and, eventually, Morgan herself.  Since the attack, Morgan has been placed in isolation and behind a thick glass.  Morgan states she is sorry for the attack and all and Weathers takes it in unemotionally (as she does everything else) and things are oh-so-serious and…dull.

And then, stupidly (there are an awful lot of stupid things being done by supposedly smart people here), the corporation brings in Dr. Alan Shapiro (, acting set to “overkill”) to interview Morgan and see just how stable she is.

He does this by essentially yelling he’s got the power to kill her and what the hell is she going to do about it?!

Now, can you just guess what Morgan will do about it?

The movie’s second act, as if you haven’t guessed it yet, is Morgan going apeshit on those she is convinced are out to kill her (some are, most are not).  This leads to the movie’s climax and a “twist” ending that does almost nothing for the film and an epilogue featuring who explains everything that’s just happened and…

…ugh.

Morgan, if you haven’t guessed it yet, is to me an almost complete bust.  The movie features a lackluster, all-too-simple and all-too-familiar plot that begs for a much more robust, in-your-face and perhaps even campy presentation.  We need blood and guts and craziness but instead are offered a far too-mannered, too-Masterpiece Theater presentation and this, unfortunately, makes the movie’s plot problems all the more evident.

A real disappointment.

Broken Arrow (1996) a (very) belated review

Waaaaay back in the early 1990’s I, along with many other movie geeks, discovered the works of director John Woo.  Most specifically for me were two movie he made starring ultra-cool : 1989’s The Killer and 1992’s Hard Boiled.  The later film, according to Mr. Woo himself and if memory serves, was intended to be not just a great action film but a calling card to Hollywood that Mr. Woo was not only a top-tier action director, but that he was willing and able to make the leap to American films.

This bravura sequence from Hard Boiled, shot mostly in one take (if you look hard, there is one clear break), is one of the film’s highlights:

Hollywood, needless to say, took notice.

The very next year, in 1993, Mr. Woo’s first American film, Hard Target, featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, was released.  The movie was, to me, a disappointment.  It was a good Jean-Claude Van Damme film, perhaps his best, but considering what Mr. Woo released the previous years, it felt like a step down.  (NOTE: Mr. Woo’s original version of the film was cut for theatrical release.  You can read more about what was changed/taken out of that version here)

It would be three years and not until 1996 that Mr. Woo’s next Hollywood film was released and that was the and action-fest Broken Arrow.

I recall seeing that film back when it was released and found it a far better film than Hard Target yet was still disappointed because I expected so much more from the man behind the camera.

Mr. Woo would go on to make a handful of other films for Hollywood, including Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II, Windtalkers, and Paycheck, before heading back to more familiar ground -and Hong Kong- to continue his career.

Now, looking back at Mr. Woo’s Hollywood years, one can’t help but feel this once very exciting director’s career stalled or, sadly, took a big step backwards during this time period.  Today, Mission Impossible II is looked at as one of the lesser MI films.  Paycheck, to  many (including me) was an outright terrible film and one of the reasons Ben Affleck’s career nosedived after a promising beginning.

So while I harbored good feelings toward Mr. Woo’s earlier works, there was little doubt I felt either ambivalent or bad feelings regarding his Hollywood career.

Today, that’s very far in the past and when I found Broken Arrow playing on cable yesterday, I decided after all these years to give it another try.

Wouldn’t you know it, I found the film far more enjoyable than I remembered?

I think part of the reason is those old heightened expectations I had of Mr. Woo’s then-nascent Hollywood career were long gone and I watched Broken Arrow with far fewer -indeed, no- expectations, and the movie benefited tremendously without them.

The movie concerns Vic Deakins (, looking very young, spry, and more than a little out of his freaking mind) hijacking two nuclear missiles from a bomber he and his co-pilot, Riley Hale (), were transporting.  As it turns out, Deakins was acting alone and intended to kill Riley during the hijacking.

Riley, however, survives and the movie becomes a cat-and-mouse chase between Deakins and his band of very bad-guys versus Riley and his eventual companion, Park Cop Terry Charmichael (), as they try to thwart Deakins and the very deadly missiles he intends to use to extort big money from the U.S. Government.

Broken Arrow, viewed today, is a surprisingly old-fashioned (I DO NOT say that as a slight!) good-guy versus bad-guy feature.  The bad-guys are really bad and the good guys are clean-cut and very good.  The bad guys will play dirty and snarl and curse while the good guys will take what’s given and not back down…even if the odds are against them.  The action sequences, while not quite as good as Mr. Woo’s greatest Hong Kong hits, are nonetheless exciting and entertaining and deliver the thrills.

After the film was done I couldn’t help but feel I’d been too harsh on Mr. Woo way back then and most certainly regarding this film.  I also wondered if maybe it was time to give at least some of his other Hollywood features a second chance.

I’m looking at you, Hard Target and Face/Off.

Broken Arrow is recommended…and further reviews of Mr. Woo’s works may be coming!

I present the movie’s trailer below but caution those who haven’t seen the film yet that they may want to before seeing this trailer.  It gives away an awful lot of plot!

The Winds of Winter…coming?!

If you were today, Tuesday, March 7th 2017, to look at the literary field and pick out some of the bigger names/books around, you’d likely list, among others, the works of Stephen King or J. K. Rowling.  Perhaps, today, you might be in the mood for Neil Gaiman or James Patterson.  I hear George Orwell is making quite a comeback, too.

(I’d love to include myself in this list…perhaps one day?)  

Where did the weekend go?!

Ever feel like someone hit the cosmic “fast forward” button and time is flying by at a breakneck speed?

Oh well…only five days to the weekend!