THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES Film Review - 29/6/08

In an obvious rush to get as many child-friendly fantasy features out as possible Nickelodeon has joined the crush trying to get to the top of the pile with their version of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and a hefty dose of saccharine it is to swallow. This is also top of the grade though for any Family Adventure with little in the way of anything to offend but could be slightly more frightening for younger children. A few references cover some adult themes but more with subtle nuances rather than anything heavy-handed. Something like this I would have watched many years ago along with the likes of "The Neverending Story" or "Labyrinth" and thoroughly enjoyed it - Now I'm looking through the rose-tinted specs of time! An entertaining yarn with good effects and a likable cast push this further up the slope than some of the more recent child-fantasy cack that has been doing the rounds!

A family with parental problems ends up in an old isolated house in the woods and the children of the family stumble across an old book. Suddenly they are thrust into a magical world all around them and find they need to defeat an evil ogre with his own plans on the book.

PRINCE CASPIAN Film Review - 23/6/08

With the second film in the series The Chronicles Of Narnia continue with "Prince Caspian" to be followed by "The Dawn Treader" in 2010. Dependant on Box Office receipts (What else?) the following books will also be turned into films. This second film starts off very darkly and continues in this vein and the two elder children seem rather unpleasant as they grow into adulthood. Forget the fantastic effects and wonderful sets and gorgeous scenery and you are left with a handful of battles strung together with chase scenes. I was not actually bored with the film and 2 hours just flew by but I felt a sense of lethargy to the whole production as it did not really pull me in like the original "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe" did which I really enjoyed. Then again this time around instead of the White Witch we get human villains; in the shape of the Telmarines, descendants of pirates from our own world. So we get something more real than otherworldly and we get reality more than fantasy as humans are fairly nasty creatures. Not a great sequel but will probably generate enough cash to produce the final film in the series unless things improve!

This time around the Pevensie children return to Narnia and it is a thousand years later. Narnia has gone and the Telmarines rule with a iron fist and kill those who threaten their political status. Hence Prince Caspian has to go on the run and finds himself in the deep forest with the remnants of the last of the Narnians. Meeting up with the Pevensie children (The original Kings & Queens of Narnia) they decide to take the fight back to the Telmarines. Warfare ensues and Aslan pops up for a cameo as does the White Witch. Everyone lives happily ever-after as some awful pop power ballad is shrieked out by some woman at the end of the film. Disney cash tills ring and studio execs jump up and down with glee. Uggh!

Classic CARRY ON and HAMMER HORROR Stamps Issue - 15/6/08

Royal Mail have issued a special set of stamp products which feature the original British Quad Style Film Posters of 3 classic "Carry On" films and 3 "Hammer Horror". The stamps (Shown above) have the 1st. Class Stamp with "Carry On Sergeant" the 50p with "Carry On Cleo" and the 72p with "Carry On Screaming". The 56p is Hammer's "The Curse Of Frankenstein" followed by the 48p with "Dracula" and the 81p as "The Mummy". The Presentation Pack (Shown below) has the set of six stamps with a fold-out card with information on each film.

This is the original poster used for the "Carry On Sergeant" (1958) stamp. Unfortunately this isn't one of my favourite "Carry On" films and I would have preferred it if they had done a separate set for both "Carry On" and "Hammer" so they could have added say "Carry On Cabby" or Spying/Cowboy. The same with the "Hammer Horror" they could have done " Quatermass" 1 or 2 or a host of other classic "Hammer" films.

A Lobby Card from "Carry On Sergeant".

The set of Postcards issued by the Royal Mail on 10/6/08 with all the other stamp products of this issue. Available to buy now (But only from larger Post Offices and obviously dependant on if you still have a Branch and it hasn't been closed down?)

The original poster (UK Quad) of "Carry On Cleo" (1964) one of the best of the series!

A Lobby Card for "Carry On Cleo" (Notice the 3rd "Dr. Who" Jon Pertwee alongside Charles Hawtrey).

The 50-Sheet Stamp of the 72p "Carry On Screaming".

The original poster for "Carry On Screaming" (1966) and another great addition to the "Carry On" series.

Another Lobby Card advertising "Carry On Screaming".

The Pre-Paid Postcard Set with Hammer Horror's "The Curse Of Frankenstein" pictured.

Another UK Quad original poster for "The Curse Of Frankenstein" (1957).

A still from Hammer's "The Curse Of Frankenstein".

The 50-Sheet Stamp of the 48p of Hammer's "Dracula".

A still from "Dracula" (1958).

The original poster for "Dracula".

Still from Hammer's "The Mummy" (1959).

The final poster of "The Mummy" Quad UK.

Finally if your interested - If you click the link below - You can now purchase Full-Sized UK Quad Reproductions of the Classic Hammer Horror films - Not only the 3 featured in the stamps issue but also many other great films from the Hammer era.

Hammer Horror film posters - Hammer Reproductions

THE DEAD ZONE {6th. Season} (DVD Review) - 9/6/08

After producing Series 4 & 5 and having them in the can for "The Dead Zone" the Channel showing them had not renewed the option on a 6th. Season so all the sets were torn down. Then they decided to go with a 6th. Series and had to transfer the whole cast, crew and production to another part of Canada for "costs" so to speak. All of which is talked about in the featurette "A New Home For The Dead Zone" and more or less puts the final nail in the coffin for the show! After the general dreary patchiness of Season 5 it get's worse with Season 6 - No wonder they cancelled it! A generally discordant affair this mish-mash of 13 episodes really only get's going with the last 3 episodes of the series and becomes very interesting indeed - Then the Series ends! Totally pointless; this mediocre and quite preposterous slant went way off at a tangent, and seems more of a misdirection than anything that has come before?

Firstly we lose most of the regular cast in the first episode (We even get an awful recasting of "J.J." as someone totally different) a main cast member dies and with this shift in focus the whole plotline goes down the drain. The fate that awaits with the nuclear holocaust is not resolved and plot threads are left with no clear points. The credits roll and that's it folks! Of course the obligatory options are left open to either continue the Series or do a spin-off show with his son as the lead role - Dire!!

Rounding off this disappointment to another cancelled show we also get another featurette with "All Aboard: Filming The Dead Zone On A Train" and a Commentary on 4 episodes.