Reviews by TrekMedic

So,...I'm something of a sucker for low-budget movies. Some, like [Link removed - login to see] were diamonds in the rough, waiting for a professional polishing from Hollywood. Others, too many to list here, look like a pair a stoners with too much money and easily-entertained friends made them for the heck of it. Then some are just right where they are - the kind of stuff you watch at the local "art house" theatre during a film festival.
The Siren (a/k/a The Rusalka) is one of those movies. A rumination on fate, redemption, hatred, jealousy and vengeance.
Nina, the titular Siren, we are told at the beginning, was once a beautiful woman who drowned in the lake and was transformed into a murder-driven monster. Through flashbacks, her Siren self-realization is filled with horror, resistance and, ultimately resignation that she must drown all those she encounters in the lake. (The murders are mostly implied or a quick tug under the surface).
Al, a widower, is drawn to the lake, believing the drowning death of his husband was at the hands of the Rusalka.
Tom, a mute minister-in-training, is staying at a rented lakeside house ahead of his baptism and end of his ministerial training. Tom meets Nina one day while walking along the shore. Charmed by her beauty, he communicates with her as best he can. Nina, coyly seductive, is equally charmed by Tom and, resisting her fate, swims away from the shore, dreaming of a human life at his side and in his bed.
Tom and Al, as lakeside neighbors, become friends and share their encounters with the enchanting Nina.
The idyllic romance between Tom and Nina comes crashing down during a impromptu barbeque with the three. Al realizes, with horror, that his beliefs are true, as Nina reveals her true nature to him. Tom also comes to the realization that Nina is an evil being, albeit one he can save through his faith.
In the end, none of them fulfill their dreams. Tom's failed attempt at saving Nina leaves him seeking the solace in the ministerial duties. Al succumbs to his attempt at revenge and Nina, having lost the love of Tom and all hope of returning to the world, retreats to the depths of the lake.

(sigh),....the things my children make me watch! Nothing special here,...don't read too much into the movie, grab a beer or two, and enjoy it for what it it,...

Ask yourself this: what if Shyamalan was the show runner of the late, great series "Lost," but the show's primary funding source was AARP and Shyamalan started channeling the sentiment of the anti-Big Pharma crowd? Congratulations, now you've got where this movie was going!
After Shyamalan's de riguer Hitchcock-like cameo, the plot was pretty much a giveaway - something nefarious was afoot and Shyamalan's character was facilitating it. Too, too much talking and psycho-babble, too little plot twists and red herrings.

Distaff (and Irish) take on the [Link removed - login to see] genre. I'm certain it's getting more airplay here in the US because of Olivia Cooke's high-profile role as Alicent Hightower on [Link removed - login to see]

Frank Herbert's novel, Dune, is a daunting read by any measure. The "plans within plans," the metaphysical, computer-less future that defines it as sci-fi, and the controversial messianic tones make for a great read, if you're up to it.
In the run-up to [Link removed - login to see][Link removed - login to see], I read through Dune, and several of the sequels, to pass the time at the station's night watch desk.
Imagine my disappointment when that movie came long! Whether the limitations of the 80s SFX abilities forced Lynch to present the story with a steampunk tone (and make the Bene Gesserit's "weirding way" into a tangible weapon!) can be argued, overall, I left the theatre wholly unfulfilled.
(Side note: The SyFy Channel's [Link removed - login to see] and [Link removed - login to see] mini-series were passable, if more soap opera-like, interpretations.)
Now, comes Denis Villeneuve's two-part take. 21st Century SFX clearly helped interpreting Herbert's dense metaphysics, but overall the movie was a much more satisfying experience. The ending, which sets up the 2023 sequel, doesn't feel like the rushed afterthought of the Lynch version.
I honestly can't wait to see Part II later this year!

The Wrecking Crew, the final Matt Helm film was, improbably, the best of the bunch. Dean Martin acts like he's finally shed his beaten-to-death Rat Pack schtick (seen more overtly in [Link removed - login to see] and [Link removed - login to see]) and concentrated more on actually spoofing the spy film juggernaut that was the James Bond franchise. There was even a semblance of a plot! Borrowing heavily from Goldfinger, with smatterings of From Russia With Love and You Only Live Twice, it's the reason why it ranks highest for me. Sadly, Sharon Tate, who was really used more for eye candy than acting, was murdered shortly after the film was completed.

I always remembered this show as the last season of Night Gallery. Imagine my surprise to recently find out this was a separate series unto itself, edited and reformatted (the Rod Serling intros were added later) to boost Night Gallery's syndication profile! Still a decent series in the macabre genre.

Shhhh,...listen closely,....those vocals in the background? None other than [Link removed - login to see] of the later Doobie Bros and his own solo career.

This is a show that ticks off so many positive boxes for me:
British crime drama, by Brits for a British audience, well-acted chemistry, one crime per episode with an overarching storyline, the unlikely pairing of the sacred and the secular (in this case, two damaged souls trying to make the world better from their own venues) and more.
It's also based in the 50s, when the Brits were still recovering from the ravages of WWII but showing the inklings of Britain with the Beatles, Carnaby Street and the free-wheeling 60s that made London the societal rival to New York City.
And this is where I take issue with shows like this: a 50s show that's written and produced in the 21st Century, with a 21st Century mindset.
And it all centers around the character of Leonard Finch, a/k/a "Gay Leonard." Leonard originally was the "naïve" (read "closeted") curate of the local Anglican parish. Over time, his homosexuality became a broader part of his character, including his hush-hush boyfriend. Mind you, I don't have a problem with the LGBTQ society but remember: this was 50's England and LGBTQ may well have been some secret British ministry, but not the acronym for a section of their society. That is, prior to 1967, [Link removed - login to see] in Britain (it wasn't decriminalized in Scotland until 1980).
As a sworn officer of the law, Detective Inspector Geordie Keating should have been duty-bound to arrest Leonard and his boyfriend! And either Vicars Sidney Chambers or Will Davenport, as part of their Anglican duties, should have reported Leonard and had him drummed out of the C of E for his "sins." Now (spoiler alert!) Leonard, as the victim of another act of crime, is ultimately tried and found guilty of being gay. He did time in jail and was defrocked by the Anglican hierarchy. But, by the end of Series 7, he and his boyfriend were still an active couple. The wokeism of the 21st Century,...sigh!

Have you ever had a feeling of deja vu? Watch this episode,...does it seem like you recognize the plot? You should! It's a near line-by-line remake of the Season 1 episode [Link removed - login to see] the only real difference is the Season 1 episode takes place during Mannix's days as an employee of the Intertect Agency. Boy, I have half a mind to add this to my [Link removed - login to see] list!