CNATUC - 50TH!

Can't believe I almost forgot this one... 

CAPTAIN NEMO AND THE 

UNDERWATER CITY
1969

Aye, aye ~ it was, admittedly and absolutely, the hardest thing to do: 

determining who was the true Underwater Queen here - 

Nanette or Luciana? 

For both would have been -for different reasons, somehow- excellent 

choices to portray a QUEEN OF ATLANTIS type; 

the next best thing to an actual flesh-and-blood MERA, indeed! 

And for years this would be the closest we would get to it, too! 

Alas - CHUCK CONNORS would be the closest we'd get to an 

AQUAMAN, also - for many, many years! 

It is no wonder that DC was the first to get their underwater superhero 

into live action and onto the big screen ~ they had been there before! 

Warner Bros will always trump (pardon the expression; these days, 

it has to be pardoned...) miserable envious Marvel and all of its 

aspirations - which have led them to their unholy alliance with the Rat! 

Disney may have had the official 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea 

done up about a decade earlier; but this film from the year of our Lord 

nineteen sixty-nine had it closer to what the filmgoing audience wanted! 

Jules Verne himself would have said so - were he alive! 

They had to replace Kirk Douglas with Chuck Connors - so what! 

James Mason and Robert Ryan were pretty much the same; 

and with ladies Newman and Paluzzi onboard, 

the scales tip decisively in favor of CNATUC! 

So very ironic, is it not: just as Nicole Kidman 

and Amber Heard have made AQUAMAN a hit 

(and OHMSS was saved by the presence of 

Diana Rigg, for the most part!) 

this film also owes it all... to its ladies! 

(And the director's craft... maybe!) 

And its soundtrack music ~ 

here also the work of a LADY: 

~Angela Morley ~

And if you don't agree, you can have some 

Irwin Allen fare instead ~ from 1967! 

...still better than a Disney treatment! 

Or anything that came after...! 

(circa 1975... onwards!)

AQUAMAN approves! 

BTPOTA - 50TH!

another classic film; 

another milestone 

 BENEATH THE PLANET 

 OF THE APES 

(1969; NOT 1970!) 

In one of the most notable bits of cinematic continuity 

ever seen up until that point - after all the Hammer 

classics of horror and the likes of Charlie Chan, 

Inspector Clouseau and The Thin Man, perhaps - 

reputed actor Charlton Heston agreed to 

make an appearance in this sequel 

to the film adaptation of the Pierre Boulle novel 

that he had starred in just a few years earlier... 

(Because, although it was indisputably crafted 

and produced in 1969, this movie was truly 

released to the world in 1970 - I'll admit...! 

But you'll have to swallow that, POTA, which was 

released in 1968, was really made in... 1967!) 

Heston further cemented his reputation 

as a classical actor - one had been both 

Moses and Ben Hur in legendary productions 

helmed by prestigious directors - 

who was willing to take part in 

science-fiction projects... 

He was a few years away from becoming 

the OMEGA MAN ~ and, as such, he'd  

have fit right into the action in this 

very apocalyptic sequel 

to the Planet of the Apes! 

The soundtrack music was composed masterfully 

by veteran composer Leonard Rosenman 

James Franciscus, as the "replacement hero of service" 

was more than adequate and equal to the task 

of carrying the entire movie on his shoulders 

(the two thirds of it, anyhow) 

But he was quickly relegated to the backdrop 

once Charlton Heston's character makes his appearance; 

and that was quite jarring and disappointing. 

Young movie aficionado me, already quick 

to pick up on those things, had a strange sense 

of déjà vu here; for it reminded me 

of various other franchises/series/properties 

in which the archetypical hero figure 

was that certain type of hero: 

square-jawed, dark, ravenous, brooding 

(and dark-haired, too!) type of guy - 

like James Bond, Matt Helm, Major Mason, 

Tarzan, Green Hornet, James West, 

And whenever there was a blond-haired, 

valiant and noble figure around 

(OK, sometimes he was of another ethnicity; 

other times he was more of a brainy type, 

like Artemus Gordon for example...) 

he always played second-fiddle to the archetype! 

It was so very true on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 

with Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. 

And it was true in the realm of super-heroes, 

with Superman and Aquaman... 

And here it was once again: 

with Taylor and Brent on the POTA! 

That was... regrettable. 

Director Ted Post was at fault...? 

The author of the screenplay? 

Producers...? The studio...? 

They were all very understandably grateful 

to Heston for his participation; but giving him 

the central figure spot for the movie's climax 

was not at all what he wanted here...! 

Much like Harrison Ford requested 

in exchange of his participation in 

Star Wars The Force Awakens, 

Charlton Heston wanted to have his character 

promptly killed off for good in this one; 

so he would never have to reprise the role - 

ever again! 

Ironically enough, many years later, 

when a remake was finally put together 

(one that misses the mark considerably 

even though it is more faithful to the 

source material than the original was!) 

Heston would agree to portray one of the 

Simians, this time out...! 

Stepping into the shoes of cast mate 

Maurice Evans, certainly...  

Evans, along with Kim Hunter, 

Linda Harrison and Roddy McDowell 

had all reprised their roles 

for BTPOTA ~ flawlessly! 

The same could not quite be said 

of Heston's second time out as "Taylor"... 

The Art Of Being The Devil's Advocate

OK - let's make one thing 

really clear here, 

right off the bat 

(as in... the bat out of hell?!?) 

we rebuke the devil 

and all its deeds 

(it... yes, it!!!) 

but, even though we hate its guts, 

one must give it its due: 

it is, after all, 

the creator of the true art 

of being Machiavellian 

(it wasn't Macchiavelli - no!) 

Nicolo can truly say it: 

''the devil made me do it - si, si!''

Stronzo! 

oops - got carried away there - 'scusi! 

The devil is the one 

''creature'' 

that was privy to ALL of 

God's Plans... 

and it leaked tons of it 

through the Ages 

in order to discredit 

the Coming Christ... 

(YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!) 

(No - not that ''it'' - argh!) 

The devil has mastered the art of 

deceiving... manipulating... 

and leading astray.

And these ''arts'' are so useful 

in today's world... 

aren't they, 

POLITICIANS?!? 

''It'' gave you your electoral votes 

- and the means to convince! 

And DUPE! 

''It'' gave millions what they wanted: 

fame... fortune... flamboyance!

That damn devil has left its MARK... 

one cannot deny that. 

It is a necessary evil - 

the required counter balance 

that THE LIGHT needs, 

in the Grand Scheme 

of Things...

AND YET... 

''IT'' deserves 

no sympathy. 

AND DON'T YOU 

GIVE ANY CREDENCE 

TO THAT ''SPEECH'' 

ATTRIBUTED TO ''IT'' 

IN THIS WASTE-OF-FILM 

total and complete piece of 

rotten celluloid 

whose lone value rests 

in the basic message that it 

leaves you with: 

dealing with the devil, 

believing in anything 

it might tell you 

can only lead you 

down the pits! 

MY MOVIE must have...

music by Beethoven - 

his Symphony no 7 will do just fine! 

or something from this assortment...

(Click on it --- 

at your own risk!!!)

*LOL*

 It's all about the BASICS 

 of creating a memorable, atmospheric, 

 GREAT SOUNDTRACK 

 for your own project... duh! 

 AND THAT... 

 is an essential art form 

 to be mastered 

 if one endeavors into 

 film-making! 

The previous post is, indeed, 

something straight out of 

the ''note to self'' file...! 

But it can be shared...

surely! 

The Art Of Finding A Good Franchise

POTENTIAL FRANCHISE, anyway...!!! 

Granted, Tom wasn't even THINKING of that 

when he took on these roles in Saving Private Ryan... 

Dragnet... and the title role in that other flick there...! 

To him, they could all have been Philadelphia - really! 

One shot deals; self-contained stories - that's it! 

Minus the Oscar potential - for Streebek, anyway! 

But that's another story...!!! 

Verily, the development of this "let's adapt 

Dan Brown for the Big Screen" movement 

is a testament to Ron Howard's ambition - 

his and his alone! 

After the basic mystery investigation tale meets Christian Faith and Facts which made the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei at odds 

over *a* Truth... that is of no consequence, really (...!) 

it is time for Science and the God Particle 

-straight out of the Hadron Collider- 

to, indeed, collide with Religion, the Church - and 

the Illuminati... no less! (Or not really...!) 

(Somehow, adapting the book featuring the Freemasons 

-2013 update! 2013 update! I am from the Future!- 

does not appeal much to Ron - 

he must have received threats?

That's... another story!) 

The casting of Ewan McGregor as the Camerlengo 

does, however, accomplish something huge here: 

it finally connects -and it is that much clearer this way 

for the willfully blind out there- the two twins 

of different fathers but, somewhat/somehow, 

of the same mother --- the Jedi and the Priest! 

I always said it: the two have lots more in common 

than the common, casual observer will ever admit; 

 a "Camerlengo" might even be a sort of Jedi 

in some alternate universe or something...! 

This character bridges the gap well, too; 

between the boring, run-of-the-mill padre 

and the powerful, druidic but cool Jedi! 

Jedis always mingle in politics, it seems; 

and so do the priests - especially those stationed 

at the Holy See itself... people forget that! 

And McGregor's simple casting as the Camerlengo 

accomplishes that, in and by itself 

(in spite of the revolting developments 

the film will undoubtedly have; 

spoilers alert...!!!) 

RON HOWARD 

-in closing; and back to the point!- 

has achieved the near-impossible, therefore; 

successfully sell (to a degree) something 

that does not naturally appeal to the masses - 

for action hero fare this is not. 

It isn't science-fiction or any other genre 

frowned upon by the Academy...! 

(Horror - perish that thought now!) 

And it isn't exactly Detective Poirot either; 

otherwise, it would have been done 

straight to TV...! And that was definitely not 

Ron's goal here... No! Ron wanted material 

that could make for SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS 

AND REPEAT BUSINESS 

AT THE BOX-OFFICE...! 

Potentially, anyway... (so far, since its 

release in May, A&D have not exactly 

made business like gangbusters, anywhere on 

the globe, really... There's always DVD sales...?

That will teach them releasing in the month 

of MARY...!!! My favorite, too... ) 

RON and TOM still found something 

perfectly suitable for them BOTH here! 

A vehicle for an actor such as Oscar-winner 

Tom Hanks - substantial, serious, 

light years away from the comedies 

he used to be making, one after the other, 

very early on in his career... 

before he married *his* Bulgarian Bride! 

(That's another story too - from the Future!) 

Something he can act - without having to be 

something he is not (like an Indy or 

-- Heaven Forbid -- a Jason Statham type!) 

There are zero action scenes for Tom, really; 

when the going gets tough, he just absorbs 

and waits it out - until the focus is back on 

riddle-solving... where it should be! 

It's like a MacGyver Deluxe, verily - 

and Ron Howard sure can direct that! 

Direct... or produce! 

Ron found the perfect source material 

for both Tom as for himself, 

as a director with a certain ambition 

and flair for this sort of production, indeed; 

too bad that it had to be DAN BROWN... 

So, no Freemasonry... eh 

There's not much else to adapt there, then! 

Unless it is... INFERNO. 
(Future... Inferno!)

THE LOST SYMBOL 

- a dreadful conspiracy story - 

(some call it a mystery-thriller novel though...) 

out... this year of 2009 

Anno Domini 

... by sheer coincidence ... 

...so much is LOST indeed... paper, patience... TIME! 

AND IT ALL GOES TO HELL...! 

2013 Anno Domini ... !!! 

... within a few short years - only that! 

Yes... I am from the Future! 

And it is... bleak!