Thunderbirds

"I felt that I'd been on a wonderful Thunderbirds adventure."

-Sylvia Anderson-

Did the remake of Thunderbirds (2004) fly with fans of the original series?

It's a rare FAB FRIDAY appearance and hopefully for many long overdue.  So let's return to the universe of all things wonderful from the mind of the late, great Gerry Anderson (1929-2012) as well as Sylvia Anderson.  This may be a first since the loss of the great creator following his passing the day after Christmas in 2012.

We loved you Laura Spencer (Genie Francis).





Unfortunately, it's hard for me to get too excited about today's entry other than putting keyboard to electronic interface. This film certainly doesn't rise to the level of the Gerry Anderson greats and, of course, he had little to do with this in the strictest, purest sense of the word.  This is an entirely different creative group reinventing the classic series for a new generation. Did this Thunderbirds go? Better yet, what went wrong with a property gift-wrapped for any generation to put on film?







Well, gone is the Supermarionation replaced with flesh and blood humans, and while the performances aren't stiff here, they have nothing on the wonderful character infusion of those traditional marionettes.



The key to enjoying this film is watching it with young children of which I did recently.  My six year old nephews, put simply, thought it was "awesome."  One nephew was as torn as the faithful to Gerry Anderson's original television series when it came to picking a favorite craft.  "I love Thunderbird 1, oh no, maybe Thunderbird 3 is my favorite, no, no, Thunderbird 2 is just so awesome."  He went back and and forth throughout the film while peppering me with occasional questions of concern.  "Is he dead?"  "Is he going to be okay?"  "Is he still alive?"  I told my nephew his concern and caring for the characters was a wonderful character trait and to rest assured that everyone was going to be okay.  They were going to be just fine.  If anyone was in trouble it was me cringing to this rendering of my beloved Thunderbirds.  I think I enjoyed watching the film with the boys more than I enjoyed watching the film.  The film is generally a complete disaster, but having young family members around gave me a chance to see it again through their eyes and my own more critical ones.





Let's take a closer look. To begin with I'm a massive fan of Jonathan Frakes in general, both as an actor and any effort he puts forth in film (Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, Falling Skies plus episodes of the various Star Trek franchises), so I love to see the positives from his efforts.  Frakes owned the role of Number One in Star Trek: The Next Generation and he captured our attention with his steady commanding presence the moment he took the helm of the Enterprise-D in support of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  Lesser men might have been overshadowed by the great thespian Patrick Stewart, but not Jonathan Frakes whose star shone brightly and uniquely all its own for seven seasons.  So all of these considerations in place one would think Thunderbirds should just go and work.





Sadly, Thunderbirds was given the Spy Kids (2001) treatment of a sort only with the critical drubbing and reception of later installments of that franchise.  This film is a CGI, child-filled candy treat with bright colors and very, very high energy.  Without question, the PG-rated Thunderbirds aims squarely at the kids set and, gosh, that kind of makes sense considering we loved the original Thunderbirds (1965-1966) when we were young boys.  It was all about the kids.





On the one hand, my much older jaded self would certainly be expecting a more mature, adult-leaning affair.  Is that unfair?  Maybe and maybe not.  But, if you're looking to reintroduce the world of Gerry Anderson to a new audience then this explosive child-centric Thunderbirds film might make logical sense as the way to go.

On the other hand, the original, classic series never dumbed down its stories in an effort to speak to children.  It told the action adventure tales honestly and respected a child's ability to filter certain aspects of violence and jeopardy accordingly.  In other words, the stories played rather straight with elements of humor, but it never got silly. The kids employ the use of the Firefly and the pod vehicles against the evildoers, and as I mentioned, it's pure Home Alone (1990) comedy. There's very little sense of jeopardy or danger of any kind for the kids and the whole thing ends up as explosively goofy fun.

Thunderbird 3 and Thunderbird 1 are the best of the bunch because they resemble the originals.



The villains in the new film are played as buffoons as if excerpted from the bumbling and preposterous antics of child comedy and sprayed with generous, heaping amounts of Nickelodeon-like green foam. About the only think missing is a bucket of green goo for these inept baddies. (Sigh).

For the faithful and loyal who have been watching and still watching the original since the beginning perhaps we were looking for something else with which we could sink our hungry teeth.  If that is the case, that's an entirely different film - a film that never happens here.  Maybe one day a proper reboot is possible.



Further, we grew up with puppets and strings and Supermarionation.  Jonathan Frakes' version is more Disney and high pop culture gloss than Gerry Anderson.  That's not to say Frakes doesn't pay supreme homage to the series he no doubt loved as well.  It would be unfair of me to speak or think to the contrary.  Seeing the extras, which are equally horrendous, there is no doubt a great commitment from Frakes.  But watching our childhoods pillaged in this way is a little hard to take.



There's even a tribute moment when two hands reach for the control console of Thunderbird 1 as International Rescue takes flight and one of those hands is wooden and connected by strings in the neon fluorescent sheen of this new and shiny digital Thunderbirds.  It's a sweet, sincere tribute.  Unfortunately, the film, generally speaking, lacks the heart of the original series.

It doesn't end there.  An opening sequence pays direct homage to Thunderbirds, Series 2, Atlantic Inferno, as International Rescue come to the aid of oil workers and must save lives in jeopardy.

What the heck is that mustard yellow bull-dozer with spikes? Oh, the new Firefly.  I missed the label on the front.  What have they done with that original gorgeous creation?



Actor Bill Paxton is always terrific, but here lies yet another issue further magnifying the kid-friendly effort.  You have a wonderful actor in Bill Paxton as Jeff Tracy, the patriarch of the Tracys on Tracy Island yet he's all but relegated to a supporting role in favor of the Nickelodeon circuit.

Actors like Vanessa Hudgens (in very pre-Sucker Punch form and more in keeping with her Disney origins), as Tin-Tin Kyrano, and other child actors lead the charge of the film against the villainous The Hood.

Drats those kids and their green foam!



The Hood, played by Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, is terrific too.  Kingsley is fearless in tackling different roles even when they land disappointingly in lemon films like this one or the equally horrifying Peter Hyams' picture A Sound Of Thunder (2005).  You have to give Kingsley props for having fun and perhaps a respect for Gerry Anderson.  The man can slide between the satyagraha or non-violent leading Ghandi (1982) to vicious sociopath Don Logan in Sexy Beast (2000) at the drop of a hat.  Even in a disappointing picture like Thunderbirds he always gives everything of himself to a role offering his convincing best.



Actress Sophia Myles is also sensational as Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and is criminally under-supported by this terrible approach.  Her faithful sidekick Aloysius "Nosey" Parker is also credibly played by Ron Cook even if he offers a slight variation on the character as an ass-kicking action man in support of his beautiful secret agent.  The duo sometimes steal the show.

Vanessa Hudgens in the Thunderbirds version of High School Musical.



Child actor Brady Corbet plays Alan Tracy, but to further underscore the problems, Virgil, Scott, John and Gordon Tracy are non-factors in the film as are the actors who play them.  Do you even know why they were?  How do you make a Thunderbirds film and not spotlight Virgil or Scott (voiced by the great Shane Rimmer and David Holliday respectively in the original series)?  The focus is on the son of Brains, Fermat, and the alarm bells continue.  But the age of the Tracy brothers and their respective roles are placed within an entirely different reality here.  The film completely breaks from Thunderbirds cannon and alter the mythology and these aspects are too many to note here.

FAB 1 as a Ford.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.



The problems with Thunderbirds are plenty and compound one another to paint the overall picture, but they don't lie with the cast, but rather the approach in tone to their respective characters.  Anthony Edwards (Zodiac, ER, Miracle Mile) is a splendid actor and is perfect as Brains, but again characters are given to sometimes silly approaches and ill affect.  Brains stutters to comic affect, but was always taken seriously on the original series.



Seeing Myles and Paxton on screen more and the kids on screen far less would have worked much better for me personally, but I'm clearly not the target audience. If the film was looking to balance between both worlds it mostly fails. Thunderbirds really would have been a much more successful film though had it reached out to the faithful in a more faithful adaptation.





On the design front, Tracy Island is magnificently-realized and probably the best creation in the film.  The bulk of the story takes place there as The Hood takes over the island, outcasts the adults to a semi-destroyed Thunderbird 5 linked to rescue craft Thunderbird 3 so the film can concentrate a focus on its three young child actors.  Still, much of the charm is missing from the original look of the island set.  And we have no evidence of the pilots and their boarding process to their respective vehicles.

Anthony Edwards as Brains. Fortunately, David F-F-F Fincher's Zodiac (2007) was just around the corner.



One of the reasons the film fails for me is seeing Tracy Island held hostage and under siege and resting the story squarely on the shoulders of its teenage stars.  It's a little hard to swallow.  These are not the Tracy brothers saving the day.  These are not the boys I believed would lead International Rescue to victory.  Furthermore, it was unsettling to see our beloved Tracy Island quickly taken hostage. The message to young viewers is fine enough - that even the young and untested can become truly heroic.

The film, through Frakes, delivers hover bikes, the Mole, the Firely, all of the International Rescue vessels and Tracy Island.  It tries to do an awful lot in a short amount of time. Beyond that, the designs are generally atrocious to anyone who loved the work of Derek Meddings (1931-1995).  Maybe it was better he never lived to see the unintended machinations to his machines.



As I say, an equally big problem for Thunderbirds - is, by God, the Thunderbirds themselves.  They are a generally disappointing design disaster.  Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 3 come closest to the originals.  Thunderbird 2, a Meddings craft of sheer genius and perfection is modified egregiously and to detrimental effect here.  The changes are so significant it loses its perfection.  In fact, that's just it.  The original vehicles were designed to perfection by Derek Meddings and others.  There was absolutely no need for modifications.  That was a major mistake.  Thunderbird 4, to use an expression, is sunk.  What a mess. It looks nothing like the simple, sleek designs of the aquatic original.  Lady Penelope's pink FAB 1, a Rolls-Royce in the original, is now a Ford (for permission reasons) or a CGI creation, but that tells you something.  It's different.  Thunderbird 5 potentially looks the best  as redesigns or modifications go, but it has changed dramatically as well.



These radical or even marginal redesigns do little to enhance the classic creations of the past.  They bear none of the charm and affection that was bestowed on the originals with their tangible, hand-made crafting.  The new ships are merely cold, CGI creations and lacking that special something that gave the originals their lasting appeal or longevity.

Did anyone want to purchase their accompanying toys? Do people long for new releases of their re-imagined designs?  Will there be endless new molds or castings in the Japanese toy market?  What does this tell you about monkeying with a classic or perfection?  What does this tell us about the approach on the film?  It merely reinforced the fact that efforts to change past glories for a new audience rarely works.  That lesson has been learned many, many times and Thunderbirds further underscores such ill-conceived plans.  And there was indeed effort here.  It paints me to knock it.





Additionally, the CGI work is rough and more often than not it is too fast or mildly blurred.  The shots rarely freeze on closeups of the vehicles for any length of time, though I've made every effort to capture as many cool images for this post as I possibly could.  But the truth is, those vehicles were always the star of the show along with the characters.  Those vehicles were important and as important as the Eagle Transporter was to Space:1999 (1975-1977).  The craft here needed more attention and better shots – the kind of loving attention that was given to them in the original series.   The kind of subtle technical modifications applied to a series like Star Trek: The Original Series or Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-Ray would have been more convincing and appropriate.  those vehicles need to be closer, especially the ever adored Thunderbird 2 here.



Thunderbird 2 is an abomination. Why the unnecessary changes?  Why mess with perfection?   The original Thunderbird 2 is positively beast as my son would say. They make model after model, garage kit after garage kit, diecast after diecast of that design to this very day. I recently purchased a lovingly detailed green and metallic green version of the original from Revoltech Japan.  Thunderbird 2 never gets old. I mean don't touch that stuff man. The design set for the film was horrendous. It was bad the day it was designed and it still looks bad. And again, what they did to Thunderbird 4, the Firefly and especially The Mole are unconscionable.  That poor Mole.  Ultimately, what's missing from the craft here and the film is the heart of the original Thunderbirds lovingly detailed in its model work by the likes of the beating muscle, blood, sweat and tears of Gerry Anderson, Derek Meddings and others. It's entirely absent I'm afraid.





It's no wonder this turtle made just 28 million following a 57 million budget.

On a personal note, as a kid, in a strange turn, the boys in my neighborhood became huge fans of the Luke and Laura years on General Hospital.  The creators, especially the late Gloria Monty (1926-2006), had done a splendid job modifying the soap opera to attract younger viewers with sci-fi storylines and action drama including a role for the late John Colicos (1928-2000; Battlestar Galactica, ST:TOS).  Well as a boy I was smitten with Genie Francis and always envious that Jonathan Frakes married her so I was thrilled to see Frakes give Francis a cameo in Thunderbirds as a newsreporter.  And, I report, sadly of course, even my affection for Francis can't save these Thunderbirds.



Ultimately, Thunderbirds isn’t terrible and it’s certainly an entertaining, if mind-numbingly forgettable action film for young children, but the thing that always worked beautifully about the original Thunderbirds is that it never dumbed down its material.  The original series never behaved with a silly edge.  It took its threats and bad guys seriously.  There was a real sense of danger and lives were genuinely hanging in the balance.  And it the classic series was infinitely re-watchable.  This Thunderbirds doesn’t feel like the threats are real and just doesn’t pay the kind of respect to the stars of the series it should have from the Tracy boys to the vehicles. It’s a significantly missed opportunity.





Still, my six year old nephew peppering me with questions like “Is he a bad guy?” or “Is he going to die?” made it fun. So apparently it was threatening enough to the very young.  Fans from my age group hardly felt Thunderbirds was F-A-B.  I really wish I had a higher opinion for it given Frakes involvement on Anderson's beloved franchise, but like Godzilla (1998), alas Thunderbirds did not go where original fans might have hoped.

What the heck is that?



Not convinced of its troubling approach, look no further than the accompanying pop theme song, Thunderbirds Are Go!, by a teen band called Busted. The teeny boppers took the track to number one in the United Kingdom and won Record Of The Year in 2004 there.  That group became defunct shortly thereafter or, put simply, busted up.  It is pure pop garbage to accommodate this equally lively but surprisingly lifeless film.



Director Matthew Gratzner (long tied to a live action version of UFO) lent his thoughts about the Thunderbirds film in FAB Issue 65.  Gratzner and others assured fans of UFO that his group were working to retain a faithful adaptation of that aforementioned Gerry Anderson series property.  He pointed to the Thunderbirds film remake as a reference point.

"I know they had specific intentions when they made the Thunderbirds movie. I spoke to someone from the visual effects company that worked on it in its early days, and it was originally intended to be a very serious picture, but then with the success of Spy Kids and a couple of other family films they changed direction."





And that is precisely what they got.  This is an evident point because in the end Thunderbirds is very much a film that has been jammed into a Spy Kids blender. Fans of UFO were concerned about such a treatment and Gratzner was doing his level best to assure fans his work would remain true to the series. Thunderbirds was sorely maligned by the producers and that is unfortunate. Imagine the picture that might have been for a moment.

Opinions on the film varied, but in keeping with the spirit of FAB FRIDAY, the focus on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's responses are telling, as much on disparate opinion, as a referendum on their own differences when they were a creative partnership and married.  Gerry Anderson, originally a consultant on the film was then optioned off the payroll.  What does that tell you?  Anderson spoke to the BBC in October 2008 and his statement was revealing.





"Four weeks before the premiere I got a call from Universal Pictures saying they would pay me $750,000 (£432,000) for me to attend and I turned it down. I could've done with that, but I couldn't bring myself to accept it and make false reports about it.  I didn't go to see it, but about three months after somebody gave me a DVD and I watched it on my own. I thought it was disgraceful that such a huge amount of money was spent with people who had no idea what Thunderbirds was about and what made it tick."

By 2009, Gerry Anderson refused to mince words speaking to The Guardian noting the Jonathan Frakes' film "did not enhance the brand at all. In fact, it was the biggest load of crap I have ever seen in my life.  It was made by an American company who didn't know anything."  The film is self-evident.





Sylvia Anderson took a more vivacious approach in her acceptance of the film.  "I felt that I'd been on a wonderful Thunderbirds adventure.  If we had made it ourselves... we could not have improved upon this new version."  Really?  Was she dating someone on the film? One can appreciate Sylvia's enthusiasm for her property but it deserved better.  Gerry Anderson clearly knew it. Everything else was just spin.



The original Thunderbirds exists and that is all the proof required for quality control, because there simply is no comparison.  Someone positively pulled all the wrong strings on this picture.

Thunderbirds: D (but passable, unintelligent entertainment fare for a young child).

Next Week:  More images from the Jonathan Frakes film that could not make it into this post. I've made every effort to capture the best images from the film and though some of the shots actually look pretty good, the film is a disaster in need on International Rescue.

Lana Del Rey: Born To Die: The Paradise Edition

"I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast
I am alone in the night
Been trying hard not to get into trouble, but I
I've got a war in my mind
So, I just ride"

-Ride (enjoyed this summer on a beach)-

Rarely does a female voice come along that is so deceptively simple, so deceptively graceful that it lulls you in with its raw power.  The strength of that siren's call lies with Elizabeth Woolridge Grant also known as Lana Del Rey, singer, songwriter, model, cinematographer and all around fascinating new voice to grace a turgid pop scene.

Del Rey and her music is the antidote to a seemingly rote pop landscape. Her music drifts ebbing and flowing with the grandeur of nature's wondrous forces.  Her words drip over the body like a melted milky way over finger tips on a hot summer's day.  Rey is a throwback to another time.  She is an untamed, raw, pure talent that gently infiltrates the mind with melody but with the sweet caress of a twisted Lynchian character out of another world like Twin Peaks (1990-1991). She embodies the mysteries surrounding a character like Laura Palmer and channels the mood captured fleetingly by American composer Angelo Badalamenti (a David Lynch mainstay) and Julee Cruise in a song like Falling.  The difference is, vocally, Del Rey is a powerhouse talent with the kind of modulation that made someone like Stevie Nicks special for decades.







 

I've been listening to Lana Del Rey since her appearance on Saturday Night Live (January 2012).  She was inappropriately skewered by many including NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams, a self-proclaimed music aficionado. He saved his very best venom for her following that debut dubbing her performance "the worst in SNL history."  That statement said everything you need to know about Williams' as an analyst.  I'm sure he's watched every performance on SNL.  Others chimed in about said problematic performance.  I've seen it. To this day I can't understand the disdain she received.  Nerves aside, she was nothing short of stunning.



This unusual, intriguing bad girl who has been associated with the likes of crazy old Axel Rose is a bit of a puzzle.  How many singers can fly under the radar like this?  Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga (the list goes on) have made a career of de-robing or making waves for attention's sake.  It's all about pop fame and the Benjamins.  I don't diminish these pop stars or claim they lack talent, but it's all about approach and the harnessing of it. Lana Del Rey is simply different.  Other offer an aural pop assault, while Rey delivers an aural wonderland bold enough to deliver something spare with a focus on the voice.  Beyond being downright sexy, she's an understated, graceful diva that manages to float along the airwaves on the audacity of sheer talent alone. She has received none of the commercial support many enjoy.  No American Idol. No America's Got Talent. No The X Factor. No buoy from the American public calling into vote.  No gimmicks. Yes, Del Rey delivers on talent alone and her quietly rising star initially propelled her on the shoulders of Video Games which was originally viral.



Her music videos speak as much to her style and approach as her voice.  Gorgeous cinematic pleasures capture her beauty and the caress of each song on film.  It's no surprise she's self-dubbed her style as "Hollywood Sadcore."



Her songs themselves gently lilt along on strings and modern beats to a paced groove.  Musically her selections are more complex than they appear, but it is her voice, most of all, that is the most layered instrument of every track offering variations in cadence.  Each listening seems to unearth new mysteries or new wonders.  She lures listeners like the mythical voice drawing ocean ships to their rocky doom.



I tend to discover music before most of my pop-reared family.  Bastille and Josh Kumra were two of my recent discoveries.  My son turned me on to Imagine Dragons.  Of Monsters And Men's My Head Is An Animal (2011) was derided by my family initially when it was in heavy rotation in the vehicle.  It wasn't until it broke on pop radio with Little Talks that my son had a change of heart.  Likewise, my daughter and The One To Be Pitied finally gave Lana a second look upon hearing sleeper hit Summertime Sadness on radio this year.  Why are people slaves to the radio?  Hasn't the Internet changed all that?  Summertime Sadness made the rounds on pop radio and garnered a little, much deserved attention even if it's not one of her very best from her instant classic Born To Die (2012; fifth best seller of that year) recording.  It's still incredibly good.



Well, like Of Monsters And Men's My Head Is An Animal, Born To Die defies pop conventions.  Taken as a whole, these recordings are experiences.  They lend themselves well to unique selections, but it's when they are listened to from start to finish that one is immersed into their sonic world.  My Head Is An Animal and Born To Die are immediately epic in this fashion.



Born To Die was already a perfectly assembled selection of songs that was only enhanced with the coupling of the Paradise Ep (2012).  The Ep was easily a natural complement to Born To Die musically and stylistically as the songs seemed born of the same sessions.  Thus Born To Die was reissued as a deluxe edition dubbed Born To Die: The Paradise Edition. Waste not a moment and purchase this 15 + 8 = 23 track sensation.  The songs register low and beautiful with playful bursts and include Born to Die, Off To The Races, Blue Jeans, Video Games, Diet Mountain Dew, National Anthem, Dark Paradise, Radio, Carmen, Million Dollar Man, Summertime Sadness, This Is What Makes Us Girls, Without You, Lolita and Lucky Ones.  The Paradise Ep compounds the musical experience with Ride, American, Cola, Body Electric, Blue Velvet, Gods And Monsters, Yayo and Bel Air.  Believe it or not, for a short period, the re-recorded Yayo was extracted from Rey's first recording Lana Del Rey a.k.a. Lizzy Grant (2010).  That effort appeared on iTunes briefly and will no doubt find its way to re-release one day, but is as elusive as the reason many music fans still don't get this girl. Funny enough, the American singer is bigger outside the USA.  Despite songs of obsession, co-dependency, drugs, greed and sex, like England's The Beautiful South, she often masks the dark subject matter in yearning, emotional melodies as the latter has done in pop delight.  The selections from Born To Die and Paradise ultimately push the envelope lyrically and she will continue to be a lightning rod.



Lana Del Rey is going to be around for a long time with her unique anti-pop style that young and old will discover and for which they ultimately hunger for.  Expect big things from her.

Some will emulate her while others will make every effort to tear her down.  Her controversial approach to making music with a good deal of freedom doesn't fit within the pop cliché.  If you can't fit into their perception of a tidy little pop box prepare for destruction.  She has a gift and only time will tell if the singer can tame the demons and keep them in check while she delivers some of the best pop music to reach consumers in years.



Boy George (Culture Club) delivered a strikingly emotive rendition of Video Games with the kind of care he delivered for The Crying Game (1992).  The rendition is elusive but you can find the video, directed by Mike Nicholls, out there on the web.  George misses more than he hits but he actually interprets his version of the Rey song spot on.



Rey's rendering of Blue Velvet and its strangely Lynchian music video just begs for a casting call.  In fact, David Lynch said of the singer, not that she was born to die, but that the charismatic, self-styled, visionary singer was "born out of another time."  There is indeed a Lynchian inspiration to the artist.  It's no surprise that cinematic flair and her surrounding mystery should be further echoed by a tattoo on her right hand Trust No One.  The X-Files would be proud.



With a penchant for cinematography Del Rey fearlessly lends her music videos cinematic flourish and visual nods to the 1950s and 1960s Americana which further underscores her old school qualities as a vocalist.

 

Born To Die: The Paradise Edition is about as perfect a recording as recordings go by female artists today.  Del Rey is a little too left or right of center to be on mainstream radio and I love her for it.  She is making no efforts to placate pop radio sticking with a style that is entirely her own.  And given her cinematic aspirations it should come as no surprise she would land herself working on a soundtrack to a project by Baz Luhrmann.  Artistically, she's an ideal choice, one that makes perfect sense. She recently delivered Young And Beautiful to the director's The Great Gatsby (2013) which potentially yielded her the most attention to date on US radio.  It even kick started renewed interest and a resurgence in Summertime Sadness. Perhaps her next recording will catch fire and the attention of the masses, the ones lulled to sleep by the endless rotation of Katy Perry.



Despite her young age, Del Rey sings as if she has lived an eternity.  Attending boarding school for alcohol dependence at fourteen can have that affect. The One To Be Pitied, despite being moved by her voice, finds her lyricism to bleak and dreary.  The name assigned to the recording should tell you something I suppose.  Sometimes though I have to look beyond the words and experience the sound, the voice and the cinematic power of her music.  To immerse myself in the music without hanging on every word is sometimes enough for me.  When I do stop and listen, at the very least, Del Rey has something to say.



She also went to New York City for metaphysical studies of God and science where she discovered a gift for music. Though young and beautiful, she draws from her experiences while peering into the window of fantasy.  Lana Del Rey beats entirely to her own drum and there is something inviting yet forbidden about the sensual qualities in her music.

Look no further than the cover art as Del Rey adorns a red top shrouded by a penetrable, buttoned up, conservative white blouse.  It's tempting, inviting and somehow knowingly dangerous. This is indeed an intoxicating combination from one of America's unique female talents.



Sometimes its difficult to differentiate between certain pop singers, but the voice of Del Rey is instantly recognizable.  The strength of that voice is immediate and undeniably Del Rey.  She is one of a kind today in a category of her own.  That's a rare achievement.  Lana Del Rey is crafting the stuff of pop dreams.  Her songs are of the deliberate, considered, poetic and timeless variety.  Sad music or not, she's offers listeners a lot to be happy about.

Honestly, purchase Born To Die: The Paradise Edition and behold the birth of a lively American talent.

*This is the first entry to prompt a change in the label from the 80s heavy approach under the 80s Music label to now 80s Music Plus.  We'll be opening things accordingly when inspired.

I Remember That: The Amazing Spider-Man Bank (And The Amazingly Lengthy Post About A Bank)

The effortlessly funny Duck Dynasty (all the fuss appears to be legitimate) sparked one from the memory banks and put The Sci-Fi Fanatic in a nostalgic mood.

 

The massive Robertson family has a comedic gift.  Just about everything they say is amusing on sheer gift of delivery and timing (or editing) alone.  The group seemingly ad libs most of its footage and I suspect the mostly unscripted dialogue within the established script is simply edited together to abundantly clever effect.  However it's achieved the family is funny and filled with some real characters.

Old Uncle Si and Willie visit a family fun park and Si insists on winning a giant, purple stuffed animal.  He won't leave without it.  To do this, and we have all had our battles with these machines, he must play games within the arcade and win and amass tickets by the bucket load.  Ultimately he delivers a bountiful windfall of tickets. Thousands of tickets are placed on the counter to win that crazy stuffed giant.  It is no doubt scripted, but it's still damn funny and in a point of true wisdom Uncle Si essentially tells Willie there's nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it.  Done!  Prize won.  It's true.

Well, when I was a youngster we frequented the now closed amusement park by the sea Rocky Point Park (1847-1995).  Like any great park they had one building filled with these video game machines and ticket pushers.



What was always amazing to me is that you could virtually play for an hour, acquire a seemingly unruly mass of tickets, bring them to the front desk to claim a gift prize and essentially be told that your options were wither a plastic whistle, a toy watch or a rubber ball.  I mean what the heck?!  The sheer disappointment for all of the effort was massive.

Now mind you, today, I'm not really much of a Spider-Man fan.  I still haven't seen the last rebooted, Tobey Maguire-less film and have virtually no interest (I really should have stuck to my gut on The Avengers, but I would have missed Pacific Rim had I done that).  But, as a kid, visiting the amusement park, they had a wall of sparkling, seemingly unattainable prizes.  Those prizes seemed to smile down upon you and whisper to us, You got no chance kid. They were like the evasive brass ring on the carousel.  It seemed they were merely there to taunt our poor, fragile heads full of dreams and wish fulfillment. It was like the lights of heaven were shining down upon the one item you desired.  Even the glass cases were filled with shining gems.  Of course, it was always that damn bottom row of plastic baskets and bins filled with baubles and junk trinkets like whistles and silly toys that we were always pointed to and forced to draw from.  It was like the teenage attendant was an outtake from A Christmas Story speaking in slow motion to you.  You get to pick one item from the green baskets kid.  Ugh! Oh no. Not again.  Rarely, did it seem we had the opportunity to pull or pick from the cream of the crop toy prizes.  In fact, it seemed like an exercise in futility.  More often than not we were generally sent packing home with the lesson you can't always get what you want in life.  It was disheartening.  I remember piling into our blue recreation bus and sort of gazing out at the window with a sense of loss while kids jumped around from seat to seat, yelling, screaming, singing, throwing paper airplanes.  It was all going on and yet my world seemed in slow motion (sometimes).



Well, every summer we used to pay that local Little Red School House for a series of field trips.  Their blue rec bus would take all the kids to a given place of fun.  It was a ticket to freedom for some. It was also a great baby-sitting service for others.  Every year we were carted off to Rocky Point Park by the sea.

The journey down this long steep hill in through the arched entrance way was like entering heaven as a kid.  The firs thing you saw was kids on floating logs on their Flume ride. The park always tantalized the young easily persuadable mind with The Flume.  That ride screamed to us to get off the bus and get there.  For awhile, of course, one had to contend with that little wooden figure at the entrance of each ride that determined whether you were tall enough.  When it was close the fate of your happiness rested in the hands of a teenage attendant.  When they made the determination on whether you passed or not it sometimes seemed like an eternity.  The clock ticked.  Your lips smacked. Your mouth grimaced.  When the okay came it was pure, unbridled relief. They also had a giant salt water community pool. That always looked like a dodgy proposition.

Back to the point of this story. One day the lure of the haunted house (my favorite ride) and other madness like the dreadful Sky Diver (money always fell out of my pockets when we got to the top and they stopped it while you were upside down) simply could not sway me from my intended mission.

Note the wee little penny slot.



While all of my friends hit the rides I remained committed in the game house to win the plum prize of the summer - a certified mold of gold in the form of a plastic green The Amazing Spider-Man bank.  For whatever reason the bank was like the coolest thing I had ever seen and I simply had to have that bank to dump my spare change into at the end of a school day.  It was imperative that the green Spider-Man bank adorn my childhood bedroom.  Folks I spent almost all of my day in that arcade room.  But by God, as Uncle Si noted in Duck Dynasty, I achieved greatness that very day.  I had won (but did I really win?) the Spider-Man bank dumping everything I had into that arcade to win the tickets necessary to take that sparkling green gem of a bank home. What probably cost about two dollars to make went for a whole lot more that day.

Spider-Man himself was already painted but the webbing he sat against was not and I had big plans to paint the words The Amazing Spider-Man and the web he was set against.  With paintbrush and paint in hand - oh what a joyful day.



In the end, I still have that bank. To this very day it sits on my dresser.  The One To Be Pitied never makes mention of it or pays it any mind despite the obvious fact it is a hideous eyesore.  It is really kind of odd sitting in the room - a strange oddity - but a beautiful one.  I just can't throw it out.  It is connected and tied to one of the great days of my youth.  Winning that thing was no easy task and in the grand land of kiddom something of a minor miracle, a true achievement, was yielded that day.  That Spider-Man bank represents perseverance and persistence and a belief that you can have anything you want if you just set your mind to it.  I believe that and that Spider-Man bank is a reminder of that philosophy along with some great memories of simpler days gone by.

To think that bank was held in my hands as a much younger dreamer, and the lives and loves that have come and gone since and yet my plastic Spidey bank remains. I know. It's a geek moment, but gosh, I remember that like it was yesterday.

Well, gotta run, my spider-sense is tingling.

Barbara Bain Interview

"I spent a lot of my life on the moon (laughter)."

-Barbara Bain, Back To Frank Black podcast-

 

With our often intense focus on all things science fiction here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic and our coverage of the beloved Space:1999 here, we (me, myself and I) would be remiss not to mention the incredible full hour interview with the lovely Miss Barbara Bain, born Millicent Fogel.



We had posted a FAB FRIDAY tribute to her here, but for those looking to hear from the living legend herself, her performance history, and a look back at her role in Mission:Impossible (1966-1973; Bain stars in Seasons 1-3) as the stunning, sophisticated and sexy Cinnamon Carter and in Space:1999 (1975-1977) as the one and only Dr. Helena Russell not to mention her appearance as Lily Unser on Millennium (1996-1999) episode Matryoshka you must visit Back To Frank Black.



The interview can be found here and you'll have a chance to hear from the remarkable actress like never before thanks to the good-natured interview conducted delightfully by James McLean and Troy Foreman.  Bain is sweet, funny, grateful and generous in her look back at a career that never ceases to amaze with these two fine gentleman who provided some of the most candid and wonderful interviews ever to be read in Back To Frank Black: A Return To Chris Carter's Millennium.



For more details on those extensive and enlightening interviews (Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Glen Morgan, James Wong, Kristen Cloke, Erin Maher, Kay Riendl, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Frank Spotnitz, composer Mark Snow and many more) be sure to take a good look at my thorough analysis of that wonderful companion book to Millennium and what you can expect right here.

In the meantime, enjoy listening to the beautiful, always fashionable Barbara Bain in the flesh (almost) for that truly inspired and unedited interview.



On a personal note, Foreman and McLean reference this very site and the book review at the end of their podcast.  To think, yours truly, The Sci-Fi Fanatic, is mentioned in the very same breath as the interview conducted with the great Dr. Helena Russell is almost too much to imagine.  Who knew that little boy in feet pajamas watching Dr. Helena Russell might one day be mentioned in the very same podcast with the actress herself? Cheers for that boys.

Stay tuned for an upcoming FAB FRIDAY entry in which this writer tries his very hardest to find the good in a project associated with all things wonderful from the world of Gerry Anderson.

The Six Million Dollar Man Theme

In a completely random move I took The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978) off ice.  Lee Majors was always the coolest.  There was always something pure and noble about yesterday's heroes.  They may have been less complex but they were dependable and even still Steve Austin wrestles with some inner demons from time to time.

 

Sometimes I am so torn when I actually have free time, the decision to get something going needs to be fairly efficient or the opportunity is missed completely.  Sometimes I'm virtually paralyzed by the overwhelming selection and variety of directions I could go.  Thus, The Six Million Dollar Man - better, stronger, faster pushed its way into the DVD player before I could think too much about it.



Given the sometimes deliberate and slower pacing the series as evidenced in the two pilot films covered here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic, I've optioned to do a sweeping short take on the entire series season by season with brief observations on each episode. This approach gives me a little more freedom to enjoy the series a little quicker but also notes some of the highlights rather than spend extensive time on an episode that might not be quite worthy of the extra expenditure of my waning energy.



When we reach that most noteworthy episode we'll take a closer look if required.  In general The Six Million Dollar Man is a lot of fun thanks to Lee Majors and Richard Anderson leading the charge. Even the classic slower pacing of the 1970s series makes for an interesting experience with some terrific ideas concerning man's use of technology in the right and wrong hands.  Often, the government's secret weapon, Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man, is sent to challenge that technology in the hands of evil men and the limits they take it.  Additionally, on a deeper level, Austin comes to terms with his new existence and fate as a living cyborg.



Until I can pull those entries together, and it will no doubt take me time, who couldn't identify with that wonderful opening theme song and what is clearly an exercise in editing exceptionalism.  This is how to make a theme to a potentially classic series.  In this case, this is theme perfection to one of the sci-fi greats ranking alongside the best of the 1970s with The Incredible Hulk and Space:1999.



And although the sound was absent, this theme and clips from the series looked terrific on the Viewmaster when I was a young lad.