In Anime Fashion

It's thundering outside with a mad clap of rain and lightening. As the world is turning against us in a hateful fashion, reminding us of how insignificant we are under the protective roofs. While the climate changes from calm to a storm in seconds.

This is the perfect weather for a Japanese anime detective thriller turned science fiction called Ergo Proxy. The feeling couldn't be more mundane.

Which puts us in place of this particular anime cartoon which strikes a chord with the fantastic nature of robots blending with humanity. It begins as a detective story with Re-I Mayer, a citizen of a future city, who is tracking down a criminal putting a dent in the perfect world she lives in.

There is more story to the criminal she is following. And there is more story to her. And the story itself leads to an eventful series of plot twists.

I'm very particular when it comes to Japanese anime. I don't like all of it. In fact, most of it I could do without. Some of the stuff is a childish rendering of drawings that can only be mildly irritating. However, some anime such as Ergo Proxy rises above the norm and consider it a bona fide presentation of words and picture in a single beauty.

I would put this one along with the Ghost in the Shell and Robin Witch Hunter for its stark animated realism. And the story in which is concocts.

There are some nice references to the Blade Runner film which is considered one of the classics from an earlier era of science fiction. The setting of this anime is very similar to the film: much of it is dark, decryptic, a neglected corner of progress. While some of the administrative buildings look like temples without dirt or grime. They are beautiful resevoirs of progress.

The story itself is nicely handled. It splits up into two very different points of views which crosses paths at the very beginning of the story and later comes to crossing paths once more. The first point of view is from a detective named Re-I Mayer who is a cold, calculating person. Even her handgun is modeled after the same make belonging to Blade Runner Rick Deckard in the film.

The second point of view belongs to Vincent Law who is pivotal to the story. His solitary figure and history remains an elusive one until the middle of the series when his role grows more important.

Here the idea of robots going amok is portrayed here. When they are infected by a virus and begin to have emotions themselves, they begin to explore the outer perimeters than what they're used to. And while the city remains a perfect gift of humanity, it is the outside world that remains to be dangerous territory. This is where many mysteries lurk. The weather remains terrible. There are outsiders. And there are ever greater enemies of the city.

I do like this series very much. I paid full price for this particular box set and find it worth every penny. The beautiful and lush animation makes it all the worthwhile. And the figure and eastern features of Re-I, looking like a gothic angel, is certainly one of the most beautiful girls in anime. But her personality is complex enough to make her interesting.

There is a lovely theme song "Kiri" sung by the Japanese group Monora, though it is done in English with a very provactive voice.

As with all anime productions, this one is based on an original Magma comic book. And it works very well. The story is a delicate one which explores the truth of evolution and deception.

This particular series is only 23 shows which makes it far more compact and detailed than most. Therefore one must follow the storyline to the letter. But none of it is distracting enough from the written word. Moreover, it's a perfect marriage of pictures and words here. If you're anything like me, you'll want to listen to the original Japanese language to make the foreign quality more complete. And I always prefer listening to these shows in their native language. No other exceptions.

It's a beautiful series. And one should invest the time into getting to know the story and following through the maze like qualities of recluses and lonely people who live in a divided world of love and hate. Of violence and peace. Of robots and humans.

A Lovely Birthday Bit of Horror

I'm doing this blog on a request of a friend who was worried because I haven't written for a while. Better late than never, some might say.

The date of Aug. 20 is a significant one for me.

You see, that's the birthday of the old Rhode Island scribe who used to write horror stories involving a monstrous pantheon he traded in for a Christian mythology. With that, he gave us the type of horror stories one could only have nightmares about. This old Providence spook penned some of the most well known stories of the twentieth century.

His name was Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

And don't you forget it.

I never did.

Though most mainstreamed audiences would remember him as H.P. Lovecraft who wrote tales of horror and science fiction considered outside the realm of simple pulp fiction during the twenties and thirties. His story “The Colour out of Space” illustrated in great fictional detail about a color that was not within our own visual spectrum. That's some crazy stuff.

And let's not even go near “At the Mountains of Madness” which kept me up when I read it for the first time at the age of fourteen. Somehow this guy's writings stick with you in the corner of shadows, his thoughts invading your most vivid imagination from day one.

For that, every year on Aug. 20, I would have a kind of Lovecraft festival of movies paying old respects to the horror writer. It's become a kind of tradition for me.

I don't do booze. No smokes. Lovecraft didn't like them either. My kind of guy.

He hated seafood too. Which is how he came up with some of his hated foes for the “Shadow Over Innsmouth” story about sea-bound nasties taking over a port town.

So the tradition goes on. For Aug. 20. The movie marathon sparks a welcome change of pace. And I would often find movies based on his works... at least pretty good, decent films that pay homage.

Interestingly, however, that Lovecraft hated movies himself. And I don't blame him. He felt the cinema could not hold a candle to what the written word could provide. That the hurricane of description could give a far greater image than mere moving pictures. The mind can be a powerful tool. More interesting, Lovecraft's one movie he did like very much was the film called “The Invisible Man” as he enjoyed the humor. The one with Claude Akins in the role.

Oh yeah, I might add that one. Out of respect for HPL.

So what movies to see on Aug. 20 marathon worth looking at?

There are a few. And I'll be your guide. Thank heavens for that, eh?

If you have a sick sense of humor and don't mind bloody intestines being thrown about like a butcher's shop, you may like the film “Re-Animator” which is highly regarded as the best of the Lovecraft films. This particular one pulls no punches. There's graphic sickness around every corner and the former Playboy pinup Barbara Crampton gives it her all in a very heady scene.

Despite the over the top gore that presents itself in a very shock value, the story is well written and directed on every level. At a very cropped 85 min. the movie delivers.

And, boy, does it. As one of the medical instructor Hill gives a lecture on the brain, and exposing the very inners of the skull to the students, he makes a quip, “It's very much like peeling an orange.” A few awkward giggles. Then, after the title character wonderfully played by Jeffrey Combs breaks a number of pencils, the enraged and embarrassed instructor tells him, “Next time, Mr. West, I would suggest you get yourself a pen!”

The film has the sharpest sense of humor. And it's diabolical one. But it manages to maintain a well balanced humor and horror for maximum effects. You might laugh one moment. Then throw up in a bucket in the next.

I consider the Re-Animator to be one of the finest horror results of the 1980s. Very few can claim this from this splatter decade of gore wannabes. Many films lack a style. Re-Animator didn't. It's as fresh and stark as the very first viewing of it. A fine film directed by Stuart Gordon.

I'm not sure how Lovecraft himself would have taken this film. I think he would be livid by its very loose basing of the story. Basically the title character and the situation is lifted from the story. But it's a beautiful rendering of the story. This is a worthy one checking out for Aug. 20.

There is also the fan-made “Call of Cthulhu” which is an outstanding silent movie set in the 1920s about an ill-fated journey of learning that there are greater forces at work outside the rules of human knowledge. Because Lovecraft himself was an atheist, he devised a cosmos peopled with monsters indifferent to our needs and wants. There is no good or bad. There is merely an arena of creatures that sees mankind as ants that can be stepped on.

I have visited the author's grave in Providence more than ten years ago. It's sort of strange. You can't speak to him. You don't see him. But there's a sense of presence about the modest tombstone in which is found in Swan Point Cemetery. Almost a pilgrimage, really.

There is also the Masters of Horror series with the film version of “Dreams in the Witch House” which is a pretty good telling of the original Lovecraft tale. It's unfortunate that the story was updated. But it's still a good effort by the director of the Re-Animator. These aforementioned are probably the best of the bunch for a possible movie marathon based on Lovecraft. Then you realize a lot of people like this guy. That's where all the movies come in.

Sadly, I don't see a copy of “To cast a Deadly Spell” that did have a character named Lovecraft in it. Perhaps, if there is enough fan support for it, the film might see existence on the digital treatment. If you can track down a copy, add it to the Aug. 20 marathon.

“From Beyond”? Maybe. It's not as good as Re-Animator with the same actors and director involved. Not a jewel of a movie. But it's pretty good. With plenty of tongue in cheek gore for the finale. The dizzy blond Crampton does a leather S&M bit in there. She's into a lot of leather in this one.

Some might consider “The Mouth of Madness” to be typical homage to the Providence horror writer starring Sam Neill. This is a terrific building of suspense in a small town atmosphere which has more pros than cons going for it. This is a stark realization of mood which surrounds a best selling author who finds a torn page of madness that follows him around. A worthy add to the film festival. If you think that's scary, then you should check out in this movie Hayden Christianson who would later play Star Wars' Anakin Skywalker.

If you can get passed that, you should be okay. He's only around age thirteen in the movie, so you'll have to look quick.

But Aug. 20 only comes like a soft blanket of night. So tuck yourself under a lofty bed sheet, get yourself a bucket of popcorn, and enjoy a festive night of horror and mayhem with the suggested films.

Or perhaps you can just get one of his books to kick back with, read through one of his mighty stories of hellish creatures from the outer worlds.

Either way, you can do Lovecraft proud. Go ahead. Try it. What's there to lose? Except maybe a bit of sanity.

Too Many Uncles...

I do like a good laugh.

Sometimes I like a good comedy. I don’t mind a good chuckle now and then. But The Man from Uncle isn’t supposed to be a comedy.

Several shows take its sweet time getting the digital treatment and the spy espionage merry-go-round of adventures The Man From Uncle makes its way to the shelves in a form of a top secret briefcase. Or, if you're a cheapskate like me, you can check them out of the Fond du Lac Public Library.

It’s one of those nostalgic running series that hits the soft spot for those who remember the old shows of a troubleshooting team of two agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin devising different ways of stopping the overly ambitious plotting of a counter intelligence on a weekly basis. It was a clever show on a low budget but with fantastic ideas.

First and foremost, the series has enjoyed a burst of popularity that gained a noted audience during the sixties during the time when spies were sparking the imagination of many viewers. If they couldn’t get enough of the movies that was taking advantage of spy intrigue, they could always get their weekly dose of it from a TV series. Sometimes it can get too much.

It starts out well. The first season is a remarkable collection of stories and ideas that were very strong. The scripting was excellent with a good knack for characters. There was the simple idea of the innocent person getting caught in the middle of the battlefield between two mighty organizations always at each other’s throats. Solo is a sort of tutoring guide through the chaos that explodes in the episodes. Did I mention the stories were beautifully done? Yes, I did.

The first season remains a jewel in ingenuity. If the series had been stopped after the after the first season, it might have been considered a near perfect classic reflecting on the sensibilities of spy intrigue.

However, it kept going and going.

Unlike the Energizer Bunny, the series ran out of steam long before it could end.

The first season was shot entirely in black and white. These were my favorite episodes for the reasons already mentioned. Mostly importantly it felt as if the crew working on the shows gave a hoot. You can see it in the writing, directing and everything else. There’s a magnificence of television in here.

Along came second season and the third. More of the silliness begin to spread through the shows like too much sugar in a cup of coffee. It became too sweet. Far too good-natured. And the slant of campiness became the show’s running gag. It might be considered fun by some people who like to drum up the humor. For me, it doesn’t sit right with me. Especially when it comes to something like an espionage. Humor shouldn’t have a place in it. There’s even a bit with Solo dancing with a bear in one of the third season shows. That was pretty god-awful.

Should I get a sense of humor? I could. But a series like Man from Uncle isn’t the right spot for it. Sadly, the series grow more campy instead of driving away from it.

The same thing happened to the great television classic The Wild, Wild West which always has a place in my heart too. I have a fondness for it too. It starts out with a beautiful first season which is interestingly also in black and white. There have been great stories. Fresh, thoughtful, well-written. But it all gets weathered down by the amazing silliness that pokes into the stories.

Why is that?

It could be that the campy gimmick has proven popular doing this time of the sixties where there grows a free spirit, and the good times are here as people look for humor and comedy as a way of forgetting the Kennedy assassination. This might be part of the reason. But there is a greater openness of thought and humor that seems to be the driving point of the sixties.

Not even the original Star Trek series could get away from the campiness that settles into some of its stories like “The Trouble with Tribbles” and “I, Mudd.” Thankfully, Star Trek didn’t overdo the silliness. You might find both leads of the space opera having made appearances in the Uncle series.

Are there some pretty good stuff in the Man from Uncle series? Sure there is. You might find there are a couple of scripts by noted writer Harlan Ellison and Robert Towne in the second and third season. I haven’t gotten to seeing Ellison’s stories yet for the series, but wonder how well he tried to maintain a serious front while writing during its campy highlights.

There is some pretty good movie efforts such as “One Spy Too Many” which is worth a look as they try to return it to the seriousness that the show initially started with. There is a nice scene with the human chess board and a very cat and mouse like chase throughout.

However, if I want comedy, I'll go see a Woody Allen movie. At least some of his earlier ones.

There are always great performances by Robert Vaughan who plays Solo and his great theatrical voice is like a force of wonder. You couldn’t help be unsure if this guy is a good or bad. Maybe he’s just in the gray area? Way his voice sounds. It’s a very unusual voice. And David McCallum is always great to see as he brings a wealth of youthful enthusiasm for the show. Not bad considering that his part was just a walk-on, not a full fledged role.

The success of seeing the series depends on the actual viewer. Some may like the giddy and foolishness of the later shows. Some might not. I don’t. I prefer the strong stories giving a sense of danger. Not the madcap humor that thrives simply to entertain. It’s like popping a balloon and thinking it’s funny. But it doesn’t work with a series like The Man from Uncle that should have dialed down its humorous side.

In the end, humor is what killed the series.