“KING SOLOMON’S MINES” (1950) Review

”KING SOLOMON’S MINES” (1950) Review

To my knowledge, there have been at least four film adaptations of H. Rider Haggard’s adventure novel, ”King Solomon’s Mines”. One film had been released in 1937, featuring Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Paul Robeson. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released one in 1950, starring Deborah Kerr and Stewart Granger. Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone co-starred in one in 1985. And in 2004, Patrick Swayze and Alison Doody starred in a two-part miniseies, based on the novel. But the film I want to focus upon is the 1950 version. Quite frankly, it is my favorite one.

It took Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer nearly four years to get ”KING SOLOMON’S MINES” into production. They had originally planned to have Errol Flynn star as the Victorian hunter and guide living in Africa, Allan Quartermain. But Flynn dreaded the idea of spending time away from any form of luxury, while on location in Africa. He ended up taking the leading role in MGM’s other adventure,”KIM”, in which he spent his off-camera hours at a resort in India. British actor, Stewart Granger, took the role of Quartermain . . . and became a major Hollywood star. The other cast members included Deborah Kerr as Elizabeth Curtis, the woman who hires Quartermain to lead a safari in search of her missing husband; Richard Carlson as John Goode, Elizabeth’s likeable older brother; Siriaque as the mysterious Umbopa, who is revealed to be King of the Watusi; and Hugo Haas as Van Brun, a former hunter who is wanted by British authorities for murder. Directed by Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton, ”KING SOLOMON’S MINES” was filmed on location in the Republic of Congo and Kenya, along with California.

Loosely based upon Haggard’s novel, ”KING SOLOMON’S MINES” tells the story of Allan Quatermain (Stewart Granger), an experienced hunter and guide in 1897 Kenya, who is reluctantly talked into helping Elizabeth Curtis (Deborah Kerr) and her brother John Goode (Richard Carlson) search for her husband, who had disappeared in the unexplored interior of Africa on a quest to find the legendary mines. They have a copy of the map that Henry Curtis had used in his journey. A tall, mysterious native, Umbopa (Siriaque), eventually joins the safari. And during the grueling journey, Elizabeth and Quatermain begin falling in love.

As I had stated, this version of ”KING SOLOMON’S MINES” is my favorite version. It is not a very close adaptation of the novel. For one, there was no literary version of the Elizabeth Curtis character. And her husband, Henry, was definitely one of the characters. It was he who hired Quartermain to lead a search party – for his missing brother. John Goode was a close friend, instead of a brother-in-law. The novel was basically set in Southern Africa, instead of Kenya and other parts of East Africa. I am quite certain there are other differences between Haggard’s novel and this movie adaptation. But if I must be frank, I really do not care. I love”KING SOLOMON’S MINES”. Its screenplay written by Helen Deutsch, the movie possessed a heady combination of an adventure film, a travelogue and intelligent drama. Cinematographer Robert Surtees deservedly won an Academy Award for his color photography in the movie. East Africa never looked more beautiful and wild. Ralph E. Winters and Conrad A. Nervig won the Academy Award for Best Editing. Thanks to them, there were able to allow the audience to enjoy the African photography, while ensuring that it would not get in the way of the acting and the story.

Speaking of the movie’s acting, MGM was fortunate to get their hands on Stewart Granger in the role of Allan Quartermain. Granted, I am a major fan of Errol Flynn, but Granger was right for the role. He did an excellent job of projecting the heroic qualities of Quartermain, yet at the same time, delving into the character’s cynical, yet slightly melancholy personality. Deborah Kerr was a perfect match as the equally caustic Elizabeth Curtis, who sets the journey in motion to find her husband and alleviate her guilt for driving the latter from England. The on-screen match between Granger and Kerr was so strong that it was simply a joy to watch their verbal sparring and sexual chemistry. Richard Carlson as Elizabeth Curtis’ brother, John Goode, provided cool and intelligent stability amidst the sexual heat and hostility generated by Granger and Kerr. And the East African actor Siriaque’s (I have no idea from which country he came from) character added mystery as the native who joins the Curtis safari.

I am trying to think of something negative to say about ”KING SOLOMON’S MINES”. Okay, there were moments when it was in danger of becoming nothing more than a travelogue. And Deborah Kerr’s new hairdo after she had “cut” her hair, resembled a style that a mid 20th century woman would wear and not one in the late 19th century would. No wonder many moviegoers had laughed. Other than the those two quibbles, I have nothing to complain about the movie.

The movie has one more blessing . . . its human portrayal of the African characters allowed it to avoid the tackiness of the 1985 Chamberlain-Stone version or the silly tactic that Paul Robeson was forced to use in order to reveal his character’s true identity in the 1937 version. The movie also provided excellent acting by its cast, great cinematography, and excellent action sequences. Is it any wonder that it ended up receiving a Best Picture Academy Award nomination?

“HIS DARK MATERIALS: THE GOLDEN COMPASS” (2007) Review

 

“HIS DARK MATERIALS: THE GOLDEN COMPASS” (2007) Review”

I might as well make one thing clear . . . I have never read Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy, “His Dark Materials”. But this did not deter my interest in seeing the movie based upon the first novel, “THE GOLDEN COMPASS”. And quite frankly, I am glad that I had seen it.

Directed by Chris Weitz, “THE GOLDEN COMPASS” opened with the beginning of the “HIS DARK MATERIALS” saga. In it, a young girl named Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), lives at Jordan College (of Oxford University) in an alternate dimension of Great Britain. She saves er uncle, world explorer/scholar Lord Asriel (Daniel Craig) from being poisoned by the Magisterium (the dimension’s religious ruling body) after he has revealed his discovery of elementary particles called Dust – something that the ruling body consider a threat to their authority. After her uncle departs upon an expedition to the North to find more Dust, Lyra befriends another scholar and explorer named Mrs. Marisa Coulter (Nicole Kidman) during a dinner held at Jordan College. While visiting Mrs. Coulter in London, Lyra learns that her hostess is a member of the Magisterium and has participated in the kidnapping of young children, including two of her friends – a kitchen servant named Roger, and a Gyptian boy named Billy Costa. She also discovers that Mrs. Coulter wants her hands on the last alethiometer, a device that resembles a golden compass. This device, which was given to Lyra by Jordan College’s Master, is able to reveal the answer to any question asked by the user.

After escaping Mrs. Coulter’s London flat, Lyra is rescued by the Gyptians, who plans to rescue Billy and the other children. They take Lyra to the Norweigian town of Trollsund, where she meets an aeronaut named Lee Scoresby (Sam Elliot). She also meets Serafina Pekkala (Eva Green) who is a queen of the witches, and an armoured bear named Iorek Byrnison (voice of Ian McKellan). With her new friends, Lyra embarks upon an adventure that leads her to a conflict between her friend Iorek and the false king of the amored bears, Ragnar Sturlusson (voice of Ian McShane); and to Bolvangar, an experimental station in the North where the Magisterium are severing the Gyptian children from their daemons. Before the movie ends Lyra learns that Lord Asriel has been captured by Magisterium spies and that Mrs. Coulter plans to assassinate him. She, Roger, Scoresby and Serafina set out to rescue the endangered explorer by the end of the movie.

Like any other movie, good or bad, “THE GOLDEN COMPASS” has its flaws. There were three of them that I found noticeable. One, the movie’s plot seemed rather vague on Lord Asriel’s fate after he was captured by the Magisterium’s spies in the North. Serafina gave a brief explanation to Scoresby near the end, as they set out to find Asriel. But still . . . I found it vague. Two, the editing by Anne V. Coates seemed a bit choppy in a few spots. And most importantly, the movie’s pacing . . . at least in the first third, seemed very rushed. Some people have complained that too many aspects of the story had been stuffed in the script. I personally feel that Weitz had simply rushed the story. By the time Lyra and the Gyptians reached Trollsund, the director seemed to have finally found a natural pace.

However, I must admit that “THE GOLDEN COMPASS” had turned out to be a lot better than I had expected. Honestly, it is quite good. The story was intriguing. Chris Weitz did a decent job in adapting Pullman’s novel for film, even if he did rush the first third of the story. I simply adored Henry Braham’s photography and Ruth Myer’s costume designs – especially Nicole Kidman’s elegant, 1930s style costumes. But I must commend Richard L. Johnson. Chris Lowe and Andy Nicholson for their sumptious art direction – especially their view of London in Pullman’s world. And Dennis Gassner deserves an Oscar nomination for his production design, as far as I am concerned.

The actors were first rate. What does one expect from a cast with the likes of Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Sam Elliot, Jim Carter, Tom Courtenay? I especially have to give kudos to Craig who seemed like the embodiment of the ruthless, yet enthusiastic scholar Lord Asriel. And Nicole Kidman brought great style, charm and ruthlessness to the role of the villainous Mrs. Coulter. But she also gave the character a much needed pathos, when the lady revealed to our young heroine that she was the latter’s mother. It was quite thrilling to see Eva Green as a woman of action in her portrayal of the queen witch, Serafina Pekkala. Ian McKellan and Ian McShane were excellent as the feuding armored bears. And Jim Carter (who is married to HARRY POTTER actress Imelda Staunton) was most intimidating as the Gyptians’ king, John Faa. Seeing Sam Elliot’s portrayal as the charming aeronaut, Lee Scoresby, reminded me why I have remained a fan of his for so long. His scenes with young Dakota Blue Richards really crackled. He seemed like the embodiment of a fine wine that has aged very well.

“THE GOLDEN COMPASS”’s center . . . the character that held the movie together was none other than first-time British actress, Dakota Blue Richards. This young lady was a find. She was absolutely perfect as the charming, yet bold and cunning Lyra. Some Washington D.C. critic had compared her unfavorably to another actress named Dakota – namely Dakota Fanning. Granted, the latter is an excellent actress, but so is Miss Richards. She managed to convey all of Lyra’s complex traits without turning the character into an adult in a child’s body. She was simply superb.

I am sure there are fans of Pullman’s novels who are disappointed that the movie did not turn out to be an exact adaptation of the literary version. All I can say is I am sorry, but I have never heard of any movie being an exact adaptation of its literary source. And if you are hoping to find one in the future, you will be disappointed. Yes, “THE GOLDEN COMPASS” has its flaws. What movie does not? But it certainly has enough virtues, including a superb leading actress, that made it enjoyable . . . at least for me.

“Neighbors” [PG] – 5/11

“NEIGHBORS”

PART 5

When Cole disappeared from the McNeill garden, Phoebe heaved a silent sigh of relief. He had left, thank goodness. For a moment she feared that Cole had deliberately appeared at the McNeill home because of her. Yet, he had not seemed interested in her. In fact, he looked . . . unpleasantly surprised.

“This sandwich loaf or whatever you call it is great!” Paige declared, as she bit into a slice. “Who made this?”

A voice behind the two sisters announced, “I believe that Olivia did.” It was Elise McNeill. “Olivia would be pleased that you liked her sandwich loaves. She learned how to make them from Gwen. In fact, all of Gwen’s children had inherited her cooking talent. Especially Bruce.” Her blue-gray eyes twinkled with interest. “Have you ever been to the Golden Horn restaurant? Gwen owns it, but Bruce is the executive chef,and manager there.”

“Uh, no,” Phoebe replied. “It’s a . . . a little too expensive for our tastes.”

The elderly woman blinked. “Oh. Well, what about Morgan’s on Powell Street? It’s Gwen’s other restaurant.”

Paige added enthusiastically, “I’ve been there. Great chow. Especially the Veal Parmagian.”

“Gwen would be glad to hear it,” Mrs. McNeill replied with a smile. “Why don’t you try Bruce’s quiche? It’s quite . . .”

Her thoughts centered on her ex-husband and not on the food, Phoebe cut in. “Mrs. McNeill . . .”

“Yes?”

Phoebe took a deep breath and continued, “I want to apologize. About Cole. I had no idea that he would show up, like that.”

Blue-gray eyes stared thoughtfully at Phoebe. “What is there to apologize for? Olivia’s car wasn’t working and Mr. Turner gave her a lift. That’s all.”

“Maybe. But knowing Cole . . .” Phoebe caught herself. A touch of bitterness had crept into her voice and she immediately squelched it. “What I mean is there’s a chance that Cole had arranged the whole thing. With Olivia’s car.”

“Why?”

Phoebe continued, “To see me, today. We were just recently divorced. And Cole . . . well, I think he’s trying to win me back.”

“Really?” Mrs. McNeill added, “He didn’t stay around long enough to try, did he?”

Paige said, “You have to understand my brother . . . uh, ex-brother-in-law, Mrs. McNeill. He can be very obsessive about Phoebe. In fact, she had a difficult time getting a divorce from him.”

“Cole didn’t know you would be here,” a fourth voice said. Olivia McNeill joined the trio near the buffet table. “If he did, I certainly didn’t tell him. In fact, no one had bothered to tell me.” She gave her grandmother a reproachful look.

Innocence radiated from the elderly woman’s eyes. “I’m sorry! I didn’t find out until this morning. By the way,” her gaze returned to the Halliwells, “why did you wait so long to accept my invitation? I had invited you, last Thursday.”

Phoebe exchanged an embarrassed glance with Paige. Whose attention immediately returned to the sandwich loaf slice on her plate. Phoebe did not blame her. What could they say? That the only reason they accepted Elise McNeill’s invitation, because they needed help in tracking down warlocks? Phoebe suspected that the McNeills, especially old Mrs. McNeill, would be insulted by the truth. So she lied.

“Actually,” she replied, “we had other plans for today. But they fell through.” God that sounded lame!

The elderly woman’s eyes stabbed Phoebe with a piercing stare. It seemed to cut right through the middle Halliwell’s psyche. Phoebe had the oddest feeling that Mrs. McNeill had just read her thoughts. “Phoebe,” the older woman began.

“Yes?” Did her voice just quiver?

Mrs. McNeill continued, “I should warn you that I’m a telepath.” Her eyes continued to bore through the young witch’s. “So, could you tell me again, why you took so long to accept my invitation?”

Phoebe took a deep breath. She glanced at Paige, who seemed a little intimidated. No help there. “Uh, actually . . . we had decided to accept at the last minute, because . . .” Once again, she looked at her younger sister.

“Because we had hoped that Inspec . . . uh, Olivia would help us track down those warlocks,” Paige finally blurted out. Relief practically oozed out of her eyes.

A pause followed. Phoebe glanced at the red-haired police inspector, whose eyes were riveted upon the others in the garden. Phoebe had the strangest sensation that she was attempting to suppress a smirk.

Mrs. McNeill’s stare remained steady. “Well, now I wish I hadn’t insisted upon the truth. And I thought you wanted to meet one of your grandmother’s old friends.”

Oh God! Phoebe squirmed with discomfort. The woman could lay a guilt trip with a finesse that would put Grams to shame. Or Prue. Phoebe opened her mouth to respond, but Mr. McNeill came to her rescue. He cried out, “Hey! Are you guys going to hog the food on that table, forever?”

The McNeill matriarch smiled at her son. “Don’t worry, Jack. We’ll be right there.” Without so much as a glance at Phoebe or Paige, she left the table to join the others. And with Olivia close behind her.

Paige whispered to Phoebe, “You know, this little gathering is turning into the “Brunch from Hell”. Now, what do we do?”

“Grin and bear it,” Phoebe whispered back through clenched teeth. “What other choice do we have?” The two sisters linked hands and rejoined the others around the patio. Both nearly winced visibly as they overheard Elise McNeill confront Piper and Leo about their visit.

Looking somewhat taken aback, Piper said, “Uh, I’m sorry, Mrs. McNeill. What did you say?”

“I said that I understand that you and your sisters wanted to speak with Olivia about these warlock attacks,” Elise McNeill repeated coolly. “Or do you plan to get together with her to find them?”

The stunned expression on Piper’s face seemed to have spurred Leo to speak on her behalf. “Well, the girls also wanted to talk about their grandmother . . .” He cut his words short, as Phoebe warned him with a shake of her head.

“That’s funny,” Olivia said with a smirk slowly forming on her lips, “I could have sworn that Paige had just told us that the reason you accepted Gran’s invitation, is because you wanted to discuss the warlocks.”

A strained silence fell upon the garden patio. The Halliwells found themselves under an intense scrutiny from the McNeills. There was nothing more embarrassing, Phoebe decided, than being caught in a lie. And since Piper and Leo were too stunned to speak, and Paige had a bad habit of being blunt, Phoebe realized that she better ease the tension.

“Look, I realize that we came here under false pretenses,” she began apologetically.

One of Mr. McNeill’s brows quirked upward. “Oh?”

Turning to face old Mrs. McNeill, Phoebe continued, “You have to understand. We really would have loved talking with you about Grams. It’s just that the last time we visited one of her old friends, she ended up stealing our powers for some demon. So she could become young, again. I guess we’ve been wary of ‘old’ friends, ever since.”

“That must have been Gail,” Mrs. McNeill said in a sad voice. “I had heard about her death from another witch. I can only assume that her bad health had finally driven her to desperate measure.” She then gave the Halliwells a steely look. “But I assure you, I have no desire to steal your powers.” The beginnings of a smirk touched her lips. “At least not yet.” She sighed. “But since you needed help to track down those warlocks, you came to see us. Or specifically, Olivia.”

Blushing furiously, Phoebe nodded. Piper, Paige and Leo also looked equally guilty. Olivia heaved a sigh and asked what they wanted to know.

Relief flooded Phoebe. She said, “We’re trying to figure out why we can’t locate this warlock coven. If there is a coven behind these attacks.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s the Crozat Coven,” Olivia replied. “Two warlocks from the same coven? That’s just a little too convenient.”

Jack McNeill added, “There’s a good chance that the warlocks are blocking any signs of their presence.”

“With a spell?” Leo asked.

Nodding, Mr. McNeill continued, “Possibly. If they’re killing off witches, especially powerful witches, they don’t want to be discovered.”

“Especially if their activities are attracting notice,” Gwen McNeill added.

Paige added, “I had considered using a summoning spell, but attracting a coven of warlocks . . .”

Harry McNeill, Olivia’s younger brother, made a suggestion that formed a knot in Phoebe’s stomach. “Say Livy, why don’t you ask that new neighbor of yours? Cole? I bet he could give you some information on this Crozat Coven.” His words were met with a stony silence by the Halliwells. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Actually, that sounds like a good idea,” Olivia commented. “I’ll ask him when I . . .”

“No!” The word shot out of Phoebe’s mouth before she could stop herself. All eyes stared at her. She felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just that . . .”

Paige quickly cut in. “What Phoebe meant was that we prefer not to involve Cole in this.”

“Why?” Harry demanded. “You think he might have some connection to these warlocks?”

A tight smile barely stretched Piper’s lips. “We just prefer not to have anything to do with Cole. Bad memories.”

“That’s okay,” Olivia said. “You don’t have to ask him. I will.”

The three Halliwells stared at Olivia. Phoebe began to wonder why the redhead seemed so interested in involving Cole in this affair. Or why she was not upset at the idea of working with a demon, let alone becoming friends with him.

“You really think that’s a good idea?” Paige asked in her usual blunt manner. “I mean the man is demonic, again. He’s evil. Despite what he may feel about Phoebe. I wouldn’t trust him with a fish tank, let alone having him help us.”

Piper seared her youngest sister with a reproachful glare. “Paige!”

“Well, if you don’t trust him,” Olivia shot back, “why did you work with him for nearly a year?”

The Charmed Ones glared at their whitelighter. Obviously, Leo had told Olivia a lot about them since they first became witches.

Phoebe coolly answered, “Because we thought we could trust him. And the only reason he was willing to work with us, was because of . . . well, me.” Her face grew hot again. “But not even me could prevent him from accepting evil again.”

“Are you referring to the period when he was the Source?” Gwen McNeill asked. “How did that happened?”

It was Paige who told the McNeills about Cole’s use of the Hollow. Of how he used that particular object to absorb the Source’s power to first, help the Charmed Ones vanquish the old Source; and two, assume control of the Underworld and use Phoebe to conceive a son. “So you see,” Paige finished, “he really can’t be trusted. Despite his recent attempts to prove how good he is. And with those new powers that he has . . . well, you can understand.”

The tension that surrounded the garden patio increased tenfold. Phoebe noticed that McNeills seemed to regard Paige’s narrative with a touch of skepticism. Why, she could not understand. She also found herself longing for the familiar surroundings of the Halliwell manor. And her own private bedroom. Trust Cole to cause further trouble – even without being around.

Olivia’s stare became even more relentless. “So, what you’re saying is that Cole had deliberately got his hands on the Hollow to become the new Source? Am I right?”

An apologetic Leo spoke up. “We don’t know the exact details. Cole claimed that the Seer tricked him into using it. He might be telling the truth. Then again, we don’t know for sure. And whether he is or not, having him around is a danger . . . to all of us.”

“He certainly wasn’t a danger to Olivia,” Bruce commented. “Cole saved her from that warlock, three days ago.

Olivia smiled thinly. “And he didn’t really have to bother, considering we had been at each other’s throats just a few hours earlier. Maybe he’s not completely trustworthy, but I don’t think it would hurt to ask. Besides,” her smile disappeared, “I like to cover all possibilities.”

Shaking her head, Paige retorted, “Yeah, but you don’t know him like we . . .”

“Paige!” Once more, Piper interrupted her sister.

Phoebe remained silent throughout that last exchange. What could she or her family say? They had no say over Olivia’s actions. But a small part of Phoebe felt disturbed that the police inspector – who happened to be a very attractive female – had quickly developed a friendship with her ex-husband.

Gweneth McNeill broke the uncomfortable silence with a slight cough. “Well,” she said with a too bright smile, “now that everything’s been settled, are any of you ready for my peach torte?”

* * * *

Several hours later, the Halliwells and Leo returned to the manor on Prescott Street with great relief. Leo closed the door behind him and turned to his wife and sisters-in-law. “Well,” he said, struggling to maintain a smile, “that was an interesting afternoon.”

“Interesting?” Paige scoffed. “More like intense. My God, Leo! How long have you known that bunch?”

Leo heaved a sigh. It was his usual response whenever someone brought up the McNeill family. “A little under fifteen years. Just before I became Bruce and Olivia’s whitelighter. About two years later, they had renounced me as their whitelighter, but we remained friends.”

“I can’t believe they’re willing to work with a demon,” Paige continued. “Don’t they see anything wrong with that?”

Piper reminded the twenty-five year-old that they had worked closely with that same demon for at least a year. “I mean, he was part of the household.”

“And he has saved your life on more than one occasion,” Phoebe coolly added.

The manor’s inhabitants fell into an embarrassed silence. Leo cocked his ear, hoping for a summons from the Elders. Or at least one of his charges.

“But Phoebe,” Paige quietly continued, “do you really want to work with Cole, again? After all he had put us through?”

The defeated sag in Phoebe’s shoulders answered Paige’s questions, effectively. Leo felt sorry for his sister-in-law. Poor Phoebe. Even after six months, the trauma of Cole’s betrayal and their experiences with the Source and the Seer had not completely disappeared. Leo wondered if she would ever recover.

“Look,” Piper added, reverting to her old role as mediator, “as far as we know, Olivia is only going to ask Cole a few questions. That’s all. He might not even have much information on these warlocks.”

Leo wished he could agree, but he had his doubts. Past experience with Cole told him that once the half-demon learn about the warlock threat, he would move heaven and earth to protect Phoebe. Evil or not.

Paige shook her head and repeated Leo’s exact thoughts. “I hope you’re right. But you know Cole, once he finds out about the warlocks, he won’t be able to stay away. And as for the McNeills . . .” She shook her head. “All I’m saying is they seemed too eager to get Cole’s help. They don’t know him as well as we did, when he worked with us. And did you see the way they fawned over him? I mean, even Mr. McNeill seemed to greet him like an old lost friend, instead of someone who nearly killed him, years ago.”

“It was Mr. McNeill who nearly killed Cole,” Phoebe grumbled. “And can we please stop talking about him, for once? One day can’t go by without someone bringing up the subject of Cole! You keep saying that I should get over him, but you’re not helping!”

Piper and Paige each mumbled a quiet, “sorry”. Leo gave Phoebe’s shoulder a quick, comforting squeeze. “Maybe Piper is right,” he added. “Maybe nothing will come out of Olivia asking Cole.”

“But what if he does get involved?” Phoebe quietly asked. “What if they . . .” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“What?” Piper demanded.

A sigh left Phoebe’s mouth. “Well, you saw how Olivia reacted over Cole. She practically defended the man. What if they became close? And . . . and Cole hurts her in the end? I mean, c’mon Leo! Neither she or her family have any real experience in dealing with . . . you know, they don’t have any real close experience with people like . . . Cole.”

Leo cleared his throat. Might as tell them the truth. “That’s not exactly true,” he said.

All three sisters stared at the whitelighter. “What are you saying?” Paige demanded.

“Olivia.” Leo paused. “She was once engaged to a warlock.”

The Charmed Ones’ eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They cried out at the same time, “WHAT?”

END OF PART 5

“LIVE AND LET DIE” (1973) Review

“LIVE AND LET DIE” (1973) Review

Between 1967 and 1972, EON Productions spent a chaotic five years trying to find one man to settle down portray James Bond following Sean Connery’s decision to retire from the role. Nineteen sixty-eight found Australian model, George Lazenby in the role. But after one movie, the excellent ”ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE”, Lazenby decided that he did not want to continue the role. Connery came back for one last movie - ”DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER”, but did not bother to stick around. Then in 1972, Broccoli and Saltzman hired Roger Moore (famous for the TV series,”THE SAINT”) to portray the British agent. And Moore went on to play the role for the next 12 years. But he had to start somewhere and he did with 1973’s ”LIVE AND LET DIE”. This was the very first Bond movie I had ever seen. Although I have a great sentimental attachment to it, I do not really consider it to be amongst the finest in the franchise. Nor is it a personal favorite of mine.

Following the murders of three MI-6 agents (in New York, New Orleans and the fictional island of San Monique), Bond is assigned by M to investigate their deaths. His investigations in New York leads him to a Harlem gangster named Mr. Big. But as it turns out, Mr. Big is also San Monique’s foreign minister. Bond eventually learns that Kanaga/Mr. Big plans to use the heroin grown in the San Monique opium fields to flood the current heroin market and gain complete control of the U.S. drug market. He killed the three British agents, because apparently they were in danger of stumbling upon his scheme.

I am going to be frank. As much as I like ”LIVE AND LET DIE”, I have never been impressed by its screenplay, adapted by Tom Mankiewicz from Ian Fleming’s 1954 novel. It never made any sense to me that the British government would be interested in the activities of a diplomat from an island that had obviously been a former French colony, or an American gangster. If the three agents and Bond had been French, I could see them working with CIA agent Felix Leiter on this case. But there you have it. And Bond’s San Monique showdown with Kanaga had always struck me as being rather disappointing. Another aspect of the movie I found disappointing was the leading lady – namely Jane Seymour as Kanaga’s Tarot card seer, Solitaire. I have nothing against Seymour’s performance. She seemed to be her usual competent self. But other than predicting Bond’s arrival in New York and later, at Kanaga’s San Monique estate, and warning Bond about Rosie Carver (via a Tarot card); I found nothing impressive about Solitaire’s role in the story. Especially since she eventually became nothing more than a moaning damsel-in-distress. And Geoffrey Holder as Baron Semedi did not really do much for me, but his ghostly appearance at the end of the movie was memorable.

Fortunately, ”LIVE AN LET DIE” had its virtues. Roger Moore’s long experience with action roles in television (”MAVERICK”, ”THE SAINT”, and ”THE PERSUADERS”) allowed him to segued into the Bond role with great ease. He already seemed very comfortable in the role and without any problems, managed to establish his own style. Unfortunately, very few people appreciated this. And Yaphet Kotto created an impressive villain in an interesting duel role as the smooth and intelligent Kanaga/the bombastic Mr. Big. To this day, Julius Harris’ TeeHee remains one of my favorite Bond henchmen of all time. All I can say was that the man was perfect – humorous, yet very menacing. David Hedison’s friendship with Moore proved to be very effective in his first outing as CIA agent, Felix Leiter. The warmth and easy between Leiter and Bond seemed more apparent than in any other Bond film. And I rather enjoyed Gloria Hendry’s performance as the amusingly clumsy, yet treacherous Rosie Carver. And let us not forget the hilarious and unforgettable Clifton James as the long-suffering Southern lawman, Sheriff J.W. Pepper. James’ peformance was so impressive that the producers brought him back to reprise his role in 1974’s ”THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN”.

Also among ”LIVE AND LET DIE”’s virtues was its smooth direction by Guy Hamilton, which included a rather fun boat chase through the Louisiana bayou, fine performances and the rich atmosphere of New York’s Harlem and New Orleans. Cinematographer Ted Moore did much to contribute to the film’s atmosphere. But it is the movie’s score by George Martin and theme song by Paul McCartnery and Wings that seemed to be the movie’s most impressive virtue . . . other than Moore, Kotto and James’ performances. Although ”LIVE AND LET DIE”’s story remains unimpressive to me, it still turned out to be a rather entertaining film.

“NEW MOON” (2009) Review

 

”NEW MOON” (2009) Review

The sequel to last year’s box office hit, ”TWILIGHT” was released in theaters, last weekend. Based upon Stephanie Meyer’s 2006 novel and directed by Chris Weitz (2007’s ”THE GOLDEN COMPASS”), ”NEW MOON” continued the story of Isabella “Bella” Swan, the Washington State teenager and her love for vampire Edward Cullen.

”NEW MOON” began several months after the 2008 film, with Bella celebrating her birthday. However, her life underwent a drastic change when she cut her finger during a birthday party held for her by her vampire boyfriend Edward and his family, the Cullens. Her blood attracted the attention of Edward’s brother, Jasper Hale, and he attacked Bella. Not long after Jasper’s attack, Edward informed Bella that he and the rest of the Cullen clan plan to leave Forks. Following his departure, Bella succumbed to depression for several months, until she renewed her friendship with Jacob Black, the son of her father’s Quileute friend. Unfortunately, Bella’s relationship with Jacob threatened to fall apart, when he fell in love with her despite her feelings for Edward and when he began to manifest into a werewolf – a natural enemy of vampires.

I had not been particularly kind in my review of “TWILIGHT”.  And in ”NEW MOON”, I noticed that some of the aspects I had disliked in the 2008 film were also apparent in this latest film. The dialogue – especially between Bella and Edward – seemed as atrocious as ever. I found the movie’s 130 minute running time to be unnecessarily long. Bella and Edward’s relationship not only brought back bad memories of the romance between Buffy Summers and the vampire Angel during the first three seasons of Joss Whedon’s ”BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER”, it also made me realize that William Shakespeare’s play, ”ROMEO AND JULIET” might be overrated.

But what can one expect from adolescent love in fiction? If it caused young individuals to behave in the most ridiculous manner, then I can deal without it on my television screen or on a movie screen. And just to show how ridiculous adolescent angst was portrayed in this film, all I have to do is point out Edward and especially Bella’s behavior in ”NEW MOON”. For example, Bella sank into a depression for at least four to six months following Edward’s departure from Forks. Excessive much? She also risked her life with stupid acts that included accepting a ride a group of bikers that reminded her of the bunch that nearly accosted her in ”TWILIGHT”, rode a motorcycle before Jacob could teach her and engaged in bungee jumping without any elastic cord whatsoever. Why? Because Bella had discovered that thrill-seeking activities grant her visions of Edward. My God! What an infatuated moron! After Alice Cullen had a vision of Bella’s cliff jumping stunt, Edward assumed that his human ex-girlfriend had committed suicide and decided to kill himself by provoking the Volturi, a powerful coven of vampires, into killing him in Italy. What an idiot . . . and who wrote this crap?

And there were other aspects of the movie that bothered me. I never understood why Jacob and the rest of the werewolves in his pack found it necessary to walk around bare-chested, while in human form. If they were afraid of ruining their clothes, while transforming into werewolves, then they should have did without the shorts and tennis shoes as well. It would have made more sense. And I found the movie’s finale in Volterra, Italy to be a bore. Not only did I found Edward’s suicide attempt a waste of time, I also found his and Bella’s confrontation with the Voluturi vampire coven had seriously dragged the movie’s last half hour. Which also made me realize that using Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning in this sequence as a waste of their time.

Surprisingly, ”NEW MOON” was not a complete exercise in torture for me. It had its moments. I have to give kudos to director Chris Weitz for the original way he had depicted Bella’s depression by revolving a camera around actress Kristen Stewart, as she sat in front of window that revealed views of the passage of time over a four to six month period. Javier Aguirresarobe’s photography of the Pacific Northwest was just as impressive as Elliot Davis’ in the first film . . . and just as atmospheric. I can also say the same about his photography of Siena, Italy that served as the town of Volterra. Many of the interactions between Bella and Jacob seemed like a breath of fresh air, following the overwrought angst fest between her and Edward. With Jacob, she seemed so . . . normal. So relaxing. Until Jacob manifested into a werewolf and declared his love for her. Still . . . Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner had a relaxing screen chemistry that made me wish that Bella had chosen Jacob, instead of Edward.

I had been somewhat tolerant of Stewart’s screen chemistry with Robert Pattison in the first film. But after viewing ”NEW MOON”, my tolerance went by the way of the Dodo bird. I just found it so difficult to endure Bella and Edward’s moments together. Without Pattison around and during Bella’s saner moments, Kirsten Stewart seemed pretty solid. And she also did a good job in carrying the film on her shoulders. Graham Greene gave a subtle performance as Harry Clearwater, a Quileute tribal elder and friend of Bella’s father, Charlie. I also found Billy Burke’s portrayal of Bella’s father, Charlie Swan, a little more impressive in this film – especially in a scene in which Charlie pleaded for Bella to break out of her depression. And Michael Sheen gave an entertaining performance as Aro, the leader of the Volturi coven, even if I found his appearance in the film a waste of time. However, the performance that really impressed me came from Taylor Lautner, who portrayed Bella’s friend and newly manifested werewolf, Jacob Black. If I have to be honest, Lautner struck me as the movie’s true bright spot in an otherwise unimpressive film. He seemed like a natural and very relaxed actor. I also thought that he brought out the best in Stewart, allowing her to be more natural, relaxed and a lot less constipated.

Upon leaving the movie theater, my eyes spotted a poster for the ”TWILIGHT” saga third film, ”ECLIPSE”. Apparently, it is due in theaters next summer. And already, I am not looking forward to seeing it. Then again, perhaps I should. According to my sister (a fan of the movie, who is also familiar with Stephanie Meyer’s novels), the Jacob Black role is even bigger than in this one. I hope so. But a small part of me suspects that this third film might be a continuation of the mediocrity and annoying angst fest already found in ”TWILIGHT” and ”NEW MOON”.

“TWILIGHT” (2008) Review

 

”TWILIGHT” (2008) Review

When I first saw the previews for this adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s 2005 novel about teenage love and vampires, I had no idea that I had a glimpse of an adolescent literary phenomenon. About a week before the movie’s U.S. release, I finally realized what ”TWILIGHT” was all about when I read about the book series in several articles on the Internet .

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, ”TWILIGHT” is about seventeen-year-old Isabella “Bella” Swan, who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington in order to live with her divorced father, Charlie. There, she finds herself drawn to a mysterious classmate, Edward Cullen, who is revealed to be a 108-year-old vampire, but is physically seventeen. Although Edward discourages the romance at first, they eventually fall deeply in love. The arrival of three nomadic vampires, James, Laurent, and Victoria, puts Bella’s life in danger. Edward and his family – Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie – put their lives at stake to save her.

I am trying to fight off the inevitable – namely give my opinion of the movie – but I might as well get it over with. I wish I could say that I loved ”TWILIGHT”. After all, the premise reminded me of the first three seasons of a favorite television series of mine, ”BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” (1997-2003). But I barely liked ”TWILIGHT”. The movie not only moved at a ridiculously low pace, but I barely found it original. Who am I kidding? Aside from the portrayal of vampires as one-dimensionally good guys whose skin glistens in the sunlight, the story lacked any semblance of originality.

I found myself watching scenes that strongly resembled certain episodes from ”BUFFY”, including one that featured Edward feeding from Bella’s blood. Not only do Edward and Bella reminded me of Buffy and Angel, with less bite or complexity, but they also reminded me of the two leads from ”BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” (1987-1990) – Catherine and Vincent. By the way, I was never a fan of the Buffy and Angel relationship. I found it barely tolerable, which is why I preferred Buffy’s more complex and messier relationship with Spike, the series’ other vampire. As for ”BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”, I never became a fan. I found it a big yawn fest. But I was willing to give ”TWILIGHT” a chance. Unfortunately, Melissa Rosenberg’s script barely kept me awake. The dark and wet Pacific Northwest setting did not help.

The cast for ”TWILIGHT” seemed solid. Somewhat. Both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, as Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, managed to generate chemistry. Somewhat. Mind you, I found nothing electrifying about their screen chemistry or performances. I also feel that Pattinson managed to create a more memorable performance than the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, there were moments when he seemed in danger of overdoing it with the Byronic hero persona. Poor Stewart seemed to be stuck with a role that bordered on being dangerously passive for a female lead. As for the rest of the cast, I found nothing memorable about them – including Billy Burke, who portrayed Bella’s father or Cam Gigande (James), who came off as an early Spike wannabe. The teen roles in this movie annoyed me to no end. I realize that many years have passed since I was in high school, but I could have sworn that my fellow schoolmates had sounded more intelligent . . . and interesting than Bella and her school friends.

I wish I could say more about ”TWILIGHT”, but I cannot. I simply was not that impressed with the film. It was not a bad film. It had some good moments, which included a showdown between Edward and James at Bella’s old dance school in Phoenix. Between Hardwicke’s lethargic direction, Rosenberg’s script and the mildly interesting performances by the cast, I cannot see myself becoming a major fan of this movie. Perhaps I will learn to appreciate it more after watching it several times on DVD. Who knows?

“ENCHANTED” (2007) Review

”ENCHANTED” (2007) Review

I found myself experiencing mixed emotions regarding Disney’s new live-action film, ”ENCHANTED”. On one hand, the movie – more or less – turned out to be exactly how I had expected. The trailer had pretty much revealed the gist of the movie. Yet, when I finally saw it, I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I had expected I would.

The story is basically about an animated heroine named Giselle (Amy Adams) who lives in the blissful animated world of Andalasia, where magical beings frolic freely, animals are talkative companions and musical interludes punctuate every interaction. Giselle becomes engaged to the handsome, valiant, and bumbling Prince Edward (James Marsden). Her fate takes a turn for the worse when his stepmother, the villainous Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), throws her through a magic portal, apparently to her doom, in order to keep her son single and thus remain queen. Giselle’s plunge into darkness lands her in the strange and chaotic world of New York City. As the cruelty of this new place wears down the fairy-tale idealism of the once carefree princess, such as a homeless man stealing her tiara, the frightened Giselle meets the pragmatic divorce attorney Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey), who takes her into his apartment despite belief that she is a little crazy. Robert also has to deal with his own fiancée, a very attractive When Giselle’s chipmunk friend, Pip, reveals to Edward of her whereabouts, Narissa orders her henchman Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) to accompany Edward and Pip to New York and prevent her stepson and the missing bride-to-be from reconciling.

”ENCHANTED” is basically a predictable story. Even before the last reel, I knew that Giselle and Robert would fall in love. From the moment Edward met Nancy at the ball, I knew those two would also become a couple. I knew that Nathaniel would eventually realize that Narissa viewed him as worthless and betray her. And I knew that Narissa would end up in New York and nearly kill Giselle. But what I did not expect was how I would enjoy the way the cast – especially Adams, Marsden, Spall and Sarandon, screenwriter Bill Kelly and director Kevin Lima poked fun at the Disney animated fantasy legacy. They did it with fun, color and gentle humor. Okay, the humor was not always gentle. Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel of ”THE LITTLE MERMAID”) caustically made fun of Giselle’s ”fairy princess”. Giselle’s talent for making friends with animals of all kinds was definitely a spoof of several Disney princesses’ friendships with . . . animals. Only Giselle may have taken it to an extreme by summoning them to clean Robert’s house. I do not know about you, but I would be freaking out at the thought of birds, mice and cockroaches inside my home. The ”happily ever after” for most of the characters seemed a little saccharine, but on the whole I enjoyed the movie very much.

I have heard a lot about Amy Adams in the past, but this is the first time I have ever seen her in action. And quite frankly, I am impressed. Not only did I admire her singing voice, I especially admired how she maintained Giselle’s perky ”fairy princess” personality up until the end – even if it suffered bumps from Robert’s more cynical views on love, her disappointing reunion with Edward and her encounter with Narissa. I realize that Patrick Dempsey’s career has bounced back with the TV series, ”GREY’S ANATOMY”, but since I do not watch the show . . . this was my first time in seeing him in action since his days as a leading man during the late 1980s and early 1990s. And it was nice to see that his talent has not waned one bit. He is still as charismatic and professional as ever. I must admit that it was a bit strange seeing him portray a character less extroverted than his roles from the past.

James Marsden. Dear James. I think his talent was wasted in the ”X-MEN” movies and ”SUPERMAN RETURNS”. He really shone in his role as the valiant, yet slightly pompous Prince Edward. Hell, the man was perfect. And he was also charming enough for me to be happy that his character had a happy ending with someone in the film. It was good to see Timothy Spall again, after his appearances in two ”HARRY POTTER” films. Actually, his role as Narissa’s henchman, Nathaniel, strongly reminded me of his other famous role – Peter Pettigrew. But unlike Peter, Nathaniel proved to have more balls . . . and something of a moral compass in the end. But his performance was thoroughly first-class as usual. And of course there is Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, who portrayed the villainess h- the conniving and greedy – Queen Narissa. Sarandon spent most of the movie peforming Narissa’s voice in the animated sequences. But she was deliciously evil as her flesh-and-blood counterpart arrived in New York City. One could tell that Sarandon was enjoying herself. And for a brief moment, we got to see how she had manipulated Prince Edward all of those years, pretending to be his loving stepmother. I have only one complaint – I did not really care for the platform shoes she wore. Visually, it did not exactly mesh with the rest of her image.

If you are expecting surprises from this charming spoof of Disney fantasy animation, you are going to be disappointed. As I had stated before, it is a rather predictable movie. But if you are expecting first-class entertainment, laughs, music and a good story, then ”ENCHANTED” is your movie and I suggest that you see it as soon as possible.

“Neighbors” [PG] – 4/11

 

“Neighbors”

Part 4

A chestnut-haired man in his early thirties sat in the chair on the other side of Olivia’s desk, at the police station. His blue-gray eyes regarded her with disbelief. “I can’t believe that you actually did that to him!” he exclaimed. “And lived! Livy, what the hell were you thinking?” 

Olivia heaved a sigh and flipped open a brown folder. “I don’t know. He pissed me off. Made me seem like some kind of woman who was desperate for a man. Another Geraldine Boone.” She referred to a woman who lived in her apartment building. “Look, I was just trying to be a friend. He didn’t have to turn on me, like that.”

“He really must have pissed you off, considering that you showed up for work on a Saturday. Besides, what did you expect?” Bruce McNeill reached for a Japanese fan from his sister’s desk and fiddled with it. “From what you’ve told me, he just went through a divorce. His ex-wife and her sisters regard him as the devil incarnate. And considering that he happens to be . . .” Bruce quickly glanced around, “. . . a half-daemon, that might not far from the truth. Maybe you should consider Darryl’s warning and stay away.”

“Warning?” Olivia snorted with derision. “First of all, I have every intention of staying away from him. Second, if you think he’s going to kill me, he had every opportunity to do so for the past two days.”

Bruce sighed. “I guess you have a point. He did save your life. Rather odd for the infamous Belthazor. And that includes falling in love with one of the Charmed Ones. I understand that he even helped them vanquish a lot of daemons and warlocks?”

Olivia nodded. “Including the old Source. At least according to Leo.”

“Maybe so,” Bruce replied, “but didn’t he eventually become the new Source? At least for a while?”

“Yes Bruce, he did.” Olivia gave her older brother a direct stare. “Is this leading up to more advice that I should stay away from him? Because you don’t have to worry about that.”

Suspicion gleamed in Bruce’s eyes. “Do I? I know you, Livy. You can be very nosy. And you know what they say - ‘Curiosity killed the cat’. I don’t want to see you hurt, again.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Curiosity killed the cat? Couldn’t you be a little more original? And if you’re referring to Richard, may I remind you that he wasn’t a daemon. Nor was he the one who had hurt me in the end. Besides,” she slammed the file shut and reached for another one, “are you sure that we have to beware of Mr. Turner?”

Bruce frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, from what Leo had told me, the Charmed Ones had vanquished him last May. Since his resurrection, he hasn’t bothered to get revenge. Don’t you find that odd?” Before Bruce could answer, Olivia changed the subject. “Speaking of the Charmed Ones, has Gran asked them over for Sunday brunch, yet?”

“Yeah, but they haven’t accepted. At least not yet. Harry doesn’t think they will.” Bruce referred to the youngest McNeill sibling.

Olivia sighed. “Harry might have a point. When I met them the other day, they didn’t strike me as the socializing types. They seemed to keep to themselves.”

Bruce replied, “Perhaps they don’t want their identities known.”

“You mean by other witches? It’s not like we’re going to declare to the world that they’re Charmed Ones.”

Bruce could only respond with a shrug. Then he added, “It’s strange that you would end up meeting Prue’s sisters after all these years. Strange that none of us ever became close, considering that their grandmother and ours were close friends.”

Olivia remained silent. A uniformed cop approached her desk, wearing a concerned expression. “Excuse me, Inspector.”

“Yeah?”

The cop continued, “We just received a call about a dead body found in Candlestick Park.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Olivia asked.

“Well, there’s a chance he was killed in the same manner as the person found in Lafayette Park, last Wednesday.”

Olivia’s interest perked. She shot a glance at Bruce. “Oh? Same weapon?”

The uniformed cop shook his head. “The officer on the scene isn’t sure, ma’am. But he thought you might want to check it out.” He left.

Sister and brother stared at each other. “You think the Charmed Ones may have stumbled across another warlock?” Olivia asked.

Bruce shrugged. “Perhaps. Or else this victim might be a witch. Mind if I join you?”

“Sure. It’s not everyday that I have a sous chef accompany me to a crime scene.” Olivia stood up and grabbed her jacket. Her brother did the same and the pair headed out of the squad room.

* * * *

Saturday evening settled around the Halliwell Manor. Piper bustled about the kitchen, as she prepared a light dinner for her family. At least for three of them. Paige had a date tonight and Piper decided that a light dinner would probably be sufficient for her, Leo and Phoebe.

Speaking of Leo, her whitelighter husband materialized in the middle of the kitchen. Piper was not taken by surprise. She had been expecting him for the past hour or so. However, the worried expression on his face did surprise her.

“Hey Leo.” She planted a light kiss on her husband’s cheek. Leo did not bother to return the kiss. “Leo? Is there something wrong?”

A frown creased the whitelighter’s brow. “I have some bad news,” he said. “Are Phoebe and Paige around?”

“Yeah. Pheebs is in the Solarium. And Paige is getting ready for a date.”

Leo started out of the kitchen. “I need to speak to them, as well. Phoebe! Paige!”

Piper followed her husband to the Solarium. There, they found Phoebe sitting in one of the wicker chairs, watching television. Paige appeared a minute later. “What’s up?” the latter drawled. She wore a knee-length aqua-blue dress with a halter top and matching heels. The perfect outfit for a night on the town.

Leo turned to the three sisters. His expression was grave. “I had been summoned by Olivia and Bruce McNeill today,” he announced. “They were at the police station this morning, when a call came in about a body found in Candlestick Park. Bruce recognized the victim as a fellow witch named Vincent Farrar and he had been stabbed by a dagger. Vincent had a fire power. A pyrokinetic.”

Paige frowned. “Fire power? I didn’t know that witches can have a fire power.”

Phoebe ignored her and said to Leo. “Does Olivia have any idea who killed him?”

Leo sighed. “Olivia thinks the killer might have been another warlock. Which means that he or she now has a fire power. And this warlock might be from the same coven as the one you had killed, last Wednesday.”

“Doesn’t she know where this coven can be found?” Piper demanded.

“Sorry. She and Bruce tried scrying for any of the warlocks, but it was a no go,” Leo said with a shrug.

Paige suggested that they scry for the coven. “Nothing like a little Power of Three to get things going. Or maybe we should use a spell to summon one of them. Or transport us to where they are at.”

“We can try scrying for them,” Piper replied. “But I don’t think the transport idea is a good one. Especially if we don’t have any idea where we’ll end up.”

Leo added, “Maybe you should work with the McNeills on this one. A coven of warlocks attacking powerful witches and no one can track them? This sounds pretty serious.”

Piper brushed aside her husband’s suggestion. She loved Leo, but he could a little skittish, sometimes. Too cautious. “I’m sure that a quick scry by us will do the trick. Paige, get the crystal, will you?”

While Paige left to fetch the crystal, Piper and the other two headed over to where a map of San Francisco laid stretched on a table. “Okay,” Paige said, as she hung the crystal over the map, “here we go. Warlocks, warlocks. Where are they?” The crystal continued to hover, but after several seconds, it failed to pinpoint nothing. “Maybe Olivia was mistaken about warlocks attacking the witches. Maybe they’re demons.”

“I don’t think so,” Leo replied. “Olivia recognized both the warlock that Phoebe killed and the one whom Cole had saved her from, as part of the Crozat Coven from her Book of Shadows. She had encountered one several years ago.”

A concerned Phoebe agreed with Leo. “Maybe we should work with the McNeills. Olivia seemed to be more familiar with this coven.”

Piper sighed. As much as she disliked the idea of working with strangers, she realized that both Leo and Phoebe made sense. “All right,” she said. “I’ll call Mrs. McNeill and tell her that we accept her invitation to Sunday brunch.” Piper paused. “Does anyone remember her telephone number?”

* * * *

Olivia’s low heels clicked on the concrete ground, as she strode across the building’s underground parking lot. It was late Sunday morning and she was on her way to her parents’ home for the family’s traditional Sunday brunch.

Once she reached her dark blue BMW convertible, Olivia clicked off the alarm. Then she placed a wrapped square pan on the passenger seat. She then climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Only the damn thing refused to start.

Olivia muttered an oath under her breath. Again, she switched on the engine. And again, failure. She smacked her hand against the steering wheel in anger. It seemed she would have to call Bruce or Harry to give her a ride to the McNeill manor. Heaving a sigh, Olivia reached inside her purse for the cell phone.

“Is there a problem?” a soft, masculine voice asked. Olivia glanced up and saw Cole Turner looming beside her convertible. He glanced down and smiled. “Hi. Car trouble?”

Olivia eyed the newcomer warily. Her mind conjured up images of the irrate neighbor, the reluctant savior and the rude bastard she had met over the past several days.  And it seemed she was about to become acquainted with a new facet of Cole Turner’s personality.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Olivia coolly replied. “Is there something you need?”

Cole peered into the passenger seat. “No, I . . . uh, I spotted you from the elevator and decided to say hi.” He pointed at the food on the car seat. “Going to a party?”

“Not quite. More like a family’s Sunday brunch.” Olivia added, “Those are sandwich loaves, by the way.” Cole stared at her. “You seemed interested.”

An embarrassed cough left Cole’s mouth. “Well, I can only guess that it tastes as good as your Floating Island. Which was quite delicious, by the way. Too bad most of it ended in my face.” He chuckled slightly.

Olivia winced out of sheer embarrassment. “Oh God! I’m sorry about that,” she said in a contrite voice. “It was a childish way to lose my temper.”

“Actually, I should apologize,” Cole quietly interjected. “I was pretty rude that night.” A half-hearted attempt at another chuckle followed. “Very rude, as a matter of fact. I, uh . . . I had an unpleasant conversation with Phoe. . . uh, my ex-wife. I guess I was in a bad mood that night.”

An understanding smile tugged at Olivia’s lips. “That’s okay. Apology accepted.” Her frown returned as she diverted her attention back to her car. “Now if I can just get this car started.” She made one last attempt to switch on the engine. And once more, she failed. “Dammit! I knew I should have got this damn engine fixed when I had the chance.”

“Need a lift?” Cole asked.

Olivia sighed from sheer relief. She glanced up at him with pleading eyes. “Would you mind? I’m going to 231 Pacific Avenue.”

“Not at all.” Cole helped her out of the car. Olivia reached inside to remove her sandwich loaves from the passenger’s seat. “I was about to go for a drive. But I could get you to wherever you’re going a lot faster.”

“Teleporting? As in shimmering?”

Cole stared at her. “How did you . . .? Never mind. By the way, I haven’t shimmered in about a year. I sort of blur or beam now.”

Olivia gave him a wide. “Really? I haven’t been teleported to another place in ten months. This should be interesting.” She relished the astonished expression on Cole’s face as they disappeared from the parking lot.

* * * *

One second later, Cole and Olivia appeared in front of a three-story Mission Revival manor. It stood on hill that overlooked San Francisco Bay. Cole was impressed. Very impressed. There was also something very familiar about this place.

“This is where your parents live?” he asked.

Olivia nodded. “The McNeills have owned the house for the past 127 years. It was one of the first homes built in this neighborhood. Before the 1906 earthquake.” Cole followed her up the verandah’s stairs and toward the front door. Olivia rang the doorbell.

The pair waited only a few seconds before a dark-suited man in his mid-fifties answered the door. “Oh, Miss Olivia! You’re here.” Cole immediately recognized his Welsh accent.

“Good morning, Davies,” she replied, as she brushed past the manservant. Cole followed. “Is everyone here?”

Davies replied, “Yes, miss. And we also have . . .”

“Hey sis! You finally made it!” A tall young man in his mid-twenties appeared in the foyer. Like Olivia, he possessed red hair and green eyes. And he had the looks that one would describe as boyishly handsome.

Olivia gave the young man a hug. “Hey Harry! Long time no see. How was London?”

Harry shrugged. “Not bad.” His eyes fell upon Cole. “Who’s your guest?”

“Oh. I’d like you to meet Cole Turner.” When Harry’s eyes grew wide, Olivia nodded. “Yep, he’s that Cole Turner. The one who saved me last Thursday.”

Harry’s face turned pale. “Oh.”

“What’s the matter?” a frowning Olivia asked. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost. Or worse. Where is everyone? In the garden?”

The young man replied reluctantly, “Well, yeah. But I should tell you . . .” Olivia pushed past him before he could finish. “Olivia!” Oblivious to her brother’s cry, the redhead continued across the foyer. Cole realized he had no choice but to follow close behind. “Gee, Livy! Can’t you even wait until I finish?”

With Cole still following, Olivia marched into a spacious sitting room, filled with elegant and very expensive furnishings. Instead of stopping, Olivia continued toward a pair of French door. She swung them open, stepped outside and stopped short. Cole overheard her murmur, “Oh!”

“What’s wrong?” he asked. Cole peered over Olivia’s shoulder. The sight that greeted his eyes nearly caused his heart to stop.

A woman who resembled a middle-aged version of Olivia rose from a wicker chair to greet the newcomers. “Olivia, darling! You finally made it! I was beginning to wonder.” The woman climbed a pair of stairs that led to the terrace where Cole, Olivia and her brother now stood. She hugged the younger woman and then her green eyes rested upon Cole with deep interest. “Who’s this?” she asked. “Have we met, before?” Cole noticed that she also spoke with a Welsh accent.

“Mom, this is Cole Turner. The same Cole who had saved me from that warlock, last Thursday night,” Olivia announced.

Green eyes grew wide. “Oh! So you’re . . .” Realization crept into those eyes. “Oh. I . . .” Olivia’s mother glanced at the figures below her. The McNeills and Cole descended the small staircase and approached the others,who now sat in chairs around a garden.

One figure stood up and eyed Cole with familiar suspicion. “What the hell is he doing here?” accused one Paige Matthews.

Olivia’s mother smiled wanly. “Sorry about that, Livy. I forgot to tell you that we have . . . visitors.”

Cole took a deep breath and glanced at his ex-wife and former in-laws. “I guess I better get going,” he muttered.

Olivia placed a free hand on his arm. “Wait a minute! Not before I introduce you to my family.” She nodded at the older woman. “This is my mother, Gweneth Morgan McNeill. And you’ve also met my younger brother, Harry.” The red-haired man shook hands with Cole.

Two other men stood up to greet the half-daemon. Both stood at six feet tall and possessed chestnut-brown hair, blue-gray eyes and rugged good looks. One of them reached Cole first. He was older, at least in his early or mid-fifties. And there seemed to be a dangerous gleam in his eyes that struck a familiar note with Cole. “Hi, I’m Jack McNeill, Olivia’s father.” American accent. “It’s nice to meet you again, after all these years.”

Cole stared into the man’s face. Memories from the past flooded his brain. Of a cunning male witch who nearly got the best of him some twenty-five years ago. Frowning, he asked, “Have we met before?”

A knowing smile stretched Jack McNeill’s lips. He offered his hand. “London, June 1977. You were trying to steal an amulet from a friend of mine and my wife and I helped her set a trap for you.”

Stunned by the realization, Cole absently shook McNeill’s hand. “Oh yeah. Now I remember. You nearly killed me. I barely got away with my life.”

“Sorry about that.” McNeill gave a quick shrug. “At least you got away.” He turned to the younger version of himself. “Oh, this is my son, Bruce. Bruce McNeill.”

The younger McNeill shook Cole’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for saving Livy’s life, the other day. And this,” he indicated a pretty blond woman, who sat in one of the garden’s chairs, “is my fiancée, Barbara Bowen.” Cole nodded at the woman.

“Nice to meet you all,” he finally said.

Olivia nodded at the Halliwells. “I guess you know who they are. No need to introduce them.”

Cole shot another glance at Phoebe and the others. “Well, I guess it’s time for me to leave. I uh. . .”

Gweneth McNeill spoke up. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? We have plenty of . . .”

“Who’s this?” a soft voice from behind, asked. Cole, Olivia and Harry whirled around. Behind them stood a petite woman with a silvery hair and blue-gray eyes. Cole figured her to be at least in her early or mid-seventies. He also realized that she must have been a beauty in her day. Her eyes gleamed with interest at the newcomer.

Olivia replied, “Hi Gran! This is the guy who saved me a few days, ago. Cole Turner. Cole, this is my grandmother, Elise Collins McNeill.”

“So this is the famous Belthazor,” Elise McNeill declared. Cole noticed how her family winced at her bluntness. But he did not mind. He could not find any hostility in her tone. Only interest.

Cole flashed a quick smile. “Belthazor has been gone for about a year, now. Just call me Cole.”

“Really? But aren’t you a daemon again?”

Olivia cried out in protest, “Gran!”

Mrs. McNeill rolled her eyes. “Oh please! It’s a perfectly legitimate question.”

“I don’t know about that,” Cole replied. He heard a scoff from one the Halliwells. Piper. “But I do have new demonic powers. It’s a long story.” He was amused by the woman’s directness. In a way, she reminded him of Olivia. He shot another look at his former in-laws and his smile disappeared.

Mrs. McNeill patted his arm. “Well, I’d love to hear it.”

“So would I,” Jack McNeill added. “Why don’t you stay for brunch?”

The McNeills, including Olivia, stared at Cole with expectation. Cole had not felt this welcomed since . . . well, since he and Phoebe first started dating. Nor did he recall the Halliwells sharing her feelings. Once more, he glanced at the Charmed Ones and Leo. “Uh, I’d like to, but I had other plans.”

“Oh.” Mrs. McNeill’s eyes expressed disappointment. Then she glanced at the Halliwells. “I see. Well, how about Tuesday night?”

Cole glanced at Olivia, whose eyes looked hopeful. The other McNeills seemed to feel just the same. Why were they so interested in him? To satisfy their curiosity? Or maybe they felt grateful to him for saving Olivia’s life. What the hell! “I’d love to accept. What time should I come?”

Smiling, Olivia replied, “Seven o’clock. We can come together.” Cole’s brows rose at the double meaning of her words. Her cheeks turned pink. “Uh . . . you know what I mean.”

“Yeah. Well, I’ll see you all on Tuesday.” Cole gave them a polite smile and quickly made his escape.

 

END OF PART 4

“THERE WILL BE BLOOD” (2007) Review

”THERE WILL BE BLOOD” (2007) Review

I really do not know what to say about Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie, ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD”. This movie, based upon Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel ”Oil!”, is about a ruthless oilman in California between 1898 and 1927. I cannot deny that this is basically an excellent film and that Daniel Day-Lewis gave one of the best performances of career. I cannot also deny that ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD” was basically well written, produced and directed by director Anderson. I basically enjoyed it very much and consider it to be one of the better films released this year. But for some reason, I cannot muster any real passion for it.

I must admit that there were times that I found the movie fascinating. One has to thank leading Daniel Day-Lewis’ riveting performance maintaining my interest. He portrayed the ruthless Daniel Plainview, a hard-working silver prospector who discovered an oil well, while prospecting for silver. On the very day he discovers his first oil well, one of his employees die in an accident and Plainview adopts the dead man’s infant son. By 1911, he is one of the most successful oil men in California. In order to convince many farmers and other small landowners to drill on their land, he uses his adoptive son, whom he names H.W. (Dillon Freasier), as his “partner” to project his status as a family man and a family businessman. Plainview is approached by a young man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) who sells Plainview an oil lead located on his family’s property in Little Boston, California. Plainview and H.W. travel to Little Boston, and, pretending to be hunting quail, scout out the Sunday property and discover a good amount of seepage oil. Plainview attempts to buy the property without notifying Paul’s father Abel (David Willis) of the oil, but Paul’s twin brother, Eli (again Paul Dano), knows of the oil and raises the price to $10,000, the bulk of which he intends to put into the founding of his own Church. Plainview pays him $5000 up front and promises the other $5000 as a donation to the church. In order to ensure the monopoly on the Little Boston oil, Plainview buys the “ranches” of a number of the surrounding neighbors, with the exception of one property, which the owner, a Mr. Bandy (Hans Howes), was hesitant to sell.

As I had earlier stated, the heart and soul of ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD” for me was Daniel Day-Lewis. His Daniel Plainview has to be one of the most fascinating characters in movie history. Certainly not in literary history, since Plainview was a character created for the screen by Anderson. I really do not know how to describe him. He seemed to be the epitome of those ruthless tycoons of the late 19th century and early 20th century. He is certainly not typical. Utilizing a John Huston accent, Day-Lewis captured all of the malevolence , cunning and emotional perversity of Plainview, as he draws the audience into the character’s unchecked greed for wealth and power. The ironic thing is that Plainview does not seem to care for the trappings of wealth. One example of this is his habit of sleeping on the floor, even when a comfortable bed is available. And even in that exclusive mansion he has built by the end of the film, he sleeps on the floor inside the mansion’s bowling alley. But the money and power, he definitely needs. And he needs an audience to witness his financial triumphs, judging how he had temporarily abandoned H.W. when the latter first lost his hearing in an accident and how he took under his wings, a man claiming to be a long lost brother named Henry Brands (Kevin J. O’Connor).  Due to his superb performance, Day-Lewis deservedly won both a Golden Globe award and an Oscar.  If he had failed to win either or both awards, I would have been shocked.

It is a shame that the Golden Globes and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science were never able to acknowledge Paul Dano for his performances as the twin brothers – Paul and Eli Sunday, and Dillon Freasier as the young H.W. Plainview. Dano, who had last impressed critics with his supporting role in ”LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE”, had studied evangelism for his role as the Sunday twins. The Paul Sunday character made a brief appearance near the beginning of the story, but Dano’s performance as the other twin Eli really impressed me. Dano’s performance revealed the malevolence and greed for wealth and power behind Eli’s meek and religious demeanor – traits that seemed to match Plainview’s. Anderson could not find a child actor to portray Plainview’s adoptive son, H.W., so he had hired the son of a Texas state trooper who had pulled over the movie’s casting agent for speeding. Like Dakota Blue Richards in ”THE GOLDEN COMPASS”, Dillon Freasier turned out to be find. Especially for Anderson and the movie. With very few words, the young actor managed to convey all of his character’s array of emotions experienced in the film – from his intelligence and warmth, to his suspicions and resentment of Plainview’s relationship with Henry Brands.

Most of ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD” seemed to be set during 1911. Sinclair’s novel seemed to be a condemnation of the oil industry itself and a response to the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal during the Warren G. Harding administration. Anderson does condemn the oil industry in California, especially in his revelation of how many small landowners were cheated out of millions of dollars through the manipulations of oil companies and tycoons. But for me, ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD” seemed more like a character study than an expose on a major industry. But I must admit that it is a first-class movie and probably one of the better ones of 2007. Anderson paced the movie very well, making one ALMOST forget that this movie is fifteen minutes short of three hours. With actors like Day-Lewis, Dano, Freasier, Ciarán Hinds and Kevin J. O’Connor, Anderson managed to make the most of a first-class cast. Well, almost. More on that later. Does it deserve to win the Best Picture Oscar? Quite frankly, I am not sure. As excellent as the movie is . . . as first-rate as was Day-Lewis’ performance, it did not exactly rock my boat. Quite frankly, I do have a few problems with the film.

As I had stated earlier, ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD” seemed more like a character study, instead of an expose. And because of that, I feel that it could have been at least a half hour or forty-five minutes shorter. When I said that Anderson had almost made me forget that this movie was nearly three hours long, I was serious. He ALMOST made me forget about the film’s running time. Until the story shifted to 1927. Frankly, I do not see why Anderson had even bothered. Following the time shift, the movie lost its epic scope. Even Plainview’s personality seemed to have lost some of its steam . . . until his last encounter with Eli Sunday. Speaking of those two, I believe that the make-up artist may have done both Day-Lewis and Dano a bit of a disservice. Despite the fifteen to sixteen year difference between the two time shifts, I never really got the impression that either Plainview or Sunday had aged at all. There was barely a strand of gray in Day-Lewis’ hair and Dano still looked like a young man in his early twenties, despite the fact that Eli Sunday must have been at least in his mid-to-late thirties during the film’s last half hour. But the one thing I actually disliked about the film was its abrupt ending. One can say that the movie ended with the final confrontation between the two adversaries. But there is this feeling in my gut that Anderson had ended the movie in the middle of the story’s finale. He probably had a reason for ending it in this manner. Whatever reason he had, it has eluded me.

Despite some of my disenchantment with ”THERE WILL BE BLOOD”, I must admit that it is overall, an excellent film. It may not have rocked my boat, but I did find it fascinating. And if you can deal with a two hour and forty-five minute study about a fictional character, then I suggest that you watch the movie.

“THE KINGDOM” (2007) Review

“THE KINGDOM” (2007) Movie Review

Based upon a real life incident regarding a terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh Compound Bombings), ”THE KINGDOM” tells the story of an FBI Counterterrorist unit sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist attack upon an American compound in Saudi Arabia. Directed by Peter Berg (”FRIDAY NIGHTS LIGHTS”) and produced by Michael Mann, the movie starred Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman.

The main question is . . . did I like ”THE KINGDOM”? And the answer is yes. In fact, I had enjoyed it very much. It had plenty of suspense, drama and especially action that should not leave anyone disappointed. Most of the story seemed to be focused upon the theme of American cops forced to deal with their country’s own bureaucacy and with the hostility of foreign cops who resent the idea of Americans invading their turf. There have been other Hollywood crime dramas with similar themes. But in “THE KINGDOM”, this theme is intensified due to the story’s setting – namely Saudi Arabia and the Middle East culture and the current concern of terrorism. And I feel that screenwriters Matthew Michael Carnahan and Michael Mann did a great job.

The entire cast is first-rate . . . especially Jamie Foxx as FBI Agent Ronald Fleury and Ashraf Barhom as Col. Faris Al-Ghazi of the Saudi police, who managed to create a very credible relationship of two men whose different cultures would automatically make them enemies during this time in history. Yet slowly . . . surely, they managed to form a close friendship. My only problem with the casting was Chris Cooper. His character seemed a bit irrelevant and a little hammy at times.

About a month before the movie was released in the theaters, someone had written a review of the movie and considered it a potential for Academy Award nominations. To be honest, I do not know if I would agree with that assessment. As good as ”THE KINGDOM” was, I never saw it as the type of film that would earn any award nominations. At least of Oscar caliber. To me, it was simply a solid action-drama with a first-rate cast and good, solid writing. Worthy of an entertaining trip to your local movie theater or renting from Netflix.