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Space: Above and Beyond (1995–1996)
7/10
WWII in space
17 March 2013
Fox has a habit of commissioning good scifi but then cancelling it after 2 seasons or so. But SAAB's reputation in the business must be pretty good - many other productions (e.g. Starship Troopers, Battlestar Galactica) copied verbatim much of their look and feel from it.

The themes are familiar - a desperate battle against overwhelming odds, the stern but ultimately kind commanding officer, flawed but heroic characters. All familiar but done rather well. But there were problems too. I found the whole thing relentlessly grim - much like the crime series Millennium which was made around the same time. And we never got to see much of a perspective from the other side of the war.

SAAB certainly deserved another series or two, but the fact is - military Scifi that concentrates on just one side has never worked long term, before or since. Star Trek always humanised its enemies by presenting them as eloquent and honourable - more so than the humans sometimes.
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Aquila (1997–1998)
Come on BBC, why can't you make quality TV like this any more ?
5 November 2011
I stumbled across this gem on YouTube. After 10 minutes I was hooked and watched the whole thing back to back in an afternoon.

It is a combination of a very clever script, great special effects and of course the two lead actors. Like all great TV it works on many levels.

There are the science fiction aspects which make logical sense, and much of the fun is watching the boys figure out how everything works - and the hilarious results when things go wrong, which they often do. The performance from the school headmaster is priceless as he wrestles with a puzzle - why are these previously academically challenged boys suddenly interested both in laser physics and Latin ?

Both boys understand the terrible consequences if Aquila's power is misused, its weapons can kill millions or just knock someone out - just by selecting menu options on a screen. They agonise over each decision and show a maturity most adults never achieve. Even the more Gung-ho Geoff has doubts about continuing.

But the real heart of the story is that both boys have absent fathers, and I get the feeling that their deep friendship is a substitute. There is a real sadness left unspoken throughout the series, which makes the ending quite emotional.

14 years later Craig Vye looks rather lost on Hollyoaks - he deserves better material than that.
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8/10
1980's film making state of the art
2 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
You know this film is going to be good when you see names like Wolfgang Petersen and Jost Vacano in the opening credits. And it does not disappoint.

Bastian is small for his age, desperately unhappy at losing his mother and very doubtful he can do anything useful at all. This is made even harder by the routine bullying by older boys on the way to school. But on this one occasion he manages to evade them by hiding in Mr Koreander's bookstore - and after smuggling the Neverending story book out he hides in the school attic to begin his journey into Fantasia . . .

The realisation of the Fantasia world is stunning and beautiful, with Barret Oliver's measured narration a vital part which is often missed. Atreyu's mission is a desperate one from the start - fail and everything is destroyed !

On first viewing, watching Atreyu's horse Artex sink into the swamp you think he'll get saved somehow. But he doesn't. There are persistent rumours that a horse really did die during filming so Noah Hathaway's grief may well have been real. It certainly makes for a very powerful scene. There are many other real shocks for the audience - it keeps you guessing right until the end.

The highlight of all the creatures has to be the Luck Dragon - Falcor. A triumph of animatronics coupled with Alan Oppenheimer's beautiful narration.

All the time, Bastian and the viewer are both slowly realising together that it's more than a story - he's a participant too as are all the audience because Fantasia is created by the dreams and wishes of mankind ! The tension of this slowly builds all the way through the film.

The final 10 minutes is so emotional I still have difficulty watching, as the empress explains to Atreyou that Bastian holds the key to their survival. He simply can't believe that one small boy can be that important - and all he has to do is give the empress a new name ! Bastian then wishes Fantasia back into existence from a single grain of sand - and gets to terrify the bullies with the help of Falcor.

Gripes ? Noah Hathaway wasn't the best choice for Atreyu, giving a rather workmanlike performance. One wonders what River Phoenix or Patrick Bach (of Jack Holborn fame) would have done with it.
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6/10
Good enough to get "The Silver Chair" made - but no more than that
25 April 2011
The ingredients are there - stunning production design, beautiful costumes, first class CGI work and the world's friendliest ever dragon. Plus a superb debut for Will Poulter who steals every scene he is in, especially the final one with Reepicheep. But I have been wondering, why do I not like this film as much as I should ?

The reason is the same as it always is for films like this - poor screenplay and acting. My score is as high as 6 because the other elements are so good and make up for it to an extent.

Skandar Keynes does not make a good leading actor. He always played a good foil to William Moseley's High King Peter, but in a lead role it doesn't really work and he looks distinctly self conscious.

The extensive alterations to the book - especially the omission of large parts of the bitter conflict over slavery - made no sense to me. In the first film,the producers added extra scenes and drama but kept all the key aspects of the story. The same approach would have worked on Dawn Treader, but they botched it.

Watching the DVD commentary it also appears that all was not well with Director throwing Producer off the set. This contrasts with the deep emotional connection which Andrew Adamson was able to achieve with his cast.

So note to Walden and Fox. Do better with the next one - stick to the source material.
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Jack Holborn (1982)
9/10
The very best of the ZDF Christmas Specials - nothing since has come close
12 March 2011
It's easy to forget just how old this series is. I remember watching this on TV in 1984, being the same age then as the principal character. Back then I concentrated on Patrick Bach's extraordinary performance as Jack, to this day it's impossible to see anyone else achieving what he did.

Viewing the DVD 30 years later on a wide screen TV there is so much more there that I missed first time round. Anyone who thinks being an actor is glamorous should watch the shipboard scenes. You can literally smell the dirt, grime and salt water. Contrast with the Hornblower films where everything is implausibly clean. Glorious performances by the adults, Monte Markam as Solomon Trumpet being the best of a great cast. Plus of course a superb music score by Christian Bruhn.

Even back as a 13 year old I appreciated the intelligent way the film makers treated the audience. For example, they didn't shrink from showing us close-ups of Judge Sheringham's injuries. Patrick Bach looks as if he really did want to be sick in that scene, rather than it being just an act. Not surprising - back in the day I felt queasy watching it.

At its heart Jack Holborn is a morality tale, the message being keep your humanity whatever the situation. Jack has his life threatened at every turn yet never speaks roughly to anyone else, or acts in a morally questionable way. Unrealistic you might think, but intentional. The stress of doing this while surrounded by pirates finally snaps in a very powerful scene where out of earshot Jack screams "I'm not a criminal !!" while smashing everything he can find.

All the episodes are great but the final one packs a series of emotional punches so powerful it is still hard work to watch.
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Silas (1981)
8/10
A classic - savour it as it's too expensive to make shows like this now
8 January 2011
Famously badly dubbed, this was pretty watchable as a kid back in 1985. But the version to see is the original German with English subtitles - several unofficial efforts are doing the rounds on the internet. Shame on you ZDF - bring out an official subtitled version ! The plot as others have stated is "12 year old boy runs away from abusive circus owner." That doesn't really do it justice. Without the unintentionally hilarious dubbing it's actually a superior but very dark tale which probably would never get past a modern editor. a few examples for illustration :

(a) The first episode begins with Silas standing against a wooden board having knives thrown at him. They look both sharp and too close for comfort - I get the feeling the fear on Patrick Bach's face is no act. The the circus owner then tries to push a sword down his throat, it's a violent scene that is quite difficult to watch even now.

(b) A man drugs Silas to steal his horse, then pushes him into the river on a boat he's just made a hole in - we get a closeup of this, just to make the point that this man is trying to kill him.

(c) When faced with direct attack Silas defends himself very effectively with a knife, facing down the bad guy. This is one of many examples where Silas shows true courage, he could run away from a direct physical threat but does not.

(d) Many times Silas is portrayed as exhausted and in despair. It's a fine piece of acting, although the 16 hour days Patrick Bach was working at the time might have contributed to the realism of these scenes !

Adding to the quality feel, large quantities of Deutchmarks were obviously burned through during the production, also good cinematography, careful direction - and a great music score by Christian Bruhn. This is TV matching the quality of the modern 'Band of Brothers' rather than a simple kids show.

At the end Silas decides to abandon his newly found comfortable life and throw his lot back in with Godik. This scene is much criticised but makes perfect sense to me. He's the only person Silas can really trust. Only in the original German does the bittersweet nature of this choice show through.

Downsides - the overall length of it. 4 hours rather than 6 would have been about right. Also the plot starts well but meanders in the middle. But these are minor gripes.
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