Movie Review: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great action movie that still entertains

Cons: Some dated production elements, but minor overall

The Bottom Line:

A classic story

The movie does show its age

But still entertains

Fun if Dated Adventure

I’ve grown up hearing about many classic movies and actors, including Errol Flynn and his version of The Adventures of Robin Hood from 1938.  It’s been on my list of movies to see someday.  Well, someday finally happened, and I’m glad I did because I enjoyed it.

If you are at all familiar with the legends of Robin Hood, you’ll know the story this movie tells.  We meet Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) just as Prince John (Claude Rains) decides to take over England due to the absence of King Richard during the Crusades.  It helps that Prince John has received word that King Richard has been captured.  Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone) encourages John to really crack down on the citizens, making life unbearable with the help of the High Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper).

And it’s into this world that Robin Hood starts his campaign to help the citizens by attacking Prince John and Sir Guy any and every chance he gets.  It’s also how he first encounters Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland).  Will he continue to successfully fight against the tyranny of Prince John?

While much of the story was familiar, there were a couple of surprises, like Sir Guy, who takes the place I normally associate with the Sheriff of Nottingham.  And, while I knew Maid Marian was the love interest, they had more of a sub-plot here than I was expecting.

This movie does put things in more of a historical context than I was expecting as well, bringing up the tension between the Normans and the Saxons.  I appreciated that.

Among the more familiar elements, we get to see how Robin Hood first met and recruited both Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) to his band.

This is definitely a movie from the 1930’s.  When exposition is needed, we get it printed on the screen.  That’s not something that is done at all today.  I can’t think of the last movie outside of Star Wars that did that.  Meanwhile, the acting is also dated, as are the stunts and effects, when needed.

And yet, that is part of the movie’s charm.  As long as you go into the film with the right expectations, you can get caught up in the story.  I do wish we’d gotten a bit more about who some of the characters are.  For example, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out who Will Scarlett (Patric Knowles) was since he’s never been a big part of the Robin Hood stories I know.  (And yes, I did feel stupid when I did since he was always wearing all red.)

Anyway, there are plenty of sword fighting scenes and, the further I got into the movie, the more I was drawn into the story and came to care about what would happen to the characters.  True, the suspense factor is never super high, but there is enough to keep us engaged.  Likewise, I got used to the acting styles.

I have to give the film credit for how it looks.  It was shot in early technicolor, and it is visually gorgeous.  Everything is so vibrant.  Again, it was a style in movies for a time, but I find that I miss it.  It isn’t right for every film, but it is nice to look at.

The Adventures of Robin Hood is fast approaching its 90^th anniversary.  The fact that this is still entertaining is a testament to how well it was made.

Book Review: Hired Guns by Steve Hockensmith (Double-A Western Detective Agency #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Plenty of action with fun characters

Cons: A few things, but nothing major overall

The Bottom Line:

Protecting a mine

Plenty of deadly danger

Page turning action

Spinoff Series Starts with a Bang

I’ve been enjoying Steve Hockensmith’s Holmes on the Range series since the beginning.  Over the last few books, the series has taken a turn in premise and introduced some new supporting characters.  Now, those supporting characters are getting a spin off series of their own with the Double-A Western Detective Agency.  Despite the name, these are more good old fashioned Western adventures than true mysteries.  And if that’s what you are in the mood for, you’ll be happy you picked up Hired Guns, the first.

These books feature former Army friends turned adventurers Oswin Diehl, Ira Hoop, and Eskaminzim.  As I said, we have met them in a couple of the Holmes on the Range books, but if you jump in here, you’ll get the information you need to follow them and their relationships just fine.  All you really need to know is that the three of them are working as hired guns for the new detective agency in 1894.

This book finds them heading to the Arizona Territory to help out a struggling copper mine.  No, it’s not to help them with the mining.  The conglomerate Consolidated American Mining Corporation has decided it wants to buy this particular mine, and they are doing all they can to convince the owners to sell.  There’s just one major problem – the owners don’t want to sell.  And our trio of heroes have been hired to help protect the mine.  But against the overwhelming odds, can they do it?

As you can see, this is a straight forward book for a mystery reader.  We know who the good guys and bad guys are.  It’s just a matter of figuring out how to make sure the bad guys lose.  There was a bit of a slow start, but things did pick up.  I’ve got to say, I wasn’t sure how they were going to succeed for much of the book, which is just the way I love it.  The further we go into the story, the more complicated things become.  But I was cheering when I reached the end.

I will say the book was a little on the violent side for what I typically enjoy.  It might be a tad more violent than what we’ve seen from the author before since the emphasis was on the action rather than the deduction.  But this isn’t a reason to not read the book.  Just keep that in mind as you read it.

The reality of racial relations in the 1890’s comes up a few times in passing.  It is sad that things were ever this way in our country.  But it is encouraging to think about the progress that has been made.

The characters get their moments to shine, which is good since they appear to be types more than characters when we first meet them.  There is room for them to be fleshed out a bit more as the series goes along, but we have a good start here.

Author Steve Hockensmith has always included humor in his books, and that holds true again here.  Despite the serious odds the characters are facing, I found myself chuckling and laughing several times as I read.

I read this book via audiobook.  Chuck Galco does a good job as the narrator bringing the story to life.

As I said at the beginning, Hired Guns is a good Western action adventure novel.  Pick up this book and watch the pages, and the bullets, fly.

Book Review: The General’s Gold by LynDee Walker & Bruce Robert Coffin (Turner & Mosley Files #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Main characters in action packed debut

Cons: Does take a little while with the setup before things really kick off

The Bottom Line:

A friend’s death kicks off

A page turning treasure hunt

Characters I liked

Hunting for a Golden Treasure

While I hadn’t read them yet, I’ve heard great things about both authors Lyndee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin.  So, when they teamed up for a treasure hunt themed adventure series, I took notice.  It sounded like fun, so I got the first, The General’s Gold.  While it took me a few months to get to it, all the buzz I’ve heard about it was right – this was a fun debut.

The series features Avery Turner, a new tech billionaire, and Carter Mosley, an internet famous adventure junkie.  The two met when Carter taught Avery to scuba dive.  But things really kick off when Avery learns of her friend, fellow tech billionaire, Mark Hawkins’s death.  The police are ruling it an accidental drug overdose.  There’s just one problem with that – Avery has never seen Mark take anything stronger than an aspirin.  She goes to investigate herself, and she finds a few puzzling things that Mark left behind.  Soon, she’s is on the trail of a rumored treasure that dates back to the 1700’s, pulling Carter in along the way.  Can they find it?

For a treasure hunting thriller, I found the beginning of this book a little slow.  But I get it, the authors were setting up the characters and their relationships.  Yes, we had hints of the danger to come, and I was enjoying the book.  But I was ready for the story to kick off when it did.

When it took off, it was full steam ahead.  We jump all over the Eastern Seaboard in the attempt to follow the clues and find the treasure.  There are close calls and page turning suspense.  As the characters track down clues, they also piece together the history of how the treasure got to be where it is.  I appreciated how that all played out as well since it made sense at the end.

Now, keep in mind that the mystery of what happened to Mark, while resolved by the end, isn’t the driving force of the story.  This is a pure adventure treasure hunt.  But, since that’s what I was expecting when I picked up the book, I wasn’t disappointed.

Most of the book is told from Avery’s point of view, although we do get some scenes from Carter’s.  They, along with Avery’s assistant, Harrison, are the main trio, and we get to know them best.  A few scenes from one of the bad guy’s point of view fleshes them out a little, although they weren’t really the focus.  Anyway, I liked the main trio, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them as the series progresses.

Like any good action story, are all the actions scenes completely realistic?  Probably not.  Did I care?  No.  I bought them as I was reading them, and that’s all that matters.

Given that this is a thriller instead of a cozy, I was actually happy that the violence and language was kept to a minimum.  Yes, it’s there, but not as bad as it could have been.

I did feel like a couple of things got dropped or rushed over.  But these are minor issues.  Overall, the plot holds together well, and I was caught up in the story.

If you are looking for an exciting new series, don’t pass up The General’s Gold.  You’ll be hooked and hunting for the next before you know it.

Hunt for more treasure with the rest of the Turner & Mosley Files.

Movie Review: Percy Jackson & the Olympians - The Lightning Thief

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: A fun adventure story with Greek mythology

Cons: Missing the richness of the book

The Bottom Line:

Adventure, Greek myths

Combine for a fun movie

The book is richer

Some Big Changes, But Still Mostly Fun

I've got to admit I didn't read Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief until January.  Yes, the fact that a movie was coming out got finally got me to read it.  When I did, I discovered a very fun book.  That got me hyped to see the movie version, which I finally did today.  While they took some major liberties with the story, I still enjoyed it.

Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is a high school student attempting to deal with his dyslexia and ADHD while just surviving the day.  And at night, he has to deal with a horrid stepdad (Joe Pantoliano).  At least he has a good relationship with his mother (Catherine Keener) and a best friend in Grover (Brandon T. Jackson).

His life changes one day when a substitute teacher turns into a horrid beast and tries to kill him.  That's when he learns the truth, the ancient Greek gods are real, and one of them is his father.

Unfortunately, things aren't going well on Mount Olympus right now.  Seems that Zeus' lightning bolt is gone, and Zeus (Sean Bean) thinks that Percy stole it.  Now Percy must team up with Grover (who turns out to be a satyr) and his new friend Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) to find and return the stolen item before the gods go to war.  Can he do it?

This movie was produced and directed by Chris Columbus, the man behind the first two Harry Potter movies.  Considering how faithful those movies were, I am surprised at just how much the book was changed.  There are superficial changes (main character's ages, Annabeth's hair color) and some rather major changes, including added parts to the quest and some cut sub-plots.  Frankly, this robs the story and characters of the richness the book had.  So if you are going into this as a fan of the books, be prepared to see something different.

If you can do that, or are going in blind, you'll find a pleasant adventure movie.  Percy and his friends wind up making a journey across the US, making several stops along the way.  It feels like an epic journey, yet they still mange to set stuff up and bring it all in under two hours.  That's pretty impressive.  Each stop in the journey finds the gang up against a monster from Greek mythology.  I'm not completely up on my myths, but I knew enough to appreciate everything I saw.

And let me tell you, this movie is visually stunning.  There are tons of special effects, and all of them work.  One scene near the end is a little iffy, but that's the only one.  I loved getting lost in this world.

The acting is great as well.  The better known names are reduced to the small parts, but that wasn't a problem for me.  The main characters were all perfectly believable.  Pierce Brosnan has a small role as one of Percy's teachers.  But the scene stealer as far as the adults were concerned was Uma Thurman as Medusa.  She was perfectly creepy.

Speaking of creepy, obviously in Medusa's scene, we get some snakes.  Frankly, all the monsters that Percy and crew face could frighten young kids.  I think 9 or 10 and older should have no problem with anything seen here, however.

I just can't quite get past the details left out of the book.  I haven't read beyond book one (yet), so I don't know if any details were brought into the movie from later books.  But my favorite scene and the entrance to Hades were both changed here.  I kept filling in some of the character details in my head that seem rather important.  And I'm sure there is a plot hole concerning how Percy knew he had a deadline for his quest (but I'd have to rewatch to be sure).  One sub-plot is introduced and then dropped, so why even bring it up?

Those complaints aside, I definitely enjoyed The Lightning Thief.  If this is your introduction to the characters, I highly recommend your next stop is a bookstore to fill in some gaps.  If you already love the characters, do your best to lower your expectations, and you'll wind up enjoying the movie.

Movie Review: G-Force

Stars: 2 out of 5
Pros: A few funny lines and moments...

Cons: ...that weren't enough to make up for the rest of the poor movie.

The Bottom Line:

Don't spend your money

To see the few fun moments

Free is the right price

"Dogs!  Why Does It Have to be Dogs!"

I never could quite tell if I would enjoy G-Force or not.  The previews were funny, but it also looked like it could be stupid.  But my roommate really wanted to see it, and since he suffered through Shorts with me, I figured what the heck.  There were some funny bits, but it delivered more on the stupid than it did the funny.

Ben (Zach Galifianakis) has spent his life working with rodents.  And it's paid off.  This FBI scientist has figure out a way to communicate with them and train them to go on covert missions.  But his funding is about to be taken away.  As a last second hail Mary, he sends out his crack team, consisting of a fly, three guinea pigs, and a mole, to infiltrate a house and get a file off a computer.

The mission is a big success, or so it appears.  The next day, at the review, things go horribly wrong and the project is shut down.  The rodents manage to escape to a pet store, but the FBI wants them to keep the entire project completely secret.  Can the rodents escape and foil the plot they've uncovered?  Or will the FBI track them down first?

Okay, so I didn't go into this movie expecting a wild, new plot.  And that's a good thing.  The movie was full of cliches from start to finish.  Of course, that's never an automatic negative in my book.  It all depends on how they are played out.

At this point, I will point out there was one plot twist that did take me by surprise.  That's all I will say here.

The problem is this movie really didn't do anything with the premise.  There were lots of jokes and pop culture references, but they seemed to be thrown in to distract us from the slow moving story.  The characters were also pretty ordinary.  I can get beyond a boring story if I care about the characters, but there wasn't enough here to make me care about them.  Most of the big revelations came as no surprise to me.

Heck, I'm even going to pick on the writing here.  Here's a tip for the writers as they work on their next movie.  If you are going to have a recycled plot, at least give us writing that isn't as trite and boring.

Honestly, I feel sorry for the human actors in this film.  They are just there to be window dressing for the computer animated critters.  That's not a knock on them at all.  Everyone does a good job making us believe this world.  Well, as good a job as they can considering they've got poor dialogue to recite.  The biggest names in the cast were reserved for the computer animated characters.  We had such actors as Nicholas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, and Penelope Cruz involved with this part of the movie, and they all did fine.

I've got to give this movie credit for the effects.  I never for a moment doubted that these animals were really talking or doing all the things the plot called for them to do.  I didn't get to see it in 3 D, but I have a feeling a couple of those shots would have been incredible.

And, yes, I will admit I laughed a few times.  Some of the lines were absolutely funny.  The three mice we meet in the pet shop stole the show.  I think I would have enjoyed it more if they had been in more of the movie.  I was also impressed that they kept the poop and fart jokes lower than I thought they would based on their prevalence in the previews.  I also must confess that my roommate and a friend I saw this with laughed quite a bit more than I did.

I am a little surprised that G-Force did so well at the box office.  I wonder if it had more to do with the lack of quality movies out this summer than with how good it really turned out to be.

TV Show Review: Crusoe - The Complete Series

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Engaging acting and storytelling; stunning visuals

Cons: A little slow to get started; minimal DVD release

The Bottom Line:

As the story builds

The show really draws you in

And it looks great, too

If I Had to be Stranded with this Show, I'd be Fine

While I have never read the novel, the idea of turning Robinson Crusoe into the TV series Crusoe intrigued me.  Pretty much it was the idea of a series set on an island that I couldn't wait to see.  I guess I was one of the few since it sank pretty quickly in the ratings.  But NBC allowed us to see all 13 of the episodes before collecting them in this DVD set.  While it isn't the best show ever, it was entertaining and well worth watching.

Robinson Crusoe (Philip Winchester) has had a hard life.  Picking the wrong side of the insurrection against the King of England, he had to flee to the colonies for his life, leaving his wife Susannah (Anna Walton) and their kids in the hands of trusted family friend Jeremiah Blackthorn (Sam Neill).  But then fate deals him an even worse hand when he is shipwreck on a deserted island with only Friday (Tongai Arnold Chirisa) as a companion.  Together, the two build a friendship while fighting to survive on the island among pirates, natives, and nature.

But back in England, things aren't all they seem.  In a series of flashes, we learn Crusoe's back story and what is currently happening to those he loves in England.  If Crusoe and Friday ever get off the island, what will be waiting for them in England?

I think the thing that surprised me the most about this series the first episode.  I really was expecting something about the shipwreck and Crusoe and Friday meeting.  Instead, we start out with them facing down pirates.  We never actually see the shipwreck, but we do get Crusoe's back story through flashbacks.  (Hm, an island show using flashbacks?  Now where have I heard that idea before?)

This was a lavishly produced period piece.  The costumes and sets were fantastic in making us forget the modern world and get lost in the world of the late 1700's.  The tree house that was built was tons of fun, too.  It was an island mansion with several different levels and plenty of ways up and down while still being defensible.  Crusoe and Friday had built several gadgets that were a tad unrealistic in their design but I was more than willing to overlook that.

Never having read the novel, I can't say for sure, but I have a feeling that the producers of the series dramatically changed Crusoe and Friday's relationship.  Here, Crusoe treats him as an equal, friend and brother.  The other characters treat him a bit more like I would expect given the time period.  And, yes, this is a change I completely approve of.

In fact, their strong friendship was something that kept me coming back to the series.  There was an episode that was pretty much just about the two of them, and it had me as engrossed as the ones that involved guest stars.

I was afraid this show would fall into the Gilligan's Island trap of having new guest stars each week but leaving Crusoe and Friday behind at the end.  Yes, there was some of that, but it actually played out quite well in the final few episodes.

To be honest, the first few episodes were fine but nothing more.  I would enjoy them while watching them, but promptly go on about my week and for get the show was on until my DVR told me I had another episode to watch.  However, as everything came together for the last few episodes, I was definitely hooked wanting to know how everything would be tied together.

When the series was canceled, NBC claimed that it was supposed to be a limited series.  I'm not sure how much of that is true, but the producers certainly did a good job of wrapping up major storylines by the end.  The final episode didn't deliver everything I had hoped it would, but it was satisfying and left enough clues I can come up with an idea of what happened next that makes me happy.

And yes, the acting was top notch.  All the leads were masterful at bringing their characters to life every week.  The guest stars were good as well.  But real praise has to go to Tongai Arnold Chirisa as Friday.  He floored me every week with how he played Friday.  Sometimes a look was all it took to let me know what he was thinking (and on more than one occasion make me laugh).

I watched the show in glorious HD, so I am slightly disappointed to report that we are only getting a standard DVD release.  I would have gladly paid extra for Blu-Ray.  Anyway, we get all 13 episodes on three discs.  The only thing offered in the way of extras is a paperback copy of the original novel.  Again, I would have liked more here.  But for a canceled series, I'll take what I can get.

Crusoe was an entertaining show.  A lot of love was put into each episode to make it shine.  If you've missed it, be sure to catch the DVD.

TV Show Review: Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Great story brought to life by great acting and visuals.

Cons: Limited edition set sold out quickly.

The Bottom Line:

Disney on TV

Another fun adventure

Well worth tracking down

Dr. Syn Helps Romney Marsh with his Alias, The Scarecrow

Despite being a Disney fanatic, there are many of this films and TV shows I have never seen.  One that friends raved about was Dr. Syn, Alias The Scarecrow.  Even though I knew nothing about it, I jumped when Disney finally released this story on DVD in the two disc Walt Disney Treasures set called Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.  I really enjoyed it.

The story of Dr. Syn (Patrick McGoohan) originally appeared on three episodes of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV program in 1964.  Disc one collects them for us.

He is the respected priest of the Romney Marsh area of Southern England during the rule of King George III (you know, the king during the American Revolution).  But at night, he is The Scarecrow, the leaders of a gang of smugglers who attempt to skirt the king's high tariffs and split the money so they can pay their local taxes.

Of course, the king doesn't take it lying down.  He sends General Pugh (Geoffrey Keen) to try to bring The Scarecrow to justice.  He tries to use navy conscription and a traitor to do it.  But when a deserter shows up, will that finally be Dr. Syn's undoing?

The second disc features the theatrical version of the story.  Basically, it takes a little bit from the first episode and combines it with all of the second and third episode.  There is really nothing on the second disc you didn't see on the first, so for the first time I almost feel like the second disc wasn't needed.  Of course, if the feature film is the version you are most familiar with, I can understand why you would want it in a complete set.

Yes, there is a certain Robin Hoodesque plot to the story, but it really is only superficial.  In fact, I would liken it more to our modern superhero stories.  Dr. Syn goes out of his way to keep his identity as The Scarecrow a secret.  Only two people know of his dual identity, his rector Mr. Mipps (George Cole) and the young teen John Banks (Sean Scully).  Of course, John allows the story to become accessible to the kids who have watched the story over the years.

This really is three distinct stories with the same characters.  It works perfectly for the TV version with each one having a separate plot and exciting climax.  Watching Dr. Syn puzzle his way out of all three predicaments is rather exciting.  I actually watched the movie on the second disc first and found the break in the stories a bit disconcerting.  Frankly, it's another reason I probably won't watch the movie again.

But I will certainly watch these TV shows again.  The stories advance forward quickly.  And there is something appealing about the three main characters.  And the villain?  You love to hate him.

Helping things out tremendously are the actors.  Disney never settled for less then the best, and it shows here.  Even though I had never heard of any of them before, there is not one weak performance in the bunch.

And the production values continue with the look.  Filmed in England (probably one reason I am not familiar with the actors), this film takes full advantage by filming in the real Romney Marsh area as much as possible.  It was filmed in color and looks fantastic.

As if I can't praise it enough, I do need to talk about the set itself.  For those who waited for the character to come to DVD, the wait was worth it.  Every second of film was carefully restored to its original perfection.  While the night scenes (filmed during the day and darkened) look a little off, the day light and interior scenes are wonderful.  The material is shown in its original widescreen format.  Sound defaults to the original stereo recordings, but there is also a full surround mix that sounds wonderful.  And all these technical specifications apply to both discs.

Plus there are the bonus features.  The first disc contains a documentary on the character of Dr. Syn, including his origins (he's really about 100 years old) and his various film incarnations.  The second disc contains another 15 minute documentary on Disney's filming in England.  The weirdest extra is the introductions to the TV episodes in widescreen.  Each of the three TV episodes originally contained an intro and outro with Walt Disney himself.  During the restoration, they discovered they had been filmed in widescreen.  They restored those and stuck them here as a bonus.  What's weird is that each of the episodes contains the intro and outro, but in the full frame they were originally broadcast.  If they had the widescreen, why not just put it in the disc?

Unfortunately, it looks like Disney has underestimated the popularity of Dr. Syn.  The Disney Treasures set appears to already be sold out.

While not super well known today, Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh deserves to be.  This is a fun adventure story told with great acting and visuals.  I will enjoy this set for some time.