Author Archives: Bob Evans

San Diego Vintage SF : The Abominable Snowman

The Abominable Snowman Yeti handForgive the late posting on this but life does have a habit of getting in the way.
The past Saturday, July 11th, was this month’s meeting of San Diego Vintage SF. This month I brought a film to share, a DVD that my wife got for me as a birthday present, The Abominable Snowman (1957).
I first saw this film by way of Netflix when I was working my way through the Hammer Horror catalog and generally the ones with Peter Cushing. When I rented this film I did not have high expectations for it but I was pleasantly surprised. It is written by Nigel Kneale who had written a number of films that I throughly enjoyed including Quatermass and the Pit. (Known in the US generally as Five Million Years to Earth.) One of the best SF films out of Britain or anywhere for that matter. The Abominable Snowman was directed by Val Guest a number of films for hammer studios.
The story is about Dr Rollason a botanist and mountain climber who is on an expedition into the Himalayas to gather rare and unusual plants. He has his wife and a friend and associate Peter Fox along on his botanical expedition. Dr. Rollason has also contracted to lead another expedition high into the mountains to search for the mythical Yeti.
The Yeti expedition is lead by Thomas Friend (Forrest Tucker of F-Troop fame.) Tucker is quite credible as the mercenary and ruthless leader whose only concern is profit and clearing his name from a fraud that went badly.
The film can be dinged for being a bit talky, but I think the characters and the resolution of the story more than make up for this small flaw.
If you get a chance to see this film do so.

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The race to the bottom

No, this is not another political posting, this is a movie posting. It seems to me that there is a race going on. A race to who makes the least intelligent movies from Hollywood. We should ignore the low-budget direct to video stuff being made. That’s not what I am talking about. I’m talking about the A-list directors with tons and tons of money making films that would embarrass a comatose squirrel.
The two leading contenders for this prize are, Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich.
Michael Bay certainly has consistency on his side. In 2007 people referred to Transformers as the ‘Least Stupid’ Michael bay film. For consistently insulting his viewer’s intelligence Michael Bay is unequaled.
However, what Roland Emmerich lacks in consistency he makes up for in truly stupid scripts, ideas, and execution. Wether it is the archeology in 10,000 BC or the climate and weather science in The Day After Tomorrow his films set new standards for ignoring and destroying scientific thought.
In an effort to win the race and settle the question once and for all time, Roland Emmerich has apparently topped himself in stupidity. This summer we get the film 2012. Go watch the preview, I did at this past weekend’s San Diego Vintage SF meeting. (I’ll post about that soon.) We hooted and jeered at the spectacularly awful filme being hawked at us. Then Gerry, the host had a treat for us and one I am going to share with you.
The trailer for 2012 as it should have been cut.

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Sunday Night Movie: Goldfinger

goldfinger_l You need three films to establish a franchise and for James Bond the frnachise was established with a bang with the release of Goldfinger.

Based on the novel of the same name by Ian Flemming Goldfinger saw James Bond, agent 007, matching wits against international criminals Auric Goldfinger, Odd Job, and Pussy Galore and her all girl team of flying thieves. Suprisingly some of the more outraheous aspects of the book were deleted from the film version. (Quite the opposite of the Hollywood normally practice.)
This is the film that established many of the cliches that became a part of the Bond Franchise. The walk through Q-Section with gadgets and death all around, the realtionship between Bond and Q, the verbal sparing match with the lead villain were all established in this film.
Yes I am aware that Bond traded quips with Dr No in the film of the same name, but that occured in the final act of the film. In Goldfinger Bond encounters Godlfinger in Miami, againt on teh Glaf Course and of course in Switzerland in that most famous scene with the laser all before teh big climax in teh final act. The became a template and fianlly a formula for later Bond movies. As with all franchises, books or movies, when it devloves to formula it’s get tired old and bad.
I’m glad that the film-makers removed from the plot that Pussy galore was gay and turned straight simply because Bond was THAT good.
This is a film well worth watching and particularlly on Blu-Ray as I did.

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Not Only Liberals

It’s not only godless liberals who want Sarah Palin to depart from the political stage.

In television interviews she was out of her depth in a shallow pool. She was limited in her ability to explain and defend her positions, and sometimes in knowing them. She couldn’t say what she read because she didn’t read anything. She was utterly unconcerned by all this and seemed in fact rather proud of it: It was evidence of her authenticity. She experienced criticism as both partisan and cruel because she could see no truth in any of it. She wasn’t thoughtful enough to know she wasn’t thoughtful enough.


peg-noonanThat was Peggy Noonan. For those of you who don’t know her Peggy Noonan is currently a conservative columnist for the Wall Street Journal, a solid supporter of the Republican Party, and a former speech writer for Ronald Reagan. While Peggy Noonan and myself go our separate ways when it come to the Right-To-Life issues, there are many areas of agreement.

People who do not know me may assume from my frequent and sharp criticism of the GOP, Repiublicans, and the Conservative movement that my political leanings are to the left. This is not so. I personally favor small and less intrusive government. I think that many solutions can be found better in the private sector. I have a real repulsion to identity politics. For many years and several election cycles I voiced support and often voted for Republicans. (I have never voted a straight ticket for any party and I am very unlikely too.) My criticism of the right side of aisle develops from a greater expectation of that side. I am hurt and angry that the right has wandered off into a crazy land where image matters more than substance and that they have so casually abandoned their principles.

Peggy’s closing sentiments on why it is good that Palin should leave the political scene are dead on in my opinion.

It’s not a time to be frivolous, or to feel the temptation of resentment, or the temptation of thinking next year will be more or less like last year, and the assumptions of our childhoods will more or less reign in our future. It won’t be that way.

We are going to need the best.

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Best review Yet for Transformers: The Revenge Of The Fallen

megan I saw the first film, Transformers on Blu-ray just a few weeks ago and I had to agree with an assessment I had heard about it. “The least stupid Michael Bay film.”
Given that I have zero interest in seeing the new movie, but I have stumbled upon a rather delightful review of the film. This guy cracks up and I urge everyone to pay him a visit.

Could you sum up the film in one line of its dialogue?
“I am standing directly beneath the enemy’s scrotum.“

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Outrageous comment

The follow is the most outrageous comment I heard during Westercon 62.

From the panelist Jacqueline Lichtenberg
The arrival of Star Trek on national television is the most important event in the history of civilization since the invention of agriculture. It is a paraphrase but she said it.

yesh I like Star Trek but this is really creepy stalker fandom territory.

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The importance of detachment

About a week and a half ago I was in a spirited debate with a friend of mine about Conspiracy Movies. We had just seen a film that used a conspiracy as a central element of the film and that provoked the debate.
The energy levels of the debate increased when I took the position that The Manchurian Candidate (1962)was NOT a capital ‘C’ Conspiracy film.
On further reflection i realize that I was wrong in my position. Now I will admit that it does not feel like a Conspiracy film to me, but what it feels like and what it is are two different things. For many people the film 28 Days later is a Zombie film, even though the infected are not undead. Based upon the three criteria I outline in an essay on Zombie movies (1-Mindless, 2- communicable 3-Vast Numbers) this was a Zombie movie.
This incident brought to mind for me the importance of detachment in any form of analysis. Because I did not feel that The Manchurian Candidate was a Conspiracy Film like The International for example, I blinded myself to the sound arguments that it was in fact a Conspiracy Film. (Although The Manchurian Candidate is a rare GOOD Conspiracy Film.)
When you are getting emotionally involved in an argument, when it is close to your heart or feeling more than at any other time it is important to step back, draw a breath, and try to be objective.
This, I have learned, and I am sure I will have to re-learn too as I am only human.

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A little surprised

So this site has been up and active since about the end of May and I am little surprised at the amount of traffic I am getting. I really expected nothing until at least I sold a story to a national market of some kind, and even then I expected no traffic for a while.
I am right now averaging about 30 unique visitors per day. Now in terms of the internet that is nothing. It is not even a speck on the google-dar, but it is a lot more than I expected before any sales.

To those people dropping in, Welcome! Please feel free to poke around and read the stories in the trunk it is why they are there.

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