July 27th, 2002. Many things have happened this week.
One, Leo McKern, best known for playing the British barrister Rumpole died on the evening of July 22nd, 2002
at the age of 82. I miss him already even though I never met the guy. He has been in various movies from Ladyhawke and Help!,
and guest starred in the TV show THE PRISONER where he played number 2 in three episodes (two of them being the final two).
Two, The Time Machine remake came out this week on video with very little extras as in deleted scenes except one (and none
of the scenes where lines were cut). The movie had many fascinating ideas, but the ideas were poorly executed in the movie.
I could think of many ways to write a better movie of The Time Machine.
Three, I watched the five and a half minutes of highlights from HACK and the four minute highlight ad for ROBBERY HOMICIDE
DIVISION. HACK looks interesting, but ROBBERY HOMICIDE DIVISION looks cooler. RHD is from Michael Mann (the producer
of Miami Vice and director of such films as HEAT), and the show stars Tom Sizemore and Klea Scott as police detectives for
the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division. The show is filmed in high definition digital video and sometimes it looks like
the camera crew for COPS is tagging along from the way the night scenes are shot. I hope ROBBERY HOMICIDE DIVISION takes LAW
AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT from its #1 position! The four minutes I saw showed clips from two different cases. One involves
a guy who was shot and Sizemore figures out he was the intended target (and the stray bullets hit the other two). The scenes
then flicks to Sizemore and Scott showing up at some office where a woman is shredding documents. The show looks like it will
rock and it will definitely be more interesting than that SVU show who dont have the leads like RHD does! The show has the
grittiness that SVU lacks these days. It is going to be one great cop show!
Four, The summer is a long one as I wait almost two more months for the fall shows start. Luckily I have new episodes of
WITCHBLADE, new episodes of MURDER ROOMS, Are You Being Served Again?, COUPLING, NERO WOLF, and THE DEAD ZONE to watch during
the weekend from Saturday through Monday. I just wish the networks would get a clue and put something good on during the weekdays
during summer instead of repeats and reality shows!!! Stop it please and provide us with something we havent seen and want
to see!!! I hate it when the movie channels from Encore to Starz! To TNT to AMC to USA keep showing the same movies we have
seen too many times anyway. What about a better selection of movies and more movies? They wont listen as they pursue the ratings
which mean ad revenue. GRRRRRRRRR!
Five, I hope to have some interesting things to cover in my columns including my views on SOLARIS (the 1972 Russian sci-fi
movie) and reviews of several fall TV pilots. Stay tuned.
Six, I keep wanting to see BIRDS OF PREY!!! It looks like this show will definitely rock and it cant help if two of the
three female cast members are babes who can kick ass!!! I have seen the five minute promo and the new BP ad. This is
definitely one of the two shows I eagerly await for this fall (The other show is FIREFLY).
Seven, I rented DAGON and I say it isn't one of the best horror movies that Stuart Gordon has directed. Some interesting
things in the movie, but it fails to live up to such movies (he directed) as Re-Animator and Castle Freak.
Eight, I cant believe it is already the end of July. Have a better one.
