Robin of Loxley is chosen by the mystical Herne the Hunter to become his 'son' and champion the oppressed. Gathering a band of comrades around him he fights a guerilla campaign against their Norman dictators, particularly the Sheriff of Nottingham and his deputy, Guy of Gisburne. Robin of Sherwood is a show that takes the classic tale we all know and reimagines it, interweaving it with atmospheric mysticism. At its core, it holds a much more supernatural presence when compared with other interpretations of the myth. I was certainly intrigued by this choice, which only grew exponentially with each episode that delved into it further. It was undoubtedly a superb idea to incorporate it within such a rich story, whilst managing to equally share in historical accuracy. Alongside the magical aspects of the show, I was equally invested in the focus on developing intricate backstories for its characters. Naturally, being a series would give each member of the loveable outlaw group the time to grow and be thoroughly explored over its hour-long episodic adventures. Of course, we know the characters from the tale, but I really appreciated that this show gave us deeper looks into these already beloved figures, allowing us to grow closer to these versions. I would go as far as to say that this variation of the group of outlaws is my favourite of any Robin Hood adaptation. Michael Praed was a true stand-out as the titular rebel leader Robin, who was perfectly cast alongside Judi Trott's Marion, who is stunningly beautiful and becomes a skilled fighter upon joining the band. The rest of the crew, of course, features Little John a once-bewitched giant who loves to show off his strength and have a laugh, Will Scarlet is the grumpy fighter who loves nothing more than to get in the thick of the action, Friar Tuck watches out for the Lady Marion and holds the team together through their darkest moments, Much is Robin's foster brother a bumbling fighter and lookout and finally, Nasir a Saracen professional assassin freed from an equal spell like John. These depictions of the classic and new characters were fantastically acted by their respective actors and I loved seeing the formation of this unlikely unity of outsiders as well as their later adventures. Guiding them on their quests, is Herne the Hunter, the mystical forest-dwelling spirit who instructs Robin in leading his group in favour of returning peace to the land. The third and final season saw the replacement of Praed's Robin with Jason Connery as Robin of Huntington, though brief, his performance was not remotely on par with Praed and wasn't as favoured by fans. Opposing our heroic band is the Sherrif of Nottingham, Robert De Rainault a ruthless and harsh ruler who seeks the ultimate demise of Robin and his band, caring only for further power and riches. He commands Sir Guy of Gisburne who equally shares his sentiment of the rebels and is frequently pinned against Robin on countless episodes though always failing to capture the outlaw. The Sherrif and Gisburne were easily the highlight of the series and utterly phenomenal villains. You can't help but love them. I am sent to hysterical laughter whenever the Sherrif loses his temper with Gisburne as his performance takes on a theatre-like presence. Another highlight of the series was the action. There are some envigorating duels scattered throughout the show with so many flashy sword fights (mainly delivered by Nasir) to bow and arrow standoffs. There is plenty of exciting action to captivate viewers over the countless breathtaking on-location sets like the towering lush green forests. The final component to this shows magnificence is the music by Clannad. Their mixture of folk-based sounds, harmonies and synth make for a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that is inimitable, which fits the series perfectly as the equal mixture of old and 'modern'. Overall, Robin of Sherwood is my absolute favourite depiction of the Robin Hood legend. It has so many exceptional qualities from the cast, characters, music, action and stories that make it such a delight. It has received a steady fan base who revere it extensively. I heartedly recommend this to all fantasy and Robin Hood enthusiasts.
In Austria 1938, Captain Georg Von Trapp, a widower, runs his home like the ship he once commanded although, that changes when Maria arrives from the abbey to be his seven children's new governess. She is surprised to learn she's the latest in a long line of governesses seen off by the children, but Maria soon finds that all they need is a little love to change their attitudes. She helps reintroduce them to singing, and through her, music is brought back into the hearts and home of the Trapp family. The Sound of Music is undoubtedly one of the most significant musicals of all time and the most beloved. It has not only firmly remained a classic after all these years but still looks phenomenal now. Its visuals are breathtaking with a superb direction that brings us countless beautiful shots. Whether it be the sweeping shots of the luscious mountain landscapes or even the mere stills of such grandiose locations as the villa and festival stage, this film is inundated with stunning imagery worthy of a theatrical presence. Further shaping the movie are those in the foreground, Maria and the Von Trapp family. We follow Maria who leaves her life in the abbey as a nun to aid the family of Captain Von Trapp. I adored these characters whose interactions and moments together were extremely captivating and brought to such life by their respective actors/actresses. Julie Andrews (Maria) has such a magnificent singing voice that elevates every scene to peak delight which, only blossoms greater when combined with the children, Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl. There are a plethora of songs throughout in which to hear their exquisite voices with so many memorable classics from 'My Favourite Things', 'The Sound of Music', 'Do-Re-Mi', 'The Lonely Goatherd', 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen', 'So Long, Farewell' and more. The songs have even surpassed the movie becoming so universally known that people who haven't even seen it likely know them. Plus, there are plenty more songs featured like those from the Nuns and Mother Abbess with 'Maria' and 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain'. However, the ones I was most captivated and surprised by were from that of Christopher Plummer (The Captain). He has such a voice I was simply blown away by his performance and subsequent songs, with my favourite being the somewhat emotional 'Edelweiss'. As well as being so captivating in terms of the music, each was equally so in the story. Now, the movie is based upon the real story of the Von Trapp family singers, however, naturally, there have been alterations to the cinematic telling, which comes in at a pretty lengthy timestamp. Although, when I watched it again recently I hardly noticed. There wasn't any feeling of it dragging or taking too long. So it comes as no surprise when I say I loved the story. I most enjoyed watching Maria attempt to connect with the children who make the matter difficult as they try scaring her off like previous governesses as they hope to gain their father's attention. However, she finally gets through to them rejuvenating that sense of joy as they come to share an unbreakable bond that also befalls the Captain, who had suffered the worst from the incident. However, the Captain is now engaged to the Baroness, which causes some conflict inside Maria who, without meaning to, has grown a liking to him also. One of the most noteworthy aspects of this movie is its setting. Anyone who noticed the year would immediately make the troublesome connection. Underlying a constant background feeling of dread with the imminent takeover by the Nazis looming. There are hints of this change throughout with it being a topic brought up gradually until it consumes the picture leaving the family to make a difficult decision. Overall, The Sound of Music is a production I and many others consider to be flawless. It manages to convey countless emotions through varying elements like its songs, acting and story, which is tremendously visceral. It is a feature perfect for the whole family certain to captivate you, make you sing and warm your heart. An integral movie to the world of cinema, everyone should experience.
Theorising that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap Accelerator and vanished. He awoke and found himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home. Quantum Leap is an exceptionally creative series, which built such a limitless potential premise. A time-travelling scientist who becomes random people of the past with a problem (or has the potential to help with someone else's issue), which he tries to put right. I was instantly sold on the show from its time travel aspect and matched with the idea of someone jumping into other people's lives to change history was a fascinating concept. We follow Sam Beckett, the man behind the Quantum Leap project, who upon activating is now confined to leaping between lives until he can make his way home. Throughout these travels he finds himself hurtled into a vast array of peculiar predicaments, becoming people of any profession, age, colour, culture, religion, background and even the opposite sex. It opens the floodgates of possibilities as he is thrown into situations he couldn't have comprehended or prepared for. From a test pilot, priest, singer, boxer, hit man, archaeologist, reporter, secretary, vet, chauffer, detective, magician, stuntman to a DJ, the list goes on as to the many special situations Sam will find himself leading. I especially love how with each leap Sam's reflections aren't his own, but those he has become since after all it's their body he is in. The best part of this detail would be during the end of an episode where he leaps and we get a peek into the next adventure. It led to plenty of intriguing cliffhangers, leaving viewers to theorise what wacky situation would follow from the snippet of his new life. Aiding Sam in these difficult tasks is Al, a friend from the 'present day' who can communicate with Sam by means of a hologram only he can witness. By far, Al is my favourite character mainly due to his comic relief and his fashionable dress sense. I equally love the effects used as he passes through objects or people due to his holographic state, which was both funny and useful in the situations at hand. Despite being a hologram and viewable to only Sam, there is a small set of occasions where other people could see him (mainly little children and animals), which delivered some highlight moments in the series. He has Sam's back through all his hardships and uses his gadgets to communicate with Ziggy (a computer A.I. built by Sam to run the project) to access history records as well as theorise how best to guide Sam to accomplish his task. However, Al doesn't always have the stomach for some of the leaps especially being very superstitious, scaring easily when things turn spooky. Their relationship was a stand-out element to the series, because whilst they may have very contrasting personalities and views they care deeply about one another, working together through thick and thin. Personally, I found the earlier part of the show to be its best particularly the first season, which explored the potential of the show and delivered some poignant character-driven stories that would carry onward to the rest of the series. The later seasons would feature some ambitious and unusual episodes that were quite interesting but none more so than its finale entry. Despite being somewhat controversial it gives the series a definitive conclusion that many shows of the time wouldn't have usually gotten. Overall, Quantum Leap is yet another quality series from the 80s and 90s. It delights in transporting us, alongside Sam, into a wide variety of stories and adventures with each episode. Its ability to take us through different decades and see into a plethora of lives is as equally fascinating as entertaining. I highly recommend this unique classic to all TV enthusiasts.
Three middle-aged distinguished gentlemen search for some excitement in their boring bourgeois lives and are approached by Lord Courtley who offers them an experience like no other. They don't yet fully realise he is one of Count Dracula's servants. They perform a ritual that goes awry resulting in the three men killing Courtley. However, the Count is successfully resurrected and now seeks revenge on each man for his servant's death. Following on from Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968), we open to the scene of Dracula's demise, however, this time featuring a new angle. Travelling businessman, Weller is thrown from his carriage and alerted by horrifying screams, leading him to the frightful sight. Witnessing the body turn to dust, Weller collects the robe, jewellery and a vial of blood for good measure (as any sane person would). We are then introduced to three gentlemen: William Hargood, Samuel Paxton and Jonathon Secker who are deemed 'respectable' figures in the community, devoted to charity work. But, in actuality, they head to brothels leading a secret life in an attempt to escape their dull lives. Upon our initial meeting of the group, I was quite shocked to see the true nature of their so-called work. Admittedly, it was an interesting aspect to explore the double life led by supposed upholding citizens. These men are certainly unlikable, which the actors did a phenomenal job at portraying as they revel in their ingenuity. Of the three men, I found Hargood the most disagreeable. His actions were horrendous, like his punishing of his daughter, Alice, when drunk for no good reason. Still dissatisfied in their lives, they meet Lord Courtley, a man known for partaking in acts such as a Black Mass. Intrigued by what he offers, they follow him to Weller's store to purchase Dracula's items and powdered blood. Meeting at an abandoned church, they begin the ritual, which entails (you guessed it) drinking the blood of Dracula. It is a pretty disgusting scene though likely nothing extreme by Hammer's standards but by all accounts, it was still a sick concept to witness. Although, when they each back out, Courtley drinks alone, falling to the floor in pain, begging for help. The frightened men instead beat him to death putting him out of his misery and flee the scene moments before Courtley's body morphs into none other than Dracula. Now risen a fourth time, he seeks revenge once more this time on those who killed his servant. It is interesting to note, that the original script featured no Dracula at all. There were difficulties in getting Christopher Lee to return and Courtley's character would've been a generic vampire upon his death, for the antagonist. Lee later agreed to star in the production and yet analysing the film closely it appears Dracula has less to do in the story and acts as more of an observer to the events, likely since he wasn't in the script, having to be worked in. Dracula's plan for revenge here is certainly a twisted one. Controlling and possessing the children of the gentlemen and using them towards each's demise is a very dark concept that explores the pure evil cunning of our Count. One by one, he gets a hold of the offspring of each perpetrator and sets in motion the means to their deaths. Whilst never acting upon the individuals himself, he commands the children to deal the blows, ultimately committing the deed and counting them off at a time in his bone-chilling voice, "The First", "The Second" and "The Third". Despite his triumph, Dracula is unaware Paxton's son Paul (not to be confused with the last film) is informed of the whole ordeal by Secker by letter and now sets in motion his defeat. Though we don't spend much time with Paul, his scenes towards the end are great with the de-sanctification of the derelict church and battle with the overwhelmed Dracula by the sights and cross. Overall, Taste the Blood is personally one of my lesser favourites mainly due to not being as memorable. I still enjoyed many aspects, especially Dracula's vendetta and the final confrontation plus, Lee is outstanding, alongside the fellow cast members. It's still a worthy watch in the series. For more, see the unconnected sequel Scars of Dracula (1970).
One year after the destruction of Dracula, Monsignor Ernest Mueller visits the village to ensure that all is well. He learns that the locals no longer attend mass because the shadow of Dracula's castle touches the church. They feel the castle still contains evil. To alleviate their fears, the Monsignor performs an exorcism of the castle to rid it of all evil. The local village priest, however, accidentally reawakens the frozen Dracula, who now seeks revenge on Monsignor Mueller, targeting his niece Maria. Risen from the Grave is the fourth instalment in the Hammer Dracula franchise, set a year after the events of Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966). The movie begins, however, with a short segment acting as a flashback, although never actually put across as such. The scene shows one of Dracula's victims' fate, which plays heavily into the later reasoning for the villager's abandonment of the church. We are introduced to our semi-protagonist, the Monsignor, who is shocked to discover the attitude shared towards the church and the power the castle still holds over them. There are many parallels here with Prince of Darkness, even the part where he knows Dracula is no longer there despite everybody still believing so and he shames them all. The Monsignor puts in motion a plan to exorcise the castle in hopes of alleviating their fears, taking a large golden cross with him, accompanied by the local priest. Whilst the Monsignor performs the act, the priest (yes, that's all he's called) accidentally falls during an immense storm, where he comes face to face with the frozen Dracula. The resurrection scene is always a fascinating sequence, as we await to see how he will return, though I found this one to be somewhat far-fetched, personally. Nevertheless, our badly dubbed priest has unwillingly brought back Dracula, and Christopher Lee again but this time, with a new notable difference. He talks! Not only do we finally, get to hear the masterful voice of Lee, but it's the most he has spoken so far, even featuring some lines during his beast-like state. Taking hold of the priest, Dracula makes him his servant in a revenge-centered mission he hunts the man who barred him from his home. Whilst Dracula regains his strength, we meet our main protagonist, Paul, a baker at the pub who happens to be the boyfriend of Maria, the Monsignor's niece. The pair share some great chemistry and likely hold the place as one of my favourite couples we encounter in this series. It is this very night Maria plans to introduce Paul to her family, which doesn't go completely as planned as Paul's habit of telling the truth causes him to admit he is an atheist, displeasing the Monsignor. Whilst this could be overlooked as a throwaway scene, albeit a fantastic one, this plays well into the theme and focus of the film, religion. Dracula's existence has always been an attack on religion and this movie thoroughly explored this, especially on a physical level with him attacking the Monsignor, turning the priest into his servant, desecrating the church and so forth. It was equally fascinating to see his main adversary be an atheist who is sent into the turmoil of figuring out his own beliefs, shown tremendously in the staking sequence. It is a highly regarded scene among fans, where due to his lack of religion, the act doesn't quite go as you would expect, exploring a whole new aspect to the staking scenes. Dracula is phenomenal in this film, continuing to deliver an imposing presence aided by the creative lens shots of director Francis. There are a tons of brilliant moments from Dracula who leaps across rooftops and crashes through windows. Equally notable are his biting scenes, like his first victim and later follower, waitress Zena, to his attempts at getting Maria. However, Paul does all he can to prevent Maria's taking, culminating in a frantic battle, resulting in a truly astounding demise. Overall, Risen from the Grave is another superb sequel in the series that so aptly named, rises the Count once more for a frightful vengeance-driven endeavour, battling religion whilst being fought by a non-beliver. I truly loved how creative this film's story was, making for a notable entry. See the next production, Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970).
"Ray" is a shadowy, enigmatic character with no traceable past. People in trouble often come to him for help, since he has a lot of important and powerful contacts. He refuses to be paid for his services; however, those seeking his assistance must promise him a favour. Sometime in the future, Ray will come to collect on that favor usually to aid him in another case. Stingray is a show that quite frankly took me by surprise and left me completely amazed. As I have stated many times I am a huge fan of the 1980s so naturally this show came up on my radar and it was no exception to fueling my admiration for the decade. The show shares plenty of similarities or themes recognisable in other 80s products such as Knight Rider (TV Series 1982-1986) being a man with no identity with a sleek black car or The A-Team (TV Series 1983-1987) being an aid for hire to those in need. All the while sharing similar elements Stingray holds its own identity, which it has undoubtedly ascertained over a plethora of attributes, starting with our lead. Despite having no official name, everyone refers to him as Ray on account of his car a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and even at times people simply call him Stingray. Ray is a man of many skills that he relies on to complete his mission, like for instance, his competence in martial arts, which he uses against the countless oppositions he faces. He is equally an exceptional driver and has a knack for hiding his true identity, especially from officials like police or other members of the government. Being so highly trained, Ray can adaptively overcome the struggles placed before him and persevere till he helps his clients with their unique problems. One of the most engaging aspects of the show was the problems Ray is called upon for. There are many varying situations throughout the show that Ray must overcome from rescuing kidnapped individuals, locating missing people, investigating strange activities, infiltrating dangerous areas, stopping murderers and so on. In most cases it sounds pretty by-the-mill type scenarios to get hired for however this show makes them feel fresh and different. Although intersected among those styles of episodes are ones that are so unique and out-of-the-box crazy that it hooks you immediately before anything is even laid out. From a young client flipping like a switch and trying to kill Ray at the start of an episode, an infected man dying at Ray's house dragging him into a near horrific virus outbreak or someone driving a similar Stingray model car killing Ray's potential clients pretending to be him. These episodes where someone doesn't even hire him and he is drawn unwillingly into a perilous mystery are utterly thrilling. Equally, some episodes take new approaches in their storytelling like an episode where an old lady novelist writes a story that perfectly details the events of Ray's current mission. Just as the episodes take a fresh and out-of-the-box approach, so does every other department in its construction. I am mainly referring to the style of directing and cinematography on display. Throughout this show I was frankly entranced by the experimental camera angles, shots and editing present that was like something I had never seen before. It felt different almost like a student testing and experimenting with their methods on a project and I was intrigued. I would sit in awe as the directors took me on a journey to new heights in filmmaking. Be that as it may, some pieces can be a bit disorienting but even they lended to this distinctive style. Finally, I have to talk about the theme tune and intro. It is phenomenal. It is extreme 80s at its finest with a catchy tune to boot and a fantastic lineup of flashy imagery to get you pumped. Overall, I absolutely adore Stingray and I simply can't believe how many people haven't seen or heard of it before. I was thoroughly gripped by this series and consider myself so fortunate to have stumbled upon it. Everything on display from Ray to the car, the intro, the fighting, the action, is all extremely cool and just awesome. Plus all 25 episodes of the show are available on YouTube for free, making for some ideal and accessible viewing thanks to FilmRise Television.
