Sapphire And Steel Proves To Be One Of TV’s Most Underrated Sci-Fi Dramas

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/itv

Shout! Factory has made quite the name for itself in recent years by releasing some of the twentieth century’s greatest TV shows and movies.  Partnerships with variety of companies have resulted in the release of classic 90s Nicktoons and some equally beloved older movies including: The Producers, Swamp Thing, and They Live just to name a few.  While many of Shout! Factory’s releases in recent years have been relatively well known to American audiences, there have been those releases that are far more obscure.  Earlier this year, Shout! Factory partnered up with an Australian company to release the Dr. Who spinoff, K­–9: The Complete Series.  Now as the year winds down, Shout! Factory has partnered with British network itv to release another more obscure classic series in the form of Sapphire and Steel.  Sapphire and Steel was a show well ahead of its time.  An examination of its writing and production values proves this.  A side-by-side comparison with the likes of Fox’s hit sci-fi series The X–Files and Fringe shows just how far ahead of time Sapphire and Steel was in its original run from the late 70s into the 80s.    That comparison will prove in the grand scheme of things just how important Sapphire and Steel is today, despite its original short, roughly four-year run.

Sapphire and Steel was in its original run, one of very serials on the air at its time.  Other than soap operas, most networks during the 70s ran very few primetime serials.  This applies even with British television.  That aspect alone puts Sapphire and Steel far ahead of its time.  Putting it even far more ahead of its time is that despite audiences’ desire to compare the two, this series is nothing like its fellow British sci-fi series, Dr. Who.  The only concrete similarity that the two share is the fact that Sapphire and Steel are able to travel through time with ease as they investigate various cases.  Other than that, there are no similarities between the pair.  If anything Sapphire and Steel can be more easily compared to Fox’s The X–Files and Fringe.  All three shows see their main characters investigating experiences that defy any logical explanation.  In the case of Sapphire and Steel, audiences see its two main characters investigating most notable the case of a man who had the ability to trap people in photographs in one episode.  Another saw them investigating a haunted train station that was already being investigated by a self-proclaimed ghost hunter.  And in one of the most interesting of the short-lived series’ episodes, Sapphire and Steel have to deal with a pair of time travelers from the future.  The dialogue between the characters is simple enough for any viewer to follow.  And the music written in as a bed for each scene helps make each one even more gripping.  One must not forget the manner in which each episode ends, too.  The show’s writing staff made no bones about the fact that this show was a serial.  The semi-cliffhanger episode endings were expertly written.  They kept viewers really wanting to know what will happen next.  This is a tribute to the work put into each episode by the show’s writers even with each episode being split into so many episodes.  That writing made having so many episodes per story enjoyable, rather than annoying as some critics would like to believe.

The writing behind Sapphire and Steel is the series’ key point of success.  The show’s writers crafted stories that were largely unlike anything that other British, and even American dramas of the time were doing.  Also to be factored into the show’s importance is its production values.  The general production values of Sapphire and Steel are by today’s standards rather low grade.  However, when one looks at the production values in a larger picture, those behind the show used what they had at the time.  The result is that it led the show to rely on its writing and acting for its success.  That’s not to say that in hindsight the special effects are low budget.  There is something about the show’s production values that in comparison to so many of today’s TV shows and movies that makes one appreciate them.  Today’s movies and TV shows are so over the top in terms of their production values that it makes them feel boring.  Classics such as this show though, have more substance.  It uses the production values as a companion tool to the writing, thus giving audiences a truly full viewing experience.  Whether one is familiar with Sapphire and Steel or not, it proves with its combination of solid writing and its production values that it’s a show that any sci-fi fan should see at least once.  Perhaps in doing so, said viewers will gain a new appreciation for not just the one show, but classic science fiction television and film making as a whole.  Sapphire and Steel is available now on DVD in stores and online.  It can be ordered direct from the Shout! Factory online store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/catalog/search/?uc_search_word=Sapphire%20and%20Steel.  More information on this and other titles from Shout! Factory is available online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial.

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From Up On Poppy Hill Stands Out Successfully Among The Anime Masses

Courtesy: Studio Ghibli/GKids

From Up On Poppy Hill is a surprisingly interesting work from Hayao Miyazaki.  This latest re-issue of the story from one of the masters of modern Japanese anime stands out among the masses as it strays from the typically standard fantasy tales to which viewers have become accustomed from the anime film genre.  It also boasts an equally surprisingly enjoyable soundtrack.  And thanks to the new Special Edition re-issue, fans of this modern anime classic will get even more out of the story than in any previous release.  When set next to the other factors that play into the movie’s success, they come together to make a movie that any anime fan will appreciate no less with each watch.

The most commonly held belied about the anime genre is that its stories are centered in fantastical worlds with stories of equal level fantasy.  From Up On Poppy Hill completely breaks that mold, opting instead for a more real world situation that is sure to keep even the least of anime fans engaged throughout the story’s toughly ninety-minute run time.  The story in question centers on two young high school teenagers living in Yokohama, Japan in 1963.  Both children had lost their fathers when they were much younger.  This leads to a long-held secret that shocks both youths.  And because of just how real the situation is, it will surprise viewers just as much.  The reality of the story makes it so much easier for viewers to suspend their disbelief in watching the story unfold.  Audiences will appreciate the included booklet with story notes written by both Hayao Miyazaki that is included with the upcoming Special Edition re-issue of the movie.  The booklet in question adds even more insight into the movie, and is highly recommended reading before watching the movie.  It’s just one of the bonus features included in the Special Edition re-issue that anime fans will find to be an especially worthwhile addition to the overall package.  It explains both the original story’s concept and its evolution into the story that viewers will have before them in the movie’s Special Edition.

The story behind From Up On Poppy Hill is a very touching and moving tale.  Despite the fact that its main characters are teens, even adults will appreciate the story of the two youths who were ironically enough brought together as a result of a war that tore apart so many families’ lives.  It makes for one of Miyazaki’s more interesting stories.  Just as interesting as the story is the story’s soundtrack.  The largely swing-jazz heavy soundtrack is quite surprising considering the music that backs most of the film maker’s other works.  It fits, though.  This story came right on the early edge of the 1960s.  So the jazz movement that marked the 1950s still had some life.  It adds one more extra touch to a story that already stands out among so many other anime features and helps to make the movie that much more worth the watch.

The music and the story together work quite well in keeping viewers engaged from start to end in From Up On Poppy Hill.  There is one more aspect of the movie’s upcoming re-issue that anime fans will appreciate in taking in this modern anime classic.  That aspect is the collective bonus features included in the movie’s Special Edition.  The Special Edition includes not only the movie on DVD and blu-ray, but also in both English and its original Japanese presentation.  There is also an interview with director Goro Miyazaki included in the set’s bonus features that will both entertain and enlighten viewers.  In the nearly twenty-minute interview, Miyazaki discusses the comparison of the Yokohama that was created in this movie versus the real one.  He laughs as he discusses how those that lived in the real Yokohama disputed so many of the designs intended for the movie.  It leaves him laughing.  And it will leave viewers laughing, too.  In one of the interview’s more moving moments, he becomes introspective in discussing what life must have been like for those that lived in the real Yokohama during the 1960s.  He discusses the importance of getting a feel and respect for what life back then was like.  It shows that while Miyazaki has a sense of humor, he also is human and has emotions.  That would explain why From Up On Poppy Hill is more than just another anime movie.  It’s a movie that although it’s anime, has heart and is worth at least one watch whether one is an anime fan or not.  It will be available September 3^rd from GKids and Studio Ghibli and can be pre-ordered via Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Poppy-Hill-Blu-ray-Combo-Pack/dp/B00CSYRHG6/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1377654658&sr=1-2&keywords=from+up+on+poppy+hill.  Audiences can find out about even more films from GKids online once they’ve pre-ordered From Up On Poppy Hill at http://www.facebook.com/GKidsfilms and http://www.gkids.tv/films.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Shadow People Less Horror, More Thriller

Courtesy: Anchor Bay Entertainment

The paranormal is big business in the entertainment industry.  Countless movies and television shows have been made centered on different ghost stories since the dawn of the motion picture.  So many in fact that sometimes it seems nearly as difficult to differentiate one from another as it is to tell one pop star from another on the radio.  With the abundance of movies that fill the paranormal/ghost story genre, one can only ask how one makes a movie that can both entertain and truly scare audiences at a time when audiences are becoming increasingly desensitized to horror and ghost stories.  For the answer, just ask Writer/Director Matthew Arnold and co-writer Travis Rooks.  The pair has crafted in the new movie, Shadow People a story that while it may not be a major theatrical release, it is an interesting presentation.

Shadow People is one part X-Files, one part The Ring, and one part Blair Witch Project,  it tells the story of radio host Charlie Camfield (Dallas Roberts) and how he was pulled into a dark world (no pun intended) late one night on the air.  Charlie was the host of a late night radio talk show that handled any number of subjects from its callers.  But one night, a young seventeen year old caller turned his world upside down with a call about a paranormal experience that he was having.  At first Charlie doesn’t believe the caller.  But when the young man calls a second time, things take a turn that change Charlie forever, thus leading Charlie on an increasingly disturbing journey into a world in which most people don’t believe.

The disbelief of the general population about the world of the paranormal is openly highlighted in this movie.  And it’s one part of what makes the movie worth at least one watch.  Even Charlie himself tries to explain away what is going on at first.  But as he delves deeper into the subject of the “Shadow People”, he sees that some things can’t be explained away scientifically.  On the other end of the spectrum, those with whom he stood still stand their ground, increasingly looking down their noses at Charlie.  It echoes the view that the general public has about the paranormal.  Unless it has happened to them, then they don’t believe it and they consider believers to be some sort of “nut job.”  It is this attempt at factual storytelling that will keep any horror movie fan watching throughout the course of the movie’s roughly hour and a half run time.

Speaking of the scientific side of things, Arnold and Rook also do a good job of exhibiting that side.  As already noted, they do a good job of showing the attitudes of those who don’t believe less for scientific reasons than for general disbelief.  Though, the explanation of sleep paralysis and the placebo effect are spot on from the scientific side of disbelievers, too.  Sleep paralysis is typically known in scientific circles as a dream state of sorts.  It is most commonly associated with the deepest level of REM sleep.  The body’s muscles are so relaxed and weak at this point that the body can’t move.  That combined with the brain’s functions lead to the belief that something is holding them down.  Most commonly, it is believed that the force holding them down is an evil spirit.  This is also explained through the movie.

The movie’s attempt at factual storytelling makes Shadow People a movie worth at least once watch.  Also making it interesting is the inclusion of actual footage from the real life Charlie Camfield and those involved in the case which Charlie was studying.  Also included is what is allegedly footage from the CDC explaining the scientific side of things.  This supposedly real footage gives the movie something of a Blair Witch Project vibe about it, but far less cheesy.  In its own way, the included footage reminds audiences that they are watching a movie.  And in turn, that reminder actually helps establish suspension of disbelief, thus making the movie that much more bearable.  Along with Arnold and Rook’s attempts at factual storytelling, it proves Shadow People to be a story that while it might not be a theatrical release, is still a good ghost story that stands more than a “shadow” of a chance of success.  And yes, that pun was intended.

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