WandaVision,”Don’t Touch That Dial”, review!

WandaVision had an awkward start, but this second episode could have been a better beginning without losing anything!  The second episode is written by Gretchen Enders.  She wrote episodes of Queen America.  There is a recap of last episode, but most of the information is also seen in this episode. A little sitcom music when we get the bedroom of Wanda and Vision, there is a startling noise that wakes up Wanda.  In typical sitcom fashion, their tiny beds are spaced apart, Vision is asleep with a night mask.  Wanda uses her hex powers to flick on the light next to Vision.  He wakes up and checks out the window.  Vision only sees Wanda’s rose bushes.  She asks him, “Are you using your night vision, Vision?”  Funny.  There is another banging on the house that has Vision jump into his bed.  Of course, both characters are super heroes, but this is sitcom funny.  He notes at work there were some “unsavory characters” that moved into the neighborhood.  

Frightened again, Wanda uses her powers to bring their beds together.  She hexes the curtain open and sees tree leaves hitting the window.  Wanda zaps a large bed sheet and Vision has them under cover!  The noise seems to be reality breaking through whatever is controlling Wanda, she is the key to this strange world.  Now, we get the sitcom cartoon opening, Wanda and Vision flying to a billboard of Westview so we finally get a setting.  Shopping, Wanda sees her new neighbor.  At work, Vision is with his co-worker Norm by the water cooler.   Then, we get Vision practicing magic with a black coat and top hat.  He tries to bring in the Cabinet of Mysteries that is finally rolled out by Wanda.  It has the Vision symbol of the Mind Stone with rays.  They are performing for the talent show.  Vision introduces himself as Illusion and his assistant is Glamor.  Illusion and Glamor are the name of characters, Ilya and Glynis Zarkov, magicians with super powers, in Vision and Scarlet Witch #4 (1986).  

Elizabeth Olsen has fun reacting to going into the cabinet as Illusion talks about the disappearing trick.  Wanda claps as the wall flips back.  She replies to Vision’s question about the act, “In a real magic act, everything is fake.”  He takes out her assistant costume.  Vision is going to a security meeting at the library.  Wanda is fluffing up a pillow and hears the banging again.  She goes outside and sees a very colorful, red and yellow helicopter toy in the rose bush.  It has the S.W.O.R.D. logo that we glimpsed at the end of last episode.  In the comics, S.W.O.R.D. is Sentient World Observation and Response Department, that deals with extraterrestrial threats.  It was introduced in Astonishing X-Men #6 (2004) written by Joss Whedon.  Wanda is surprised by her neighbor, Agnes, and drops the toy.  She has brought over a pet rabbit in a cage for the magic act.  Agnes greets the post office worker, Dennis (Amos Glick), while Wanda drops off the rabbit.

  

Wanda rejoins Agnes and she is taken to “Queen Cul-de-Sac”, Dottie, who controls everything in the town.  Dottie (Emma Caufield Ford) walks out with the other ladies for a poolside party.  She is a well known genre actress known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Wanda imitates Dottie stirring her drink.  Bev (Jolene Purdy) is giving a presentation about her store’s donation to the talent show.  She has forgotten chairs to the displeasement of Dottie.  Another lady, Geraldine (Teyonah Parris) compliments Wanda’s pants.  Parris was in the drama If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).  We know she has a different identity, but she is a bit confused in this reality.  Dottie brings up that the talent show is “For the children”, a strange, cultish phrase repeated by all of the ladies.  Strangely, none of them seem to be parents, there is no young kids in Westview.   Wanda and Geraldine introduce themselves which doesn’t make Dottie happy.  At the Westview Public Library, Vision rushes in, he sees a group of men and asks if they are the Neighborhood Watch Meeting.   

He sees Norm there who tries to tell him it’s a “members only meeting.”  Vision slips in anyway and makes the others uncomfortable when he says he doesn’t eat. Then, he says that Norm is a Communist, which makes everyone laugh.  Herb (David Payton) gives Vision a stick of gum, Big Red, and Vision takes it to fit in.  Herb laughs and hits Vision on the back which leads to a cartoon of the gum going down Vision’s throat and messing with the machine work in his stomach. Later, Wanda is taking away the dishes for Dottie who is suspicious about the new couple.  The radio is acting strangely, the Beach Boys song is changed to “Help Me Wanda”, they hear a voice asking, “Who is doing this to you Wanda?”  The radio explodes and Dottie shatters the glass she is holding.  Her hand is covered with very red blood.  Wanda gets a napkin to wipe away the blood, but Dottie just wants to wash the napkin.  Then, we get a commercial of a man in a tuxedo with a lady and he shows off his Strucker watch, Baron von Strucker was the supervillain who experimented on Wanda and her brother, Pietro, in The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).  The watch clearly has the HYDRA symbol.  A hint that he still has power over Wanda?  

Geraldine is behind the curtain as the talent show goes on in a gazebo.  Wanda is nervous in her magician’s assistant outfit.  Vision stumbles in with his coat and top hat.  Bettany has some funny playing a gummed up Vision.  Dottie introduces the final act for the children, again this is chanted by everyone.  Vision stumbles out, confused, and starts to float off the ground!  The townspeople are stunned until Wanda hexes up a rope pulley system behind him.  Vision’s attempt at magic gets applause until finally the Cabinet of Mysteries.  He has Wanda outside when Herb starts the chant, “What’s in the box?” Wanda hexes Geraldine inside of the cabinet.  Wanda then uses her power to remove the gum.  Dottie announces that they have won the Comedy Performance of the Year.  Vision and Wanda return home and find that she is pregnant!  They hear the banging again and go out into the night.  Out of a grate in the middle of the street comes a beekeeper with a dark face!  Wanda rewinds back to their announcement and they kiss.  Wanda finds that Vision’s face now is purple and then the rest of the house transforms into color!  WandaVision has some mystery, a little comedy, and a secret!    

Four Mind Stones out of Five!

#WandaVision, #DontTouchThatDial, #EmmaCaufieldFord, #TeyonahParris 

Happy Birthday Tom Baker!

Happy Birthday Tom Baker!  One of his early roles was in the Ray Harryhausen fantasy film, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) where he played the sorcerous Koura.  Then, he took the iconic part of the Fourth Doctor in Doctor Who (1974-1981).  I will say he is my Doctor since I grew up with the Tom Baker Doctor with the long scarf and floppy hat.  He took the part of Sherlock Holmes in the BBC mini-series The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982).  Baker was Puddleglum, the guide to the Narnia children, in the BBC adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair.  

He finally completed the Doctor Who episode, Shada, written by Douglas Adams, in 1992 and in 2017, it was completed with animation.  In 1997, he wrote an autobiography, Who on Earth is Tom Baker?   In 2000, he played the elf Halvarth in the film of the game, Dungeons & Dragons. Baker narrated several video games and also the series Little Britain (2003-2006).  He also voiced The Bendu in the animated series, Star Wars: Rebels (2016-2017).  In 2019, Tom Baker consulted on a Doctor Who novel, Scratchman, with Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan.  Baker read the book for BBC Audio.  “Would you like a Jelly Baby?”  Yes!, this Jelly Baby is for you Doctor!  Happy Birthday Tom Baker!   

#TomBaker, #GoldenVoyageofSinbad, #DoctorWho, #Scratchman

Future State: Wonder Woman #1 Review!

Future State is the run of DC titles after Dark Nights: Death Metal, they disappear fast on the comic shelves!, and one of the standouts is Future State: Wonder Woman!  The first issue was released on January 5th, check for availability!  Future State has spun out of Dark Nights: Death Metal #7, the last issue of the event series, by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo with other artists.  It has the destruction of worlds faced by Wonder Woman in Lasso of Truth armor and the Batman Who Laughs, two entities who struggle through time and space.  She destroys him in the death sun at the end of the universe.  Then, we see the Golden Age Wonder Woman meet with Wonder Woman and they head to the future to ascend.  Then, on The Totality station above the Moon, heroes and villains working together see visions of Future State including Yara Flor, the Brazilian Wonder Woman in a world without Diana.  

The story and art of Future State: Wonder Woman by Joelle Jones.  She co-wrote and provided art for her creation, Lady Killer, for Dark Horse, Jones drew art for the limited series, Supergirl: Being Super, and provided the one of the covers for Wonder Woman #750.  The cover of Future State: Wonder Woman #1 by Jones has Yara Flor in her golden armor pieces, red and grey suit, running with a golden boldeadoras, a lasso with two bolas, with a jungle background.  There is also an Adam Hughes variant cover for Wonder Woman 1984.  In the Amazon rainforest, Yara moves through leaves, sunlight is patterned on her face.  Excellent work by colorist Jordie Bellaire.  We don’t get an origin story for Yara Flor, there really isn’t need for one yet.  Some dragon-like creature roars at her, but is no match for Wonder Woman’s sword.  There is mention of Zeus and Tupa.  Then, there is a two page splash of Wonder Woman standing over the creature.  Still, the creature rises again like a hydra!  Yara calls out for Jerry while she fights it.  

There is a pegasus, Jerry, quietly drinking from a river while the battle goes on.  Yara gives a whistle for it.  Jerry finally appears and picks up the falling Wonder Woman.  She dives down with Jerry to pull her sword free.  Out of the jungle is a warthog with what looks like a forest spirit, Caipora, a young girl riding it.  Her name, “inhabitant of the forest”, comes from Brazilian myth.  Caipora looks like a charming anime character, very fun and a trickster for Yara!  Wonder Woman says she is going to take the horn of the hydra to force Hades to return her sister.  Caipora shows her power to stop her from poaching.  Yara takes out her bola lasso and wraps Caipora with it.  The spirit says she will take Yara to the underworld.  Caipora leads Yara to the Underworld, what looks like a modern train station, with a creature like Cerebrus asleep in chains.  She tries to get past a boarding agent, a tiny, black demon figure.  

Yara tries to get past the turnstile, but is stopped until she tears it apart!  They reach the lower levels which is occupied by the dead right out of Beetlejuice (1988)!  Yara and Caipora reach a dark, misty dock.  A skeletal boatman, Charon?, appears, but there is a queue already forming for the boat ride.  Caiporta pays him with coins, but of course Yara is not prepared.  She has to go back in the queue, grumbling, there is fun in this version of Wonder Woman.  Yara is behind a massive sumo wrestler and tries to reach for his coin.  Caipora has her warthog bite the sumo and this of course turns into a brawl with Yara letting out a Xena-like cry.  Caipora realizes that this won’t turn out good.  The mythology, Brazilian and Greek, is fun, the George Perez run had touches of Greek myth and Greg Rucka brought in mythical characters.  I hope Yara Flor enters whatever DC universe there is after Future State.  Yara's adventures continue in Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman and Future State: Justice League.  Future State: Wonder Woman features some fine art by Jones, fun world building (though we don’t get Brazilian landmarks that would help us identify the nation), with fun and anime!   

Four Boleadoras out of Five!  

#FutureStateWonderWoman, #JoelleJones, #YaraFlor, #Caipora 

Happy Birthday Dave Bautista!

Happy Birthday Dave Bautista!  The man who would become Drax the Destroyer, of course started out as a WWE wrestler under the name Batista.  Bautista was a champion winning the World Heavyweight Championship four times!  One of his early acting parts was as the alien Aldar in the “Static” (2006) of Smallville.  Bautista played the villain Brass Body who could turn his body into metal, Colossus-like in the action movie, The Man with the Iron Fists (2012).  He became famous for playing Drax the Destroyer in the MCU film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) co-written and directed by James Gunn.  All of the cast became fan favorites.  

Next, Bautista played the henchman, Mr. Hinx, in the James Bond movie, Spectre (2015).    One of the most incredible parts was Sapper Morton in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) directed by Denis Villeneuve.  There was a short prequel, 2048: Nowhere to Run that featured Sapper Morton.  Bautista was also memorable as the humorous Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017).  Drax also appeared in the theme park ride, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission Breakout! (2017).  He joined the war against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and then Avengers: Endgame (2019). Bautista played Garrett in the horror comedy episode, The Trial” (2019) for the series What We Do in the Shadows.  In 2020, Bautista starred in and co-produced the comedy My Spy.  Bautista has upcoming the Villeneuve adaptation of Dune playing the brutal Harkonnen, Beast Rabban. Happy Birthday Dave Bautista!   

#DaveBautista, #GuardiansoftheGalaxy, #BladeRunner2049, #Dune

Happy Birthday James Earl Jones!

Happy Birthday James Earl Jones!  He is one of the most distinctive baritone of a voice which he turned to acting to control his stutter.  One of his first film roles was Dr. Strangelove (1964).  Jones is an accomplished stage actor, winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for The Great White Hope in 1969.  He took the part of Jack Johnson along with co-star Jane Alexander, from the stage to film with The Great White Hope (1970).  Jones  played Lennie on Broadway in Of Mice and Men (1974).  He of course provided the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars (1977) and starred in Exorcist II: The Heretic also that year.  James Earl was the villainous Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian (1980).  His voice was also heard again as Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and then Return of the Jedi (1983).  An iconic role was his Tony Award winning performance in August Wilson’s Fences (1987) as Troy Maxson.  This is my favorite part he played.  One of his interesting roles was in the comedy Coming to America (1988) playing King Jaffe Joffer.  The following year, he was Terence Mann In Field of Dreams. 

In 1990, Jones starred as Admiral Greer in the Hunt for Red October.  Also that year, Jones won an Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for his role as Junius Johnson in Heatwave (1990).  He was Gabriel Bird in the tv drama Gabriel’s Fire (1990-1991), in 1991, he won an Emmy for Best Actor for the show.   Jones returned as Admiral Greer in Patriot Games (1992).  He had another great role as Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot (1993).  Then, he was Earnest Moses in the superhero comedy The Meteor Man (1993).  Another iconic role for Jones was as the voice of Mufasa in the Disney animated film,  The Lion King (1994).  He was also Franklin Stern in a 1994 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  Next, Jones returned as Admiral Greer in Clear and Present Danger (1994). Jones was the voice of Unas in the “Thor’s Hammer” (1997) episode of Stargate SG-1.  In 2002, Jones was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors.   Jones wrote an autobiography, Voices and Silences, in 2004.  He was back on Broadway in 2008 starring in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Jones played himself in “The Convention Conundrum” (2014) of The Big Bang Theory.  He returned to voice Mufasa in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015) and also Darth Vader in a few episodes of Star Wars: Rebels.  Jones also back as Mufasa in the Lion King (2019)!  He will return as Jaffe Joffer in Coming 2 America.  Happy Birthday James Earl Jones!

#JamesEarlJones, #Fences, #ComingtoAmerica, #LionKing

Happy Birthday John Carpenter!

Happy Birthday John Carpenter!  He worked on The Resurrection of Bronco Billy (1970) as co-writer, editor, and composter.  Then, Carpenter directed and co-wrote the sci fi film Dark Star (1974).  What became iconic was Halloween (1978) which he directed, co-wrote with producer Debra Hill, and scored.  The film made Michael Myers a horror icon with seven sequels with different directors and two remakes.  It also made Laurie Strode played by Jamie Lee Curtis into another icon, a female hero able to stand against the horror.  Carpenter worked again with Curtis on The Fog (1980) that also starred Adrienne Barbeau who has to encounter a ghostly ship.  It was remade in 2005.  Carpenter followed it up with the sci fi action film, Escape from New York (1981) with Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken who has to enter Manhattan which is now a dystopian prison.  He teamed up with Russell again in the remake of the sci fi The Thing (1982) with effects by Rob Bottin.  It was the first film in what Carpenter calls his Apocalypse Trilogy.  Carpenter cast Jeff Bridges as the alien taking the form of a departed husband in Starman (1984), a charming, sci fi romance that led to a 1986 television series.   

One of the most fun Carpenter directed films is Big Trouble in Little China (1986) with Kurt Russell as Jack Burton!  The second movie in the Apocalypse Trilogy is Prince of Darkness (1987).  Carpenter brought his sensibility to the sci fi horror movie, They Live (1988) starring Roddy Piper, a fun movie.  He wears sunglasses to discover skull-like aliens controlling everything.  In 1992, John Carpenter directed Memoirs of an Invisible Man inspired by the H.F. Saint novel.  Carpenter worked with Tobe Hooper on the 1993 horror anthology series Body Bags.  The last movie of the Apocalypse Trilogy was In the Mouth of Madness (1994) with a script by Michael De Luca.  The film captures the atmosphere of H.P. Lovecraft's work.   He returned to the adventures of Snake Plissken with Escape from L.A. (1996).  Then, he directed Vampires (1998) and then the sci fi horror movie Ghosts of Mars (2001).   Next, Carpenter directed episodes of the horror anthology Masters of Horror.  In 2014, photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker released her book, On Set with John Carpenter.  Carpenter created the comic book series John Carpenter’s Asylum along with his wife Sandy King and Thomas Ian Griffith.  He released his first album, Lost Themes in 2015, then Lost Themes II (2016), and then Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998.  Carpenter was executive producer, helped compose the score, and was creative consultant on 2018’s Halloween which ignored the sequels.  Happy Birthday John Carpenter!  

#JohnCarpenter, #Halloween, #TheThing, #EscapefromNewYork 

WandaVision, Episode 1, Review!

WandaVision has been previewed as a twist on sitcoms with superheroes!  It is premiering on Disney+ today with two episodes.  The last we saw of Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) and Vision had Thanos tearing the Mind Stone from Vision and ending him(?) in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).  The series is created by Jac Schaeffer who co-wrote the Captain Marvel (2019) screenplay.  The first episode is written by Schaeffer who wrote the comedy The Hustle (2019) which didn’t seem like a laugh riot.  The Marvel Studios logo, great to see it back again, has some Infinity War additions and changed to black and white.  We get newlyweds Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) driving into a suburban town while a sitcom song plays.  The theme song is by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.  They enter their new house and kiss.  Then, we see Wanda, in an apron, using her hex powers in a very Bewitched way floating around dishes.  

One crashes into Vision in a suit and Wanda repairs it with her power.   It looks like a stone on Vision’s brow, Mind Stone?  Of course there is canned laughter with a laugh track.  The two leads try to deliver the comedy as best they can, but the wry lines in MCU films can't sustain a 29 minute show.  They notice a date on the calendar, August 23rd, but Vision can’t recall even though he has perfect android memory why that day might be special.  Vision is about to head off to work and Wanda transforms him into a regular human before he leaves.  Wanda ponders the calendar when she gets a knock at the door.  It is their neighbor, Agnes (Katheryn Hahn), she voiced Doc Ock in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).  She may be based or a counterpart to Agatha Harkness, who first appeared in Fantastic Four #94 (1970), Agatha had helped Wanda understand her powers.  Agatha lived in New Salem, Colorado.  She has brought a plant for a house warming gift, but it’s really an excuse to find out about her neighbors.  Agnes is surprised at how fast they moved in and asked if they used a moving company.  

Wanda responds, “Those boxes don’t move themselves”, a funny line.  Surprisingly, Hahn isn’t too funny with the lines.  She also mentions her husband and the “special occasion”, and realizes what the date is from Agnes’ suggestion of an anniversary.  She leaves to work on the planning the anniversary.  At the Computational Services Inc. building,  Vision is typing at super speed on a small, mechanical calculator.  He has the android calculations of Star Trek's Data.   Vision brings over piles of papers to his co-worker, Norm (Asif Ali).  He is a little confused about the business.  Norm says they are a “computational form” company.  Vision tries to remember the date and he is told by his boss, Mr. Hart (Fred Melamed), about the dinner.  Melamed was in the action comedy, The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018).  Another funny line when Mr. Hart asks Vision if he has “any skeletons in his closet.”  Vision replies he doesn’t have a skeleton!  At the house, Agnes is going over suggestions for the anniversary with Wanda.  The android nature of Vision is the running joke.  Wanda answers his call from work.  Of course, they each have their own idea about the date, I do like that Wanda uses his nickname, Vizh, from the comics.  

Next, we get a commercial of a toaster, the Toast Mate 2000 from Stark Industries.  There is a red flashing light on it, but there is no context to this commercial in the show and how it works in the MCU.  The hint of color slowly taking over a black and white sitcom world has already been done in Pleasantville (1998), 23 years ago.  Night, Vision enters with Mr. Hart and Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp), the actress is of course known from That 70’s Show.  At this point, the show seems to lean into the sitcom elements, but it lacks the energy of a classic sitcom, probably a veteran sitcom writer is needed.  It is dark so Vision goes to the kitchen while Wanda appears in a white nightdress.  She is about to surprise Mr. Hart when Vision turns on the lights.  He tries to cover saying it is a traditional Sokovian greeting!  The couple goes into the kitchen to work out the misunderstandings.  Wanda snaps up a new dress while Vision tries to converse with his boss.  Agnes has brought in her own meal into the kitchen.  Wanda tries to hustle her out while Mrs. Hart wants to go to the kitchen to help.  

Vision tries to cover the situation by singing while Wanda uses her powers to try to ready the dinner.  There is a poof as the chicken turns into eggs, an unexplained manifestation of the hex power, Wanda is able to assemble a breakfast meal.  Mrs. Hart has countless questions, but Wanda and Vision can’t recall their pasts.  Their hesitation upsets Mr. Hart and he begins to choke on his food.  Wanda and Vision can only look at Mr. Hart as he chokes as Mrs. Hart says, “Stop it” repeatedly and smiles.  Vision goes to help Mr. Hart who has collapsed and uses his power to pull away the bone.   Mr. and Mrs. Hart cheerfully leave.  The credits start to roll as we pull back to someone watching the show on a monitor.  I feared that the launch of the MCU shows would attempt something strange, but not capture what we like about the characters.  I would hope there would be some hint of their previous life around the house and office, but the production design is too 50’s without hints.  The second episode may be to provide context about what is happening, but the show needs to start with charming leads.  WandaVision is a strange attempt at MCU sitcoms with a hint of what may come with Doctor Strange and the Multivese of Madness!  

Three Mind Stones out of Five! 

#WandaVision, #JacSchaeffer, #ElizabethOlsen, #PaulBettany, #KatherynHahn 

Re:tro Re:view - NeverEnding Story!

The NeverEnding Story (1984) is a charming fantasy that can be appreciated by any audience!  At this time, we need to escape in fantasy more than ever, and The NeverEnding Story may be the answer!  The NeverEnding Story (Die unendliche Geschichte) was a 1979 novel by Michael Ende.  It was published in English in 1983.  The story has inspired both this film and two sequels of diminishing returns; The NeverEndingStory II: The Next Chapter (1991), it adapted the second half of the book, and The NeverEnding Story III: Return to Fantasia (1996).  Ende was disappointed about the film, but I think it captured enough of the appeal of the novel and its world.  There was also an animated series in 1995 and a live action series, Tales from the Neverending Story, in 2002.  The film is directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen, well known for directing Das Boot (1981) and later the sci fi film, Enemy Mine (1985).  It was co-written by Herman Weigel, a writer and producer of German films.  Steven Spielberg helped with US edit of the film.  

The opening has clouds in fantastic shapes, pure fantasy in this case, while we hear Limahl’s “Neverending Story.”  Christopher Hamill was the lead singer of the group, Kajagoogo, they had dropped him, and he went on to solo success with this song.  The song of course was featured in the season 3 finale of Stranger Things.  Awakening from his sleep is Bastian (Barret Oliver), in the novel his full name is Balthazar Bux.  Oliver was later in the sci fi film, Cocoon (1985).  He puts away the book he was reading and later he is in the kitchen struggling to open a jar of jam.  This is a good way of showing that Bastian is not strong, but his strength is in his imagination.  His father (Gerald McRaney) easily opens it.  McRaney was known for playing Rick Simon part of the detective duo with his brother in Simon & Simon.  Bastian tells his father he had dreamed about his mother and is told they have to move on.  A sad moment with the loss of a parent.  

Bastian's father mentions the phone call from his math teacher about drawing horses in his book.  He wants Bastian to stop dreaming and focus on his work.  Strange, a traumatic event and there is no school counselor checking on Bastian.  His father leaves for work and we have Bastian walking to school.  He is interrupted by three bullies, they want to take money from the “weirdo”, they toss him into a dumpster.  Bastian walks out and then is chased by the bullies.  He manages to hide at a book store.  The owner, Carl Conrad Coreander (Thomas Hill), checks on him.  His book based named is in the credits, but only his last name is mentioned in the film.  Hill later played Father Andrew Doyle in the V: The Final Battle (1984) mini-series.  Bastian proves what he has read including Lord of the Rings and admits he was running from bullies. 

He then wonders about the bookseller’s book that he is reading.  Coreander says that it is “special” and that Bastian’s books are “safe” since they are just stories.  He goes to answer a phone call, Bastian uncovers the book, it has a decoration on the cover, a bronze mass of two snakes intertwining.  Also, the title, The Neverending Story.  Bastian runs off with the book and Coreander smiles.  At school, Bastian finds that his class has a math test, so he takes the attic key into the dusty attic of discarded items.  Bastian pulls over a mattress and then takes out the book.  He reads about the dark, Howling Forest, this is a perfect narrative device where we have the kid as narrator.  The purpose of Neverending Story is reading and imagination that we find so important in young readers.  

Then we see two friends, the giant racing snail of Teeny Weeny (Deep Roy), a messenger, and the giant bat of the Night Hob (Tilo Prückner) called Vooshvazool in the book.  Roy was in many genre projects including Droopy McCool in Return of the Jedi (1983).  Prückner is a German actor and later he was in the sci fi comedy, Iron Sky (2012).  They hear the rumbling of a massive stone wheel part of a bicycle operated by Rockbiter (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer).  He was the Chief Supervisor in Westworld (1973) and also known for voicing Skeletor in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon.  Rockbiter asks to join them and snacks on a limestone rock.  He explains he came from the north and tells the others that the land is being swallowed by nothing.  Teeny Weeny says it also happening in the west and Night Hob it is the same in the south.  Their world of Fantasia is being destroyed, in the novel it is Fantastica.   

They all agree to head to the Ivory Tower to ask the Childlike Empress for help.  Rockbiter is left behind as the Nothing tears apart the land. They reach the Ivory Tower at sunset, a beautiful tower emerging from what looks like flower petals and a glowing light.  At the top of the tower are three circular platforms and the tip of the tower is like a flowery stigma.   The Night Hob looks into the tower to see the tall, representative of the Empress, Cairon (Moses Gunn).  He is bearded with a ridge on his head, but in the novel he is a centaur.  Gunn was also in the horror adaptation Firestarter (1984).  There is just a menagerie of creatures, an elephant headed man like Max Rebo, a large headed creature, others with three faces.  It is such a diverse gathering that feels international and fantastic.   

Cairon says that the Nothing is destroying Fantasia and that the Childlike Empress has an illness connected to it!  He says there only hope is from the Plainspeople, a warrior named Atreyu.  Bastian pauses from reading wondering at the name of the hero.  The person who appears at the palace is a young boy played by Noah Hathaway.  He played Boxey in the original Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) series. Cairon apologizes for scoffing at the warrior and gives Atreyu a quest.  The quest is to save Fantasia and the Childlike Empress (we later see her played by Tami Stronach).  He agrees and puts aside his weapons.  Cairon gives him the Auryn, the symbol on the cover of Neverending Story.  Bastian checks the book to see the Auryn.  He is ready to follow Atreyu’s adventure.

Atreyu rides from the Ivory Tower on his white horse, Artax, passing Teeny Weeny, the Night Hob, and Rockbiter.  Bastian notes that another has taken a quest, under a fierce lightning storm, the massive wolf, Gmork, with pale, green eyes chases after Atreyu.  The warrior has been searching for a week, by a stream, he decides to eat which Bastian also joins in taking a bite from his sandwhich, but saves it for the rest of the book.  Atreyu rides past mountains, a desert, and a road of crystals, when Gmork reaches his stream resting place.  Finally, Atreyu has reached the Swamps of Sadness to find Morla, the Ancient One.  Atreyu leads Artax by his bridle through the swamp, but he finds Artax has given up hope and Atreyu pleads for him to !  This is extremely tragic to anyone including Bastian!  

Atreyu finds Shell Mountain, when he calls for Morla, he is thrown off and finds that Morla is massive turtle creature.  Bastian screams and he is heard by Morla and Atreyu.  Morla is uncaring about world matters, but allergic to young people!  Atreyu has to continue his quest to find the Southern Oracle while Bastian is interrupted by the bells signaling the end of school. A storm covers the school, but Bastian reads on inspired by Atreyu, a wolf’s head falls towards him!  Atreyu slogs through the swamp, Gmork is racing after him, but out of the sky, a luck dragon flies towards him!  

Falkor (also voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) is the dragon, a long, white dragon like out of Chinese myth, with scales and fur and a head like a puppy with a long snout.  His ability is just to be there at the right time, in this case to spare Atreyu from Gmork, and fly him incredible distances. The end of the film ends at chapter 11 and the book itself runs to chapter 26.  It shifts over with Bastian as the hero, but the film has fun with Bastian and Falkor.  The scenery, creature, and costume designer was Ul De Rico, one of the best with the fantastic beasts in this film, he also was in the art department of Flash Gordon (1980).  The incredible matte paintings were by Michael Pangrazio who worked on Empire Strikes Back (1980).  If you need a little magic, storytelling, and adventure don’t miss The Neverending Story!  

Five Auryns out of Five! 

#NeverEndingStory, #WolfgangPetersen, #BarretOliver, #NoahHathaway, #AlanOppenheimer