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There’s a great movie from the 1990’s titled “Defending your life”. It’s a fantasy movie about what it is like when you die, and you have to justify the kind of life that you had when you were alive. It’s a fun movie, a lite comedy romance. It’s fun. But I want to look at it from are more serious angle. And that is what we are going to do here.
Advertising executive Daniel Miller dies in an auto accident and finds himself in Judgment City. He is taken to a hotel to rest, and the next day he takes a tram downtown to meet his lawyer, Bob Diamond (Rip Torn). Diamond informs him that there is to be a five-day examination of his life to decide whether he has overcome fear. At a comedy club he meets Julia and they fall in love. But as their trials progress, it becomes clear Julia has overcome fear and is moving on, while Daniel seems doomed to go back to Earth.
—Diana Barahona
Roger Elbert writes…
It is Albert Brooks‘ notion in this film that after death we pass on to a sort of heavenly way station where we are given the opportunity to defend our actions during our most recent lifetime.
The process is like an American courtroom, with a prosecutor, defense attorney and judge, but the charges against us are never quite spelled out. The basic question seems to be, are we sure we did our best, given our opportunities?
Defending your life.
In the movie, Brooks plays Dan Miller, a successful exec who takes delivery on a new BMW and plows it into a bus while trying to adjust the CD player. He awakens in a place named Judgment City, which resembles those blandly modern office and hotel complexes around big airports. He’s given a room in a clean but spartan place that looks franchised by Motel 6.
Defending your life.
At first Dan is understandably dazed at finding himself dead, but the staff takes good care of him. He’s dressed in a flowing gown, whisked around the property on a bus, and told he can eat all he wants in the cafeteria (where the food is delicious but contains no calories).
Then he meets his genial, avuncular defense attorney (Rip Torn), and his hard-edged prosecutor (Lee Grant). It’s time for the courtroom, in which we see flashbacks to Dan’s life as he tries to explain himself.
Defending your life.
… (and) he falls in love with another sojourner in Judgment City.
Defending your life.
She is a sweet, open-faced, serene young woman named Julia and played, of course, by Meryl Streep, who is the only actress capable of providing the character’s Streepian qualities. They fall into like with one another.
Dan visits her hotel and is dismayed to discover that she has much better facilities than he does – Four Seasons instead of Motel 6 – and he wonders if maybe your hotel assignment is a clue about how well you lived your past life. But nobody in Judgment City will give him a straight answer to a question like that.
Defending your life.
The best thing about the movie, I think, is the notion of Judgment City itself. Doesn’t it make sense that heaven, for each society, would be a place much like the Earth that it knows? We’re still stuck with images of angels playing harps, which worked fine for Renaissance painters. But isn’t our modern world ready for images in which the angels look like Rotarians and CEOs?
Defending your life.
The movie is funny in a warm, fuzzy way, and it has a splendidly satisfactory ending.
MM Thoughts
The movie is a fiction.
But it does get a number of things right.
Review Process. There is always a review process once you exit the physical reality and return to the non-physical reality.
Judgement of your Actions. Yes, you are judged by your actions. There is no escape from that.
No Golden Harps. Forget the notions of golden harps, big diamonds and all those other images that are so conventional regarding the non-physical reality. There are other “things” in the non-physical reality, and you might be surprised how “futuristic”, and yet “conventional” they actually are. As well as the enormous scale of them.
Not immediately returned via reincarnation. Certainly the narrative from “Alien Interview” cautions that consciousness is immediately processed and thrown back to the physical Earth reality, without memories, but that is not my experience. Nor is that the experience of Dr. Newton.
Planning is required. A return back to the earth physical reality requires work, planning, and coordination. The only way that consciousness can return back and enter a new born body quickly is if the consciousness is being “punished” in some way. Like for attempting suicide or something like that.
How do I know all this? Well, as I have stated that there are channels, and to continue my ELF interactions it is (was) with another entity and that provided me insight. Not to mention that the EBP provides <redacted>.
Defending your life.
I strongly urge people to watch this movie.
Because there are so many things in the non-physical world that resemble what we have in the physical world that you would be astounded.
Also you all need to recognize that the overall sequence is obtain experiences, die, review, map out more experiences, and repeat.
Defending your life.
The general human on Earth sequence
Birth in a body
Obtain experiences.
Die.
Life review.
Map out what is next.
If Earth as a human, then…
Repeat.
Alien Interview
I have discussed the book “Alien Interview” elsewhere. I personally believe that it is exactly what it says it is.
I believe [1] the back-story that the documents were actual transcripts of an interrogation with a type-1 grey extraterrestrial in 1947. I also [2] believe that everything that was recorded and written down are what the extraterrestrial said, and further, [3]I believe that it was mostly truthful and [4] saying things truthfully based on it’s understanding in 1947. All in a way or manner that [5] would be understood by the post world-war II generals and leaders gathered at the Roswell military base.
However, as I parsed the book in great detail, I came to realize the there were some elements within the statements that could easily be misunderstood.
…
Earth as a “Prison Planet” and us convicts and felons within it, are immediately recycled back to Earth upon death, over and over and there is no escape…
…however, it listed numerous people who have actually managed to escape this environment. One has total recall and made great contributions to this region and was reassigned elsewhere in the universe.
So, obviously there ARE avenues of egress.
…
Further, this “Alien Interview” event spawned the creation of MAJestic shortly afterwards, and it enlisted folk like myself (MM) and we were tasked with “participating in events that were bigger than any government, and that mattered to the entire human species”.
For the period from the creation of MAJestic to today, the type-1 greys (and a number of other species) have been working with MAJestic towards certain objectives, goals, and directives.
I cannot help but believe that there has been some substantial changes in the situation of 1947 to today in 2021. And these changes have manifested in many ways. Such as [1] the ability to map out the topography of Heaven like Dr. Newton has (HERE), and [2] the recovery of memories of reincarnation that we see from time to time, and [3] the growth of the “new age” movements.
…
Whether the “constructions”, “arrangements” and the extensive geography of the non-physical reality is a [1] fabrication designed to entrap us earth-bound prisoners, or actually [2] the non-physical reality that surrounds the earth is unknown.
My personal belief is that the non-physical reality is exactly that. And the systems that force earth humans to immediately return to earth is broken. It no longer exists. However, what does exist is a massive non-physical infrastructure that is dedicated to humans experiencing and obtaining physical experiences. These experiences are all recorded in memories and still exist and are not erased. At least I can access them, and I very convinced that others can as well.
…
My constant entanglement with the EBP, as well as how my ELF probes worked before I was “retired” clearly indicate that there is a vibrant and active non-physical world all around us. Older and more advanced species enter and leave this reality at will.
It is complex, active, vibrant, and substantive. You not need to fear it, or to remember one time when you were “put under anesthesia” before an operation and blanked out with no memories. That was not death. That was something different. You should never believe that being put under by drugs is the same experience that you would have upon death.
…
This is a fun movie, but it reminds us that our actions as we live all have consequences. You can believe that it is “karma”. You can call it cycling through “reincarnations”. You can believe that it is “quantum associations”, or that “like thoughts attract like actions”. You can believe what ever seems most comfortable with you.
But I will definitively tell you that there is a community that exists outside of our reality, and it is populated with humans (and a lot of other “stuff”). And if you want to (as they say in the movie “move on to bigger and better things”) make this life a good one.
Make this life a great one.
Make a difference in this world. Help others. Do great things. Perform great works. Smile. Be the sunshine that helps others. Do not be the dark pit of blackness that takes and takes from others. Don’t do that.
Be kind and be helpful.
In the non-physical reality you will glow like a big beacon or torch. And others of similar beliefs will be attracted to you. Be great. You will be wonderful.
Watch the movie, and tell me what you all think.
Defending your life.
USA Streaming Access to the movie…
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When I was growing up, I had a complete collection of Doc Savage paperbacks and I devoured them completely, When it was time for me to grow out of them, my younger brother took over, and he too was hooked. And he, as well, read every single book.
As a long time reader of Doc Savage, I cannot help but compare the latest two Jumanji movies with the adventure pulps that I read as a boy. And to this end, I want to wax ecstatic about them.
Dr. Clark Savage Jr. was raised from birth to be a man of superhuman strength and protean genius! With his five scrappy aides -- the greatest brains ever assembled in one group -- and a vast Mayan wealth at his disposal, he has dedicated his life to the destruction of evil doers the world over!!
Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze is the hero of 181 novels which ran in his own pulp magazine from 1933 to 1949, and were reprinted as paperback books from 1964 to 1990. First time around, author Lester Dent practically invented the first “super” hero. The second time around Bantam Books invented the numbered men’s adventure series. These high adventures have spawned Doc Savage comic books, radio shows, a movie, new novels — even a biography.
My argument that while Jumanji is not a Doc Savage remake, it’s not a Jumanji remake either. I like to believe; or want to believe that the latest Jumanji movies take the best elements from both venues and create a completely wonderful new reality. A reality that we want to visit.
The Doc
Let’s consider Doc “smolder” Bravestone.
In many ways his character is derived from Doc (Clark) Savage, Jr.
Both have a “skull cap” style hair cut (what ever that actually is). Both like to walk around in torn or distressed khaki shirts. Both have bronze skin. Both are strong, brave and take the world on head-first. And both have their own peculiar traits.
Doc Bravestone has his “smoldering intensity”, and Doc Savage has his “animated “twinkle” in his eye”.
I know, I know. My premise has a lot of holes in it.
However, we do know that prior to the 2017 Jumanji; Welcome to the Jungle, that the lead character Dwayne Johnson (who played Spenser) was in negotiation regarding remakes of Doc Savage pulp stories.
“It’s OFFICIAL: For all comic book fans you already know the world’s first superhero (pre-dating Superman) is the “Man of Bronze” himself Clark “Doc” Savage.
Want to thank my bud director/writer Shane Black and his writing team Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry for flying in from LA and sitting with me and our @sevenbucksprod’s producer @hhgarcia41 on this Memorial Day weekend to chop up creative and break story on this very cool project.
Comic book fans around the world know that the cool thing about “Doc” Savage is that he’s the inspiration for Superman. First name Clark, called “Man of Bronze”, retreats to his “Fortress of Solitude” in the Arctic etc etc.
Doc was physically and mentally trained from birth by his father and a team of scientists to become the perfect human specimen with a genius level intellect. His heightened senses are beyond comprehension. He can even identify a women’s perfume from half a mile away. He is literally the master of everything.
But here’s the #1 reason I’m excited to become Doc Savage.. HE’S A F*CKING HILARIOUS WEIRDO!
Confidently, yet innocently he has zero social graces whatsoever due to his upbringing so every interaction he has with someone is direct, odd, often uncomfortable and amazingly hilarious.
After speaking for hours w/ Shane Black I can see why the creator of Superman took only the best parts of Doc Savage and leaving the “weirdo” part behind. But to us, it’s that “weirdo” part that makes Clark “Doc” Savage dope! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one of a kind character.
#ItsOfficial #WorldsFirstSuperhero #GeniusIntellect #PhysicalSpecimen #FnLoveableWeirdo #DocSavage”
So you have this “Doc Savage” character who has zero social graces and is like a child in a hero’s body. Isn’t that exactly like what is portrayed in the movie? Can we forget the kissing scene between Ruby Roundhouse; the Killer of Men, and Doc “Smolder” Bravestone?
Yeah. I want to forget it too. LOL.
Yeah. It’s a hoot.
Doc Savage is also a perfect role for Johnson as an actor. The character is not only an outlet for Johnson’s action hero bona fides, but also his comedic chops; raised by scientists, Savage has a world-class education but “no social skills,” as Johnson put it. A darling of action, fantasy and science fiction cinema, Johnson has been left wanting for a superhero role at a time when superhero movies are the genre of choice. And what better part could there be for a star of the Rock’s stature than what he himself has appropriately dubbed the #World’sFirstSuperhero?
-The Mary Sue
Anyways, I like to believe that the Doc Savage band of brothers has been reconstituted into the Jumanji characters.
Surprised how entertaining it was
19 December 2019 | by comps-784-38265 – See all my reviews
I took one look at the trailer and was certain it would be rubbish
Finally watched it on TV and was surprised that it's good solid family entertainment.
Not outstanding but a respectable 7 stars.
The Band of Brothers
Although Doc Savage appeared first and most often in prose novels, it’s fair to say that the character is best known by comic book fans. A brilliant scientist with super strength, Doc Savage was the blueprint for countless tropes that would become staples of superhero comics. The character has been eclipsed in the public memory by his pop cultural descendants, but Doc’s legacy is formidable. Time magazine called him not only “the natural father of Superman,” but of James Bond as well.
Not only was Doc known as “the Man of Bronze” and the owner of a “Fortress of Solitude” years before Superman’s debut, he also travelled the world in style and boasted an arsenal of high tech gadgets. That’s not even all of Savage’s most obvious contributions to pop culture: His entourage was even called “the Fabulous Five.”
Doc Savage had five companions that dedicated their lives, the same as Doc, to traveling around the world to do justice.
Lt. Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, who is better known as Monk to his friends. Monk is an industrial chemist.
Brigadier General Theodore Marley Brooks, Ham, is a lawyer, considered to be one of the best Harvard has ever turned out.
Colonel John Renwick, Renny, a construction engineer. He prided himself on his ability to knock down any door with his fists.
Major Thomas J. Roberts, Long Tom, the electrical wizard of the group.
William Harper Littlejohn, Johnny to his friends. He is an archaeologist and geologist of great renown.
These men made up the team of aides that Doc relied on throughout the series. Known as the “Fabulous Five” on the back cover of the Bantam Books editions, they were never called such in the actual series.
Doc’s cousin, Patricia Savage, introduced in the novel Brand of the Werewolf, frequently appeared in Doc Savage as well.
And no, these EXACT characters do not appear in the Jumanji movies. But aspects of their characters do.
Ah but enough of all that.
What does it matter, unless people enjoy the movie, and have a little escapist entertainment in the process, eh?
A Most Enjoyable Film Which Endlessly Pulls at the Corners of Your FaceHer-Excellency7 April 2018
Who would have thought that the sequel to a much-loved classic would, in my opinion, turn into such a stand-alone powerhouse!?!
Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, does just that.
Not only is it a virtual non-stop ride of hilarity and laugh-out-loud moments, and it is, but the chemistry among the adult cast members is practically flawless and lends to the easy banter and overflowing, genius, COMEDIC DIALOGUE which just SHINES. Every look, every gesture, every note from The Rock, Kevin Hart and Jack Black are perfection in that at no time do you doubt they are who they are supposed to be. Karen Gillan is adorable and gorgeous at the same time. The obvious fun they are having, despite what I imagine to be uncomfortable filming locales, is palpable, and as an audience member, _if you allow yourself to be_, you WILL be swept up and transported by it.
So, why ANY low ratings?
While the first Jumanji was 'fun', underneath the fun, there were dark layers. There is none of that here and perhaps, this is where some of the disconnect from its detractors comes from. Unlike the original Jumanji, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is a fun, and funny, film throughout.
You're Going to Need a SEATBELTThmellyAthole8 April 2018
I used to have an IMDB account when I was a teen - or at least thought I did, but couldn't log on. In any case, I think I've visited here maybe twice in the last five years. Today though, after just getting back from watching this with my almost-grown kids, I had to make an account just to leave this review.
To begin, I'll never understand people. I can't believe the negative reviews. How could anyone not have laughed like hell while watching this and still have a pulse? I didn't go in expecting much, but I came out with a smile on my face. The girl is hot, Jack Black "owns it", I've never been overly enthused about Kevin Hart, but he was fantastic. and The Rock just knocked it out of the park.
I saw one review which reads: "not a wrestling fan ever so to see 'the rock' in movies, instantly puts me off!" Does anyone else want to vomit at the inanity, irony and ludicrousness of that statement? Then you have the user who out of 40+ titles he/she has reviewed in the past has only ever rated TWO above three stars. Seriously, if you don't enjoy films and find them so terrible, find a new hobby already. You've got one guy saying the shirt one of the kids wore was outdated. So, I'm guessing one can only wear clothing depicting the current year? Then you have the reviewers who maybe didn't understand the dialogue since they can barely communicate correctly themselves (such gems - I kid you not - as: 'averege'; 'what so ever'; 'family fair' (fare); 'are just wasn't'; 'due to it has'; 'all of there' {their); 'coz it is boring story'; 'no compare with'). Finally, you have the maybe half dozen reviewers who are so caught up in their bigotry that they can't relax and enjoy a film if it isn't whitewashed and who complain about the "Hollywood liberal agenda of diversity". Leave the politics at the door, man. In short, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle was a fantastic hour or more of rip-riding fun and laughs.
Except for one very funny moment, Dwayne Johnson retires his wrestling persona for this film and instead, provides a smoldering and intense performance, riddled with good-natured hilarity as the lead in this film. Gillan was great in Doctor Who, and although I thought she was the weakest of both characters and actors in this film, she still held her own and looked fantastic doing so. She has one of those faces you can't help but love. Kevin Hart was fantastic as the diminutive valet and looking back, I think he was somehow involved in every funny moment in which I laughed the hardest. Finally, the master, the maestro (though I never really was a fan prior to this), Jack Black plays the teen beauty queen with 100% commitment and to perfection.
10/10 and definitely a film I will be purchasing right after I click "Submit". You can never have enough laughter in life, and Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle delivers barrels-full.
Let’s talk a little about the characters in the old Doc Savage pulps.
Theodore Marley “Ham” Brooks
Theodore Marley “Ham” Brooks is an attorney and member of Doc Savage‘s Fabulous five.
Ham was considered one of the best-dressed men in the world, and as part of his attire, carried a sword cane whose blade is coated in a fast-acting anesthetic.
He first encountered Doc Savage while serving in the military, where he attained the rank of Brigadier General.
His nickname was acquired when Monk, in retaliation for his guardhouse incarceration, framed Brooks on a charge of stealing hams from the commissary. In the only case which Ham ever lost, he was convicted of stealing the hams. He acquired a pet ape which he named Chemistry.
In The Mystic Mullah he shows he is fluent in the Tibetan language.
Seriously, we don’t see anyone with these characteristics in either of the two Jumanji movies. But, we do see the aviator character who is looked upon as a knowledgeable resource for the game.
Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough: Seaplane McGonough is a game character that plays a young pilot.
Alex Vreeke was the name of the human player who selected the avatar of Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough and became trapped in the game for two decades. At the end of the movie, Alex is returned to his time and grows up to be an adult played by Colin Hanks.
All in all, it’s a fasinating twist of pulp fiction, Jumanji, and modern computer games.
The various plot lines are wide open. And this is very exciting.
No idea why it took me 2 years to watch itdanielmanson23 November 2019
It's good. I had no idea what to expect in all honest. I am not huge fans of other movies by these actors, but this really worked. You could see the great chemistry between them all and it paid off.
What I liked: I enjoyed how it didn't dither about at the beginning and got right into the action. Jack Black especially was brilliant and hilarious! All the actors/actresses were great but Jack Black stood out. Good mix of action and comedy throughout. I was on the edge of my seat (metaphorically) wanting them to escape the game.
Let’s look at this next Doc Savage character…
Andrew Blodgett (Monk) Mayfair
Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, more commoly known as Monk Mayfair is among the principle members of the The Fabulous Five.
He received the name Monk because his long muscular arms and his low forehead make him resemble a monkey. Like several of Savage’s companions he served in the military, holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Monk currently works as an industrial chemist. He possesses incredible strength, rivaling Doc Savage and can effortlessly bend pennies between his fingers.
Monk personally trained his pet pig, Habeas Corpus, to help serve Doc on his missions.
Monk has a friendly rivalry with Ham, and the two often needle each other. A mutual affection has been shown between them, with one risking life to save the other.
In the Black, Black Witch he is capable of speaking flawless German without a trace of an accent.
I will tell you that my personal opinion is that this role is Franklin “Mouse” Finbar. In the Jumanji movie he is one of the five selectable playable character in the video game version of “JUMANJI”.
In “The Next Level”, he was given to Milo Walker, instead of Fridge (who was forcefully given Shelly Oberon instead), but Finbar is later given back to Frdige.
Franklin “Mouse” Finbar.
Actually, there is a little bit of Monk in a number of characters.
But let’s not quibble with my nonsense. I’m just throwing out some thoughts that could be wildly wrong or (alternatively) right on track accurate.
John “Renny” Renwick
John “Renny” Renwick is a member of The Fabulous Five, Doc Savage’s main helpers and friends.
He is a Construction Engineer and a member of the military, holding the rank of Colonel.
Renny is notable for his gloomy personality and his physical stature. His fists are gigantic and he is known to like to punch his way through solid doors.
Thomas J. (Long Tom) Roberts
Thomas J. Roberts, or as hes more commonly referred, Long Tom Roberts, is one of Doc’s assistants and a member of “The Fabulous Five“.
The character is presented as an electrical engineer, holding the military rank of Major, and a pilot.
He and Doc Savage first met while he was serving in World War I. The explanation of his nickname is given as a result of an event during the war where he helped defend a small European village using an ancient cannon known as a “Long Tom“.
In The Man of Bronze he is described as “the physical weakling of the crowd, thin, not very tall, and with a none-too-healthy-appearing skin“.
Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon is one of the five selectable playable character in the Video Game version of “JUMANJI”, that appears in “Welcome to the Jungle”, as the chosen avatar of Bethany Walker, and in “The Next Level” as the avatar of Anthony “Fridge” Johnson, but Bethany was later able to become Oberon again.
William Harper “Johnny” Littlejohn
William Harper “Johnny” Littlejohn is a member of The Fabulous Five, Doc Savage’s main helpers and friends.
Johnny is an archeologist and geologist, known for his exotic vocabulary with long words.
Johnny was initially blind of one eye, using a monocle that he kept even after going through corrective surgery that restored his vision. His military rank, if any, has never been revealed.
I cannot help but think that he was the inspiration for Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon.
Patricia Savage
She had a wealth of bronze hair–hair very closely akin in hue to that of Doc Savage.
She was tall; her form was molded along lines that left nothing to be desired. Her features were as perfect as though a magazine-cover artist had designed them.
Patricia “Pat” Savage, joins Doc Savage on many of his adventures beginning with her first appearance in “Brand of the Werewolf“. She is the daughter of Alex Savage, Doc’s uncle who lives in Canada.
Pat is described as being 18 years of age and shares many of Doc’s physical characteristics: bronze skin and hair, golden eyes. She also shares Doc’s sense of adventure, thus making her another of Doc’s companions.
Doc Savage makes attempts to restrain is young cousin in order to keep her out of harm’s way.
Pat typically carries a Pat’s SAA Revolver. It was handed down from her grandfather and is often carried in her purse.
Even though its central concept seems ever-so-slightly more strained this time, ‘Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)’ is about as good as its predecessor. In fact, it’s sometimes even better.
Basically, the flick is just fun.
The crowd-pleasing body-swapping is amped up to eleven, shaking things up just enough so that they feel fresh. The main actors continue to properly impress in their chameleon-like roles, joined by a few extra treats that perform far better than you'd perhaps expect.
Indeed, these new players are probably its biggest asset; a couple of them thoroughly perforate the entire experience despite only having a rather small amount of screen-time.
The picture is often funny - though, never hilarious - and is oddly endearing, to boot. It isn't particularly deep or, even, memorable but it doesn't need to be. It's a good time at the movies; what more do you need?
Obviously some better theming and, perhaps, a tad of nuance wouldn't go amiss, but it's just not that kind of film really and that's perfectly fine. Even if it doesn't impact you as much as some of the year's best, it'll certainly make you smile and keep you entertained for a couple of hours.
Besides, its inciting incident is driven purely by character and it even manages to squeeze some genuine emotional connection, via a well-drawn dynamic between DeVito and Glover, into its otherwise otherworldly proceedings. Its acting is also deceptively simple but decidedly fantastic, fully immersing you in the idea that these major stars are actually four teenagers and two old men.
And nothing to take seriously.
But I do love the refreshing juxtaposition of the Jumanji franchise that Robin Williams stared in and started, along with the wonderful Doc Savage pulp fiction to create this 'new" and refreshingly vibrant world that is the perfect mixture of fun, laughs and adventure for the whole family.
If you all haven’t seen it yet, then please do so. It’s fun.
It’s great entertainment.
And at that, I’ll close.
This is a great movie to chill out with your friends and family. Drink some alcoholic beverages, have a good time. After the movie, you will all be in a good mood. It’s all great
And those are the best kind of movies.
Just a good old fashioned fun moviegluonpaul7 December 2019
There are not many franchises which have been renewed recently which I have actually thought turned out well. Most have been done badly but I have to say that Jumanji stands out as an exception.
This movie does not have a heavy deep story, doesnt try to be anything more than it is, this movie makes you laugh, keeps you entertained and ensures you leave the theater feeling happier than you went in.
It wont win oscars but it will win your heart, definitely a movie to go and enjoy at this time of year.
Oh and guess what?
And get ready because another movie is in the works; Jumanji 4. And this one will have some surprises.
One of the biggest twists in The Next Level involves the villain Jurgen the Brutal (Game of Thrones‘ Rory McCann), who’s revealed to have strengths and weaknesses much like the heroic avatars in the Jumanji video game. In a social media post from late last year, Johnson confirmed Jurgen is also a playable avatar and teased Jumanji 4 will reveal who’s been playing him in the real world.
Kasdan further alluded to the idea during his interview with Collider, saying he “would love to” reveal The Next Level’s hidden villain in the next installment.
In addition, The Next Level’s credits scene suggested Jumanji 4 will take place in the real world, much like the original Jumanji movie did. If so, it opens the door to all sorts of possibilities, not least of which is the Jumanji video game avatars and series’ young heroes meeting face to face.
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
I have composed a number of posts that involved special effects by Ray Harryhausen. I listed them simply because, as a boy, the visuals and the adventure that was portrayed in the movies greatly appealed to me. They influenced me. Which was something that is most certainly lacking in the latest Hollywood fare. (That is, unless you are an LGBT with an inferiority complex.)
Here, I want to discuss another of his great works. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.
Sinbad and his crew intercept a homunculus carrying a golden tablet. Koura, the creator of the homunculus and practitioner of evil magic, wants the tablet back and pursues Sinbad. Meanwhile Sinbad meets the Vizier who has another part of the interlocking golden map, and they mount a quest across the seas to solve the riddle of the map, accompanied by a slave girl with a mysterious tattoo of an eye on her palm. They encounter strange beasts, tempests, and the dark interference of Koura along the way.
-AVXHM
The golden voyage of Sinbad is a classic in itself. It too held claim to all sorts of creative monsters, some huge, some multi-limbed, some that flew, and others that were magical. All of which were amazing to me.
The Movie
It all starts to unravel when Sinbad fires an arrow at a strange creature that flies over his ship.
As the creature dodges the arrow, it ends up dropping an amulet it is carrying. Let me pause here for a second. A strange creature? It’s carrying a magic (we suppose, after all what other purpose would an amulet have) amulet, which it drops, and Sinbad gathers up.
Kali is a multi-armed creature creation that Sinbad must battle with. You can well imagine the problems and issues that you must contend with when dealing with a six armed purple creature.
Sinbad makes landfall, and almost immediately meets an evil sorcerer. We know he is evil because he immediately engages Sinbad in fisticuffs. His attempts to forcibly take the amulet from Sinbad is rebuffed.
The sorcerer’s name is Koura. He’s a fellow that you don’t want to get tangled up with.
So Sinbad seeks out a safe haven, and is eventually granted refuge by the benevolent ruler of the city, known as the Grand Vizier. This fellow too has tangled up with Koura. For today he has been forced to hide his face behind a beaten gold mask. You see, his face is all terribly disfigured after Koura burnt it away with a fireball.
Check out the slave girl that tags along with Sinbad. Yowsa! ( Actress Caroline Munro ) This is how she spends the majority of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (Gordon Hessler, 1973). Yet, despite the ludicrous neckline and the constant layer of oil/sweat she still manages to draw your eyes up and away from her chest and towards her eyes. It takes a lot of presence to up-stage that bust, but Munro had it by the ton.
The Vizier shows Sinbad a companion amulet and the drawing of a third one. All three amulets form a map that leads to a fountain of youth on the island of Lemuria.
Harryhausen’s creations include the winged, miniature homunculus; an ensorcelled figurehead that tears itself loose from Sinbad’s ship; a one-eyed centaur; a gryphon that guards the Fountain of Destiny; and, most impressively, a six-armed statue of Kali which performs an Indian dance before dueling against Sinbad’s men with six swords.
It’s really the Kali sequence that makes this such a memorable film.
With his typical attention to detail, Harryhausen hired an Indian dancer (Surya Kumari, also a noted actress and singer) to choreograph and perform as Kali with one of her students strapped to her back.
The dance was then scored with Indian musicians, and the sudden switch in flavor (as our ears have already been conditioned to an hour or so of Rózsa’s romantic adventure music) is in synch with the charged, magical atmosphere of the statue coming to life.
For the swordfight, nearly as elaborate as the celebrated skeleton battle in Jason and the Argonauts, stunt choreographer Fernando Poggi tied three of his men together to rehearse the action with the actors, then removed themselves and let the actors shadow-box before the cameras, with Harryhausen’s Kali to be added later.
It’s a showstopping fight and, it must be said, far more rousing than the typical poke-with-spears action that so many Harryhausen action scenes become (or, in fact, the earlier scene with the ship’s figurehead). It’s one for the highlight reels.
-Midnight Only
With the complete amulet, The Grand Vizier will be able to stop Koura’s ravages on the kingdom. And so Sinbad and the Vizier set sail on an expedition to Lemuria.
Listen up. After Caroline Munro was in a 007 film, she entered in one of my all time (yes my absolute all time) favorite cult movies. That’s right. Caroline’s first big role was in 1971, opposite Horror legend Vincent Price in “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” – playing the deceased Mrs. Victoria Regina Phibes. What a woman. What an actress!
However, Koura desires the amulet too. As all bad guys learn sooner or later, there is a price when using dark magic. His use of the amulet has taken it’s tool. For each time he used it, a little bit of life was stolen from him. Thus, he needs and covets that amulet in the vain hope of regaining his youth. You know, the youth and life that each spell he casts steals from him.
Koura sets sail determined to stop them. And thus, the adventure movie begins…
Some Background
It all sort of began with the movie The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). This movie was a landmark in fantasy cinema, and was often imitated over the next decade.
Most importantly, it brought to prominence the name of special effects man Ray Harryhausen and his fantastical creatures. Now, Ray Harryhausen was more than just a specialist in the process of stop-motion animation. He was a genus. Here, it is much like claymation. Created figurines are meticulously moved and photographed one frame at a time.
Sinbad (John Philip law) fights the centaur while (slave girl) companion Margiana (Caroline Munro) stands in the background. That’s all very interesting especially how the centaur is pictured.
He was so successful at it that Harryhausen went on to build a substantial career in this field over the next two decades.
He found a nitche in the world of Greek mythology. He would revisit the Sinbad mythos twice, here and later with the movie Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is one of Ray Harryhausen’s most acclaimed works and one that shows him at the height of his art.
Ray Harryhausen demonstrates that special effects don’t need to be state of the art to be edge of the seat, this film sees the adventurer and his crew on a quest to defeat evil magician Koura and solve the riddle of a mysterious interlocking golden map. Sinbad must fight his way past several of Harryhausen’s ingenious stop-motion animated monsters along the way, including a one-eyed centaur, and his own ship’s wooden figurehead, magically brought to life.
Most Ray Harryhausen films tend to be set around Harryhausen’s provision of profound creature effects. Which unfortunately tended to make the real actors and their intervening action rather wooden. However, as a child watching these movies, I noticed none of that.
The same is true with the dialog. No matter how chunky or cheesy it appeared, it always appealed to me. The quest for adventure screamed at me, and the livid monsters occupied my young impressionable mind.
Seriously, just how many movies do you find a griffin doing battle with a minaraur or a cyclops – minataur hybrid? Not often. Well, this movie has this and much, much more.
When I was a child, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) were one and the same – a four-hour Sinbad miniseries, with all the islands, wizards, beautiful girls, and Ray Harryhausen monsters randomly distributed so that I wasn’t exactly sure which belonged to which.
Understand that every trip to the video store meant that I would stand there, staring at all the boxes, ruling out the R-rated films or anything that looked remotely adult (verboten when I was a child), and eventually, inevitably, I would grab a Ray Harryhausen movie and hand it to my mother or father, who would just say, “This one, again?”
Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Mysterious Island (1961), or a Sinbad movie. These films were the foundation stones upon which my imagination was built.
Even though the early 80’s belonged to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, I always held the Harryhausen films in special regard. Before I even learned his name, I knew these films were connected – I recognized the stop-motion animation and the look of the monsters. (Of course that centaur only has one eye. He’s probably related to those cyclopes in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.)
These films had special special effects. Having watched just about every non-R-rated fantasy movie on the video store shelves, I knew there was a significant difference between One Million B.C. (1940), the Victor Mature movie with lizards and armadillos posing as dinosaurs, and One Million Years B.C. (1966), the remake with Harryhausen’s pterodactyls lifting Raquel Welch off the ground.
You can’t dress a lizard up to look like a pterodactyl.
The funny thing is that I was appreciating the films from a point-of-view that was already becoming outdated. The days of stop-motion were coming to an end, with his swan song, Clash of the Titans (1981), released around the time that I was just beginning to appreciate his films.
Though both Lucas and Spielberg used stop-motion effects in Star Wars (1977) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), by the end of the decade The Abyss (1989) would announce a new direction for cinema tricks.
-Midnight Only
Both Brian Clemens and Ray Harryhausen plunder world mythology somewhat indiscriminately. Which more often than not resulted in a kind of peculiar multi-cultural polyglot. Not that it matters, of course, but it is curious.
Caroline Munro looks splendid in her costume, low cut almost everywhere. The rest of the cast support well. Tom Baker is excellent as the villain Koura. He makes him sympathetic; what drives him is common to all people. He just uses different means to gain his ends. He dominates the scenes he is in and it is a pity that more big screen roles never came his way. He was the best ‘Doctor Who’ in the BBC series, in my opinion of course. A good fantasy romp to appeal to the adventurer in all of us. Did I mention Caroline Munro’s costume? Oh, I did.
Today, as an adult, I guess that I am more of a purist. But as a kid, nah… who the heck cared? Consider their broad paintbrush. There is Kali from Hindu religion, a griffin and combination centaur/cyclops from the Greek myths, the homunculus from mediaeval alchemy, Lemuria, and of course the backdrop from the Arabian Nights cycle.
As an aside, did you know that the idea of Lemuria was first posited by biologist Ernst Haeckel in the 1870s. It preceded the notion of continental drift. It was used with the belief of a sunken land in order to explain how lemurs managed to get between Africa and India. Later, this theory was bastardized and quickly appropriated by the 19th Century Theosophist movement.
‘Golden Voyage’ is much better than the later ‘Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger’ and equal to the earlier ‘Seventh Voyage of Sinbad’. The Harryhausen creatures are impressive. Stop motion animation does give solidity to the image, more so than the usual CGI effect. There are some fine ones here including a one eyed centaur, a homunculus, a griffin, a six armed statue, a ship’s wooden figurehead.
The story is standard but the effects, the locations and the plot weave together well. There is also a dry humor in the dialogue which is entertaining. Scenes like the sword fight with the six armed statute (with six swords!) or the final confrontation at the fountain of wisdom (or something like that) are exciting.
The great Miklos Rosza’s music adds considerably to the atmosphere. John Philip Law is OK as Sinbad and does attempt an Arabian accent unlike the usual English one, but the role isn’t Shakespearean and he does well enough.
All of this trivality is far less important than the spectacular beauty of Ray Harryhausen’s various set-pieces. Which, by this time, were at the absolute peak of their form.
Harryhausen offers us [1] a six-armed statue of Kali brought to life in a sword-duel; [2] a to-the-death battle between a griffin and a cyclopean centaur; [3] a magically animated ship’s figurehead; and, best of all, [4] the homunculus that Tom Baker brings to life, teasing and prodding it, as it lies pinned to a table.
Sinbad the sailor using an early version of Google Maps. This is a fine fantasy/adventure film, and definitely one worth watching by any fans of the genre, as well as Ray Harryhausen fans. The main problem is that the film tends to meander at times. There are also a few minor problems with direction or editing, such as the less-than-convincing sword fight in the cave near the end of the film. Also, the mostly episodic nature of the script lessens the overall impact. It often feels like a string of short stories arbitrarily strung together, although in the end, the overarching goal ties the film together well enough. But what “short stories” those are!
Harryhausen, who made this film with his longtime collaborator and co-producer Charles H. Schneer, was careful to separate this film from 7th Voyage; he seemed to dislike the label of “sequel.” (In his 2003 book An Animated Life, Harryhausen states that he and Schneer even “strenuously” tried to avoid the term regarding Eye of the Tiger, curiously enough.)
Indeed, the viewer need not have seen the former film, though naturally it exists in its shadow. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is a classic of fantasy filmmaking to stand beside its chief inspiration, The Thief of Bagdad (1940).
Golden Voyage is just another fun Harryhausen movie, the perfect way to pass a Saturday afternoon.
Law does a credible job as our new Sinbad (replacing 7th Voyage‘s Kerwin Mathews), embodying Harryhausen’s image of the Arabian Nights hero: handsome, athletic, but not a bodybuilder.
The story, conceived by Harryhausen and revised, polished, and scripted by Brian Clemens (of the TV series The Avengers, as well as Captain Kronos, which also featured Caroline Munro), sends Sinbad on a treasure hunt on behalf of a disfigured Vizier in a golden mask (Douglas Wilmer, Jason and the Argonauts).
Their quest involves retrieving the lost pieces of an amulet, which will point the way to an ancient, magical source of great knowledge and power.
There’s always an evil magician in pursuit, of course, and in this case it’s Baker’s Prince Koura, who controls gargoyle-like homunculi and lusts after the same prize.
The story might be perfunctory, but it’s well-paced, with attractive location shooting in Spain to stand in for both the fictionalized Middle East and Lemuria. (Plans to shoot in India – which would have provided a wonderful look to the film – were discarded after hearing horror stories about “appalling red tape and bureaucracy” encountered by other Hollywood productions shooting there.)
Composer Miklós Rózsa (The Thief of Bagdad, Ben-Hur) is the ideal stand-in for 7th Voyage‘s Bernard Herrmann, capturing the appropriate “Orientalist” feel.
-Midnight Only
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is also notable for many of the up-and-coming stars. There is Tom Baker who, the following year, would become the fourth incarnation of tv’s Doctor Who (1963-89). There is cult queen Caroline Munro; and Martin Shaw, later hunk hero of Clemens’ superior action man tv show The Professionals.
The script, production/set design and costumes easily propel you into a captivating fantasy world, and Harryhausen’s creatures, as always, are a delight to watch. No, they’re not exactly realistic–no more realistic looking than cgi, in my opinion–but I’m not looking for realism when I watch a film like this. I’m looking for brilliant artistry, especially if it is an adventure with pretty girls, and Harryhausen’s stop-motion animated creatures fit the bill.
Conclusion
This is a great movie to introduce the kids to, to spend a lazy hazy august afternoon, or just to relax to. There are some amazing scenes, and nowhere else in movie-land will you see a six-armed statue of Kali which performs an Indian dance before dueling against Sinbad’s men with six swords. I enjoyed it and I think that maybe you the reader would enjoy it as well.
You can watch it for free if you don’t mind waiting a half an hour to half a day to download the torrent.
For those of you who are unaware. Torrents are parts of files that are spread out in tiny packets all over the internet. You use a "Bit Torrent" client to vacuum up all those little bits and pieces of the file. It then assembles the file into a movie that you can watch. The time that this takes can vary from a few minutes to weeks depending on how popular or obscure your searched file is.
You will need an application to manage the download. I recommend the free application VUZE. To download the video is thus easy. Install VUZE, and then click on one of the following torrent links.
Depending on where you live, you might not have the freedom to access these sites and the ISP might block them from access, or the search engines might black out their search results. Americans, in particular, might have some real problems. Therefore, I listed the most accessible torrent sites available to Americans. Pirate Bay and 1337X. I think that Kick Ass Torrents is still blocked for all Americans.
Movies that Inspired Me
Here are some movies that I consider noteworthy and worth a view. Enjoy.
Stories that Inspired Me
Here are
reprints in full text of stories that inspired me, but that are nearly
impossible to find in China. I place them here as sort of a personal
library that I can use for inspiration. The reader is welcome to come
and enjoy a read or two as well.
My Poetry
Articles & Links
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find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy
notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a
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because I just don’t care to.
