Sunday 29 April 2012

Outland: Sex and Drugs and Wild West Spacemen …

28-4-2012

Isn’t that good … ?

No, really … ?

Being in a nice — warm — flat, listening to the rain whilst it falls, and hits the ground, whilst quietly playing side one of Tubular Bells … ?

I wish I could say so for sure, I really could.

Unfortunately … ?

Having the window open, this late, so that I can hear those raindrops, also means my place is just a touch nippy.

I may have to shut the window, and let Mike Oldfield* do his tubular thing.

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29-4-2012

OK, OK, it’s the night after the evening before: and I’ve now got to side two of Tubular Bellsº.

And am intent on telling you about the film I saw, last night.

You mean you’d not worked that out … ?

Dearie me … !

At ANY rate, I HAVE to admit, I caught meself a film, last night: and just in case you’d not noticed the poster … ?

The film in question was the Peter Hyams film, Outland, staring Sean Connery.

Outland sees Connery as Marshall William O’Niel, assigned to a mining outpost on Io, one of the rocky moons of Jupiter.


And a marshall assigned when miners start to — seemingly at random — have psychotic incidents that lead to their deaths.

On further investigation, it seems all three of the most recently dead miners have traces of an amphetamine-like drug in their system.

One that’s seems to have been supplied to them, by Sheppard, the manager of the base … 

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Now … 

I have to admit, last night was actually the first time I’ve sat down and watched Outlandª.   And, along with that, I’m ALSO going to admit to having thoroughly enjoyed it.

OK, granted, it’s no 2001 or Silent Running: there’s no hidden message, or any effort to be a great big philosophical art-house piece.

What Outland is though … ?

Is a nicely solid little sci-fi action piece: that tells you to sit back with a bucket of popcorn and enjoy yourself, watching it.

THAT it does very well.
Outland
★★½☆









*        Kevin D, Debbi, Mr S … ?   Impress me: tell me who the MC is … !

º        OK, it’s got to the Piltdown Man bit: it SOUNDS like Oldfield really HAD been at the Jack Daniels … Or the Klingon opera … 

ª        Now, I know Kevin D’s probably going to insist I mention Gary Cooper’s High Noon as a major influencing factor on Outland: I’m sure it is, but never having seen High Noon: to quote a certain Mr Richardson … 

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