Square Pegs

Mr Pinky has been quite busy of late catching up on the DVD release of a favourite TV sitcom from the early eighties, which is the reason why his trotters have not been tapping out reviews of late.

Square Pegs was created by Saturday Night Live writer Anne Beatts, and follows the trials and tribulations of two geeky girls (Patty Greene, played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Lauren Hutchinson, played by Amy Linker).

Their aim in life is to make it with the popular kids, but they are thwarted at every turn. This is where the comedy of the series comes from - the dashed aspirations of the unpopular.

In an interview on the DVD, Anne Beatts says she based the series on her life at school as an unpopular, geeky kid. I guess this show for her was almost a revenge from the success of her writing for Saturday Night Live.

Unfortunately, the show wasn't to make it past 19 episodes. I guess we should be thankful for the good times while they lasted (the DVD includes the pilot episode, featuring the one hit wonders group The Waitresses).

Watching the series some 25 years after I first viewed it, I'm happy to report that the show was as good as I remembered. It's a cute series, with lots of clever writing and snappy dialogue.

My favourite character, the born organiser Muffy B. Tepperman, is an absolute hoot. She chairs the Pep Committee, the Morals Club, the Science Fair Committee and is a member of the Future Nurses of America.

Plus there's the new wave Johnny Slash and would-be comedian Marshall Blechtman. And not forgetting valley girl Jennifer DiNuccio and sassy LaDonna Fredericks.

You may have to make friends with some cool people to set your peepers on a few episodes, or fork out the cash and get yourself a copy.

This series is probably for those who grew up in the eighties. There's even references to Ronald Reagan wearing make up. Nevertheless, I think it all holds up well.

The episodes are generally tightly written, the characters well drawn, and the gags intelligent. Not the usual throw away fodder that is churned out today. In short, this means Square Pegs is a totally original show that is worth checking out.

:)p

The Host

Going back to the 1950’s, the best horror/sci-fi flicks had their genesis in some sort of environmental or political disaster. Godzilla was born from a post-Hiroshima scarred Japan and like that great green creature, The Host offers a warning of impending catastrophe when nature is tampered with.

When Mr Pinky first heard about The Host via a clip on David and Margaret’s Movie Show, his snout began sniffing in anticipation. That one scene of a truly frightening creature wreaking havoc in a park was a rare example of CGI effects getting it right. The film itself, a South Korean production from 2006 is up there with Alien as one classic scary experience. The fact that it is South Korea's biggest money maker probably means we’ll soon be seeing a dodgy American remake in no time.

The film opens with an American scientist ordering the dumping of huge amounts of formaldehyde into the Han River. A few years later and the effects of this act have spawned a creature of immense horror that emerges from the river to create bloodyminded havoc. I cannot remember a monster film in recent years that has made Mr Pinky hide his eyes in dreadful anticipation of what happens next. But what makes The Host so special is the care it takes setting up the human element of the film. By taking the time to introduce the Park family and having the monster abduct the youngest member, audience sympathy is won and fear is genuinely felt. Indeed, the feeling of dread that this film creates as attempts are made to rescue the little girl was quite an overwhelming experience for Mr Pinky.

Desperately Seeking Susan

No matter how many times Mr Pinky watches this eighties gem he never gets bored of it. This is what smart film making is all about: well plotted, nicely shot, seamlessly edited. The movie cleverly blends screwball comedy and detective mystery genres. Add in the up and coming Madonna, with her sassy and funny performance as Susan, and you have something new altogether.

This film is also very much an ode to eighties New York, with its new wave punk fashion and street culture. Director Susan Seidelman with her canny eye has a great sense of detail, colour and design. Every shot is like a beautifully constructed image. There's lot of eye candy in this film, despite the novelty value of its subject matter.

What a shame that Seidelman could not come up with a another film of this calibre.

Full marks also to the director for insisting that the 25 year old Madonna play this role. Madonna's film work since Susan has been uneven, to say the least. In this film she seems to have a natural flair for playing the mischievous, 1930s style screwball gal, a la Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard. Madonna seemed a natural for this style of acting.

What went wrong for Madonna's acting career after Desperately Seeking Susan? It seems she was haunted by the ambition to become a 'great' actress. That's a shame, as she could have had a career as a comic actress, say like Goldie Hawn.

Favourite scene: When Roberta and her dove are taken in by the police after she has been mistaken for a prostitute. Another hooker in the back seat with Roberta asks wryly, 'How do you use the birds?'

Fix yourself a bowl of popcorn and enjoy one of Mr Pinky's Cinema Classics


















Check out Mr Pinky's review of Madonna's Confessions Tour.

Once Upon a Time in the West

Prior to seeing this film, Mr Pinky was under the impression that it was one of those poorly dubbed comedic spaghetti westerns. How wrong could this little porker be.

Making its debut in 1968 this amazing and haunting film offers a brutal and frightening view of the mythologised American west. Italian director Sergio Leone's decision to cast cinema's Mr Nice Guy Henry Fonda as the film's murderous villain is just one example of how he was able to turn the western genre on its head. Right from the film's opening, in a long dialogue-less scene, Leone is able to create a scene of almost unbearable tension purely through his astonishing visual sense and use of sound.

Leone once said "the rhythm of the film was intended to create the sensation of the last gasps that a person takes just before dying" and that " all of the characters in the film except Claudia Cardinale are conscious of the fact they will not arrive at the end alive" As bleak as that sounds, what Leone has done is to imbue a previously tired genre with a poetic individuality of its very own. Definitely worth a spin on a big widescreen tv. I can only imagine how good it looks in a cinema!

Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!

This cult classic by mad genius and breast fanatic Russ Meyer was made on a shoe string in 1966 and soon flopped upon release. It experienced a second wave revival when film maker John Waters was asked to name his all time favourite movie. It was no contest, Faster Pussycat won hands down.

The plot follows the desert adventures of three well endowed go-go dancers, Rosie , Billie and their leader, the has-to-be -seen-to-be-believed Varla. They basically try to rob an wheelchair bound old misogynist of his money. Of course there's no honour amongst thieves, and things soon go downhill for the girls.

Besides being a thrill a minute movie, Pussycat is also renowned for its camp dialogue and eye popping cinematography. Meyer shoots his women like awe inspiring amazons. He really created the cinematic uber-woman.

This is a film that only cool cats will get and love. Tura Satana's portrayal as the evil Varla is a one off in cinema.

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Ahh, this is an all time favourite of mine. You can't go wrong with this Pee Wee classic. Features an all star cast of Pee Wee's pals. There's Large Marge, Pee Wee's dog, Spot. Dotty the bike store assistant.

A picaresque comedy that is endlessly inventive, happily skipping along along from situation to situation. The plot is wholly based around Pee Wee trying to recover his stolen bike.

The only disappointment with this movie is that the fabulous Miss Yvonne from the TV series does not feature in this film.

A ten out of ten film.