Thursday, August 27, 2026
SO LONG, PETER CULLEN
You were a man of many voices: above all, that of Optimus Prime for both the animated and big-screen Transformers.
Beyond your favored, robotic tonality, your nuanced and diverse expressions distinguished Go-bots, Robotix, G.I. Joe, Dino-Riders, Sectaurs, Winnie the Pooh, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Spider-Man 1981, Dungeons & Dragons, Gallavants, Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriff, The Pirates of Dark Water, Rainbow Bright and the Star Stealer, Voyage of the Rock Aliens, Voltron, My Little Pony: The Movie, Mickey's Magical Christmas, Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls, The Story of Christmas, Seasons of Giving, Super Sleuth Christmas Movie, Treasure Planet, Knight Rider, Invincible, Saturday Supercade, Toonami, The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible, Little Wizards, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, Police Story 4: First Strike, The Iron Giant, Gremlins, Predator and King Kong 1976.
Indeed, you brought our endearing favorites to life, giving them depths of sound that are now indivisible with their celebrated facades. Thank you, Mr. Cullen, for that essential attentiveness ... thank you for always getting it right.🗢
I SAW THE DOG STARS
Director/producer Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars, scripted by Mark L. Smith (with contributions from Christopher Wilkinson), based on Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel, offers a rekindling of the regret, guilt and fear that sprung from our maddening, COVID years, perhaps made more unsettling in light of recent revelations.
By its nature, such a tale can't be cheerful, and in the case of Dog Stars, it's not, but it's adventurous in a semi-modern-western way, referencing the dismal yet epic ambiance of Ravagers (that wee, underrated, Richard Harris gem), A Boy and his Dog, Damnation Alley, Ark II, Planet Earth, Maggie, The Book of Eli, The Rover and The Postman, with oodles of The Andromeda Strain, 12 Monkeys and Outbreak to stress its backdrop cause and effect.
Leading the tale is a supply-pilot/mechanic named Hig, played by Jacob Elordi, and an ex-Marine named Bangley, played by Josh Brolin. Guy Pearce's Pops, a seasoned rancher, and his medic daughter, Margaret Qualley's Cima, join the starry-eyed cause, helping to track a vague, radio transmission that references a spot called Grand Junction.
For the record, the movie's title alludes to the dog-themed stars (of which Sirius is the brightest and therefore, the one that implies the most shepherding hope), but the label more so represents the metaphorical Jasper, Hig's dog (enacted by Raksha), who's accompanied his master through a monstrous virus (of unknown origin) that took Hig's wife (Sai Bennett). The steadfast bond between man and dog (met by Hig's allegorical interest in the guiding, heavenly bodies) inspires a sense of purpose, which includes the need to connect with others on a larger, social scale (something the strange signal might deliver).
Though our protagonists persevere with the best intent, it's the Reapers (Native American-imprinted marauders), who propose a constant threat. (Sounds rather like certain factions that dare to defile our cities today.) Due to the surrounding disarray, the situation could default to an intrinsic quest more than an external one, since traditional escape isn't practical.
No matter the means or variables, the precious need to survive (in any locale) is Dog Stars' ultimate outcome, along with finding love, which blossoms between Hig and Cima, blanketed as it is by Scott's contemplative style and Erik Messerschmidt's pleasing cinematography. However, it's the characters who make the concept click.
Abetting the leads are Benedict Wong and Allison Janey, springing from opposite ends of the story's eclectic spectrum. They're nuanced enough so that, if Dog Stars had been an ongoing series, they'd have flavored its bridges, and in compact form, they can't help but excel when their turns emerge, enough to make one yearn for more than is shared.
From what I've heard, some advance viewers have compared Dog Stars to a Mad Max chapter, but it doesn't strike me that way. It doesn't have Max's fierce, distinguishing fuel (despite a few edgy, action sequences), and that's fine. Star Dogs is meant to be confined and more often than not, relaxed in its entrenched execution. In other words (and for better or worse), Dog Stars' tone is grounded: meaning it holds only minimal levity (often delivered by Bangley), matched by an out-of-left-field, surreal, airport sequence and of course, the aforementioned stars' abstract lure, which depending on how the wind blows, could result in either salvation or a hellish nowhere. (The concept reminds me of Logan's Run's "outside" realm. Few know what it holds, but it draws curiosity.)
Though it felt a tad too juxtaposed at times, I nevertheless found Dog Stars engaging, even with its too-close-for-comfort, pandemic reminders. It's also far from great. That's fine, too. Not every movie needs to knock it out of the park, and not every post-apocalyptic saga needs to be a redefining classic. Dog Stars falls somewhere in the respectable middle. It's captivating enough to help one pass the time, so even if one skips its scenic, IMAX run, it should in the least prove useful for a homebound, rainy afternoon.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
FAREWELL, TIM CURRY
You were Darkness in Legend and a legend, thanks to your many remarkable roles.
Dr. Frank-N-Furter was your biggie, but Pennywise wasn't far behind, and still there were others ... so many others ... sometimes when you appeared in the flesh and other times solely by your distinguished elocution.
On your immense list are Three Men in a Boat, Clue, Home Alone 2, Annie 1982, Oliver Twist 1982, The Three Musketeers 1993, The Shadow 1994, McHale's Navy 1997, Charlie's Angels 2000, Addams Family Reunion, Tales from the Crypt III: Ritual, Gingerclown, The Shout, Oscar, Times Square, The Hunt for Red October, Schmoedipus, Muppet Treasure Island, Congo, Clue, Who Done It, Attila, The Worst Witch, Wolfgirl, The Ploughman's Lunch, Kinsey, Pass the Ammo, Lion of Oz, Curious George: Follow that Monkey, Over the Garden Wall, Valiant, Scary Movie 2, National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, Saving Santa, Christmas in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol 1997, A Sesame Street Christmas Carol, Jimmy Neutron (the series and movies), Ligmalion or How to Help Yourself in Self-Help Britain, The Pirates of the Plain, Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King, Bartok the Magnificent, Fly Me to the Moon, Wildchat, City Sugar, The Color of Magic Part 2: The Light Fantastic, The North Star, Bench Pressley, The Not So Golden Calf, Will Shakespeare, aka Life of Shakespeare (as the eternal raconteur), Titanic (the 1996 miniseries) ... and the science-fiction adventure show, Earth 2.
Your voice was divine and performed on a number of impressive levels. Alas, as much as your singing was revered, you never received all the accolades you deserved. However, to those in the know, your performance style always reigned supreme.
In addition to your aforementioned achievements, your biography, Vagabond, is an absolute pleasure to read (and listen to): a most revealing memoir and yet it still maintains an air of mystique.
That mystique will keep your followers forever wondering, but let them wonder, for it will propel your legend in ways that will now exceed your momentous time on Earth.
When all is said and done, there was only ever one Tim Curry, and there will never be another. Rejoice in your uniqueness, sir, and let it be a guide for all who express themselves with fearless fancy, contagious candor and flamboyant joy.😏
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