HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY 2026

 

I SAW TURA!

At last, director/writer/producer Cody (Sugar Boxx) Jarrett's TURA! makes the rounds. Ah, is it ever splendid, resonating with beauty, pathos and meaning. Indeed, it was well worth the long wait.

Margaret Cho supplies Tura Satana's narrative voice, keeping the bio-doc's chapters cohesive, though there's more than enough archival Satana in the commemoration to keep her devotees in the authentic loop. Without question, Satana's bold presence and courageous personality are felt throughout every fantastic frame. 

Satana's physique is what clinched her fame, even if it led to tragedy early on, with her being gang raped at the tender age of ten. At fifteen, she landed a lucrative stint as a burlesque queen, but such mature (if not immoral) relegation, coupled by her perseverance to overcome the odds, catapulted her into a successful acting career, crowned by her iconic portrayal of Varla in Russ Meyer's Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. She also became the aptly named villainess, Satana, in Ted V. Mikel's pulpy, sci-fi favorite, The Astro-Zombies, in addition to Lavelle Sumara in his Charlie's Angels precursor, The Doll Squad,  along with memorable appearances in Billy Wilder's Irma la Deuce, Daniel Mann's 007 spoof, Our Man Flint, and television's popular, spy set, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. 

Satana's reputed affair with Elvis Presley is one of the documentary's focal points. Some have disputed its legitimacy, but it doesn't seem too far a leap, considering the queue of famous people she knew: Frank Sinatra, David Janssen, Forrest Tucker, Tony Curtis, Tony Accardo, Tony Bennett, Marty Allan, Harold Lloyd, Aaron Spelling and Kitten Natividad. On the whole, she rubbed elbows with the best of them. 

And as the bio-doc's plentiful interviews confirm, people were touched and influenced by her, including John Waters, Dita Von Teese, Pamela Des Barres, Greg Proops, Angel Walker ... and Joshua Grannett. However, Satana's daughters, Kalani Silverman and Jade Fall, lead the adoring parade when it comes to expressing their forthright fondness for the woman who raised them. 

Another significant portion of TURA! dissects her legend, pursuing the blur between fact and fiction: case in point, the aforementioned Presley affair, but also her questionable, Japanese heritage. Satana's hunt for her violators also anchors her saga and may strike some as little more than glorified, Kill Bill, wishful thinking, but that Satana stressed a need for justice resonates from this passage and does, in fact, emblemize her persona, whether it be enacted through artistic measure or veritable, hands-on retribution.

In the end, Jarrett's opus presses Satana as a essential, cultural icon, who like Bettie Page, slipped into obscurity, only to eclipse her early success during the dusk of life. That TURA! epitomizes such resuscitated glory makes the movie something her fans will cheer and, indeed, it stands as a defiant achievement that its contributors should be proud of, above all its perennial lady of action, who's no doubt looking down with her haughty, signature smile.

TURA! can be viewed on Tubi & Amazon Prime.

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH (BEST OF LUCK)

 

I SAW DAVE STEVENS: DRAWN TO PERFECTION

Dave Stevens' untimely passing was a major blow to the art world, as well as heroic fantasy. 

The documentary, Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, written/directed by Kelvin Mao, drives this point home, chronicling what made Stevens one of the best action-adventure/pinup artists who ever was or ever will be. 

Stevens' illustrated adventure, The Rocketeer, and Bettie Page's semblance in it, solidifies his enduring influence (how could it not?), but in truth, Drawn to Perfection is distinguished by various phases of Stevens' life. This includes his entrance into the field by gaining favor with DC great, Neal Adams, who encouraged the young artist to give Marvel a try, only to be rejected before becoming its Star Wars inker, which in turn segued into a Raiders of the Lost Ark, storyboarding gig, after the influential William (Conan the Barbarian) Stout recommended him to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. 

This whirlwind period is underscored by Steven's rocky relationship with model/actress Brinke Stevens and thereafter, Joe (Captain America: The First Avenger) Johnston's Rocketeer film adaptation for Disney, though other significant developments in Stevens' life do enter the spotlight: his stint as a ladies man, his endearing friendship with Ms. Page and in the end, his fateful bout with hairy cell leukemia. 

The documentary's cast fills in the gaps, with special reflections by Stout, Johnston, Ms. Stevens and Ms. Page (the latter per archival audio), along with Jennifer Stevens Bawcum, Thomas Jane, Billy Campbell, Bruce Timm, Jim Silke, Michael Kaluta, Olivia De Berardinis, Adam Hughes, Jaime Hernandez, Geofrey "Geof" Darrow, Mark Evanier, Chris Donio, David Mandel and Harlan Ellison.  

The collective commentary paints Stevens in a positive light by championing his talents, with director Johnston receiving justifiable credit for standing up for Stevens when Disney's execs insisted on replacing Cliff Secord's helmet with something NASA-like. This sort of staunch support only solidifies Stevens' place in popular culture, but it also makes his passing more painful when one considers the projects he never completed (e.g. his work with Marla Duncan for a Mimi Rodin, comic series and a Rocketeer/Superman crossover). Indeed, Stevens may have given us much, but he had a ton more yet to give. 

For those who admire multifaceted artists, in particular those with a love for the past, Mao's tribute will be an invaluable treat. In other words, it's a celebration of a life well led, with all the identifiable foibles and triumphs attached, which make Stevens both relatable yet remarkable in the same acknowledged breath. 

Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection can be enjoyed on Amazon Prime.

WISE WORDS:

I SAW GUY RITCHIE'S YOUNG SHERLOCK

I suppose because of Guy Ritchie's divergent style, the Amazon Prime, eight-episode miniseries, Young Sherlock, which the director devised with writers/co-creators Peter Harness and Matthew Parkhill, should be considered a prequel to his retailored, Robert Downey Jr./Jude Law Holmes/Watson set. However, some say it should be taken at no more than face value. Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't matter much. It all evens out in the crafty, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wash. 

For me, the series proved a curious run of fun, even as its two plots bumpered off each other in the manner of many Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, or as in Harold Becker's crime melodrama, Malice, though unlike the latter, the concepts did come together by the culmination. All the same, after Young Sherlock's investigative dust clears, it's all about family, friendship and dangerous deception.

To fulfill the ingredients, we have Hero Fiennes Tiffin as the nineteen-year-old Holmes; Max Irons as his mindful, older brother, Mycroft; Natascha McElhone as his distraught mother, Cordelia; Joseph Fiennes as his shifty father, Silas; Colin Firth as the shady Bucephalus Hodge; Holly Cattle as the unassuming yet surprising Edie/Beatrice; Zine Tseng as the principled Princess Gulun Shou'an; Iris Li as the deflecting Mei Li Liu, and last but not least (drumroll, please!), Donal Finn as Holmes' mischievous rival, James Moriarty. 

The intertwining (Oxford-flanking and far beyond) plots concern the securing of ancient, Asian scrolls that hold world-shaking consequences and the other deals with Holmes' mother, who was committed to a mental institution after his wee sister perished. The big question is, did his dear sister truly die or is she (hint hint) hiding in plain sight?

The quest for the scrolls is action-oriented, at times staged like a chapter play (i.e. an Indiana Jones adventure) or maybe it's more in line with Barry Levinson's Young Sherlock Holmes, which does hold similar high-flying setups. The family-based track, on the other hand, brews pure mystery, with a subtle build that never quite culminates in horror, but still churns the chills. There's also a pulpy, 007/Green Hornet "nerve gas" at the heart of it all, which ties the halves in a nice, toxic bow.

I'm uncertain which of the series' melodramas I prefer. They're both interesting and in all honesty, could have distinguished two separate seasons. The juxtaposing still clicks, and that's all that matters, but the textures do tend to dart in far opposite directions. For some, the contrast may feel more exasperating than complementary. 

Even with its apparent, aesthetic clashes, Young Sherlock's characters hold absolute command, with the Holmes/Moriarty link being the most emphasized, placing the lads at consistent, amiable odds and adventurous peril. The idea of these noted foes as friends (and ones whose personalities click and clack in such a rambunctious way) is quite novel, considering where they're headed. 

Regardless of Holmes and Moriarty's fated breakup (a heavy hint of which surfaces in the final moments of the season finale), the series' mirthful partnership is worth the visit, and lots more can be culled from the concept. I wonder what might be bubbling for Season 2, and if another twofold approach is planned. With the thematic tactic now established, it might as well continue. If, indeed, used, the duplicity will all come down to how well it blends, and I'm betting (at least as far as my disposition goes) the formula reinstates the same mercurial yet opulent intrigue.