And movies!

SUPER 8 (2011) is JJ Abrams’ tribute to co-producer Steven Spielberg, as a group of kids in the late seventies obsessed with making a horror movie find themselves in the middle of a real one after a military train crash unleashes a captured alien on their town. While there’s nothing new storywise (or in the fractured relationship between the lead and father Kyle Chandler), it’s well done with a nice feel for the times. “I would never give you this information if we hadn’t served together in Vietnam.”
THE FRIGHTENED MAN (1952) is a good, rather nourish Brit crime drama in which a young man kicked out of college turns to crime to support himself, only to discover that everyone around him from his dad to his wife seems to have an angle to play. “Your old man gets your missus a job—and the first thing you think of is how to fix the joint.”
THE DREAM QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH (2003) is an animated version (based on a comic-book adaptation) iof H.P. Lovecraft’s fantasy in which Randolph Carter travels from Ulthar to Leng to Kadath accompanied by ghouls, cats, zugs and sinister foreign traders in hopes of discovering the lost city of his dreams. The animation style tends to pencil-and-ink drawings with occasional movement; the result is not what the book deserves, but it isn’t an embarrassment either (though they needed a way more ominous voice for Nyarlathotep). “I know my place in the cosmos, Carter—and it is higher than yours.”
If I recall correctly, SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE (2010) reworks a comics-plot from a few years ago in which Superman’s cousin Kara arrives on Earth, only to have Darkseid recruit her for his side. More enjoyable for the action scenes than the character bits (and it seems way too late to keep doing President Luthor references——even in the DCU he’s been out of office a while). With Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy back doing the voices of the leads, Summer Glau as Supergirl and Andre Braugher as Darkseid. “I’d tell you to go to hell, but under the circumstances, that would be redundant.”
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (2010) is a documentary in the Profile of an Eccentric subgenre, the subject here being an amateur filmmaker whose half-hearted documentary about street art takes an unexpected turn when he decides to develop his own graffiti style under the pseudonym of “Mr. Brainwash.” Amusing in how he succeeds despite himself, but pretty minor. “Instead of selecting pieces for the show, Thierry focused on something else—hype.”
CLIMAX! was a TV anthology series from the 1950s which wouldn’t be of notice if I hadn’t discovered the Casino Royale episode——the first appearance of James Bond on-screen——was available on Netflix. The story of American agent “Lucky Jimmy” Bond (Felix Lighter gets to be the Brit here) trying to outplay Peter Lorre at baccarat——despite Bond’s lost love being held as hostage——is pretty weak here and very talky; even Lorre isn’t his usual self (maybe because he’s playing a crimelord instead of his usual underling). Only worth watching for historical purposes.