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The Grey Area -
contact The ZONE
email: editor@zone-sf.com
selected correspondence and comments received...
December 2006
In Steve Anderson’s review on The Bunker,
he makes an error when he says:
"I want to know where these guys got the rifle that looks very
much like a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. What, is this some kind of experimental MG-43
from the fabled 'last days of the war'..."
The movie was amazingly accurate in its weaponry. The rifle Anderson speaks of is the
Sturmgewehr 44, a revolutionary design which was arguably the first assault rifle, one
which even our current military weapons are based. It was adopted by the German Wehrmacht
near the end of the war, in numbers too few to make a difference, but still as a production,
standard issue rifle and not an experimental weapon.
It was the first widely used military rifle in history to have the
selective fire option (semi and automatic fire capability via a selector switch) a pistol
grip, a detachable large capacity magazine and chambered to fire a rifle cartridge. Many
believe the AK-47 was copied from the StG 44, although Kalashnikov denies this. Regardless,
the rifle was historically accurate as portrayed in the film, as were all the other weapons,
despite Steve’s disbelief.
This is why the big budget Hollywood films often don’t take the time to
make their films historically accurate, the public at large often does not know the difference,
or does not care. But I say give credit where credit is due.
- Davis Rowden
I enjoyed the article about Philip José
Farmer... a good introduction to an interesting writer. I've got the Tarzan and
Doc Savage books knocking around somewhere, and they're quite fun but I always
thought that they didn't really have the plot. The crucial diffference between it and
The League Of Extraordinary
Gentlemen is that the latter is about the characters' adventures after their known
stories. The Farmer books are a kind of behind-the-scenes of the existing stories and
therefore have a little savour.
- Patrick Hudson
November 2006
That was a great (and hilarious) review, I'm glad you enjoyed
Criticized. 11 out of 10!
Now that would certainly put a smile on Arthur Lements' face, as it did on mine. I've
wondered how critics might react to this film... I suppose if they didn't like it, they
might avoid writing a review altogether - just in case. Fact is, the film is in no way
autobiographical. Well, I suppose it is since I am a filmmaker - but I've never used
paperclips on anything other than sheets of paper...
I plan to make a feature-length version of Criticized in early
2007, and am working on the screenplay now... I've been reading some of the articles
on your site... great stuff!
- Richard Gale (writer and director)
Thanks very much for reviewing my short (Eddie Loves You, screened at
Horror Fest)... I was there too and
I have to agree with your assessment... I go to these festivals hopeful that I'll see
something great like Wolf Creek but end up feeling a little disappointed that
a lot are rehashes of 1980s' ideas and are a bit generic... (as was mine... LOL).
Anyway, I can't thank you enough for your comments. Given your very
honest reviews of the other films, it makes me much happier that you seemed to be very
kind to mine... More will follow I promise!
- Karl Holt (writer and director)
Thank you for the review (of Horror Fest).
The venue did prove a problem for such a long period and we will be learning from our
mistakes. We have already begun organising Horror Fest 2 - The Sequel. This will be more
of a film festival in the sense of the thing, providing workshops, filmmaker networking
during the day and the films taking place over 4 hours each evening/ night.
A little point of note for Fallen Angels, is that the prison
location is the same as used in The Shawshank Redemption.
A special thank you for the review on The Museum. This still needs
a little work in editing after seeing it on the big screen, but we aim to use this as an
example for filmmakers to just get out there and make films.
- Joe Jenkins
October 2006
I just read the review on your web site of
The Bunker, where
your reviewer Steve Anderson comments about the German troops using what look like AK-47
assault rifles. He might not be aware that the Germans were actually using MP44 assault
rifles, which were designed in 1943. The reason they look so similar to the AK-47 is that
the Soviets (or more specifically one Mikhael Kalashnikov) copied the design from captured
MP44s, and made some changes (mainly to make them easier to produce) and ended up with the
AK-47. So there... Also, I believe the film was shot in England, not New Zealand. I can't
see the sense of a cast and crew of Brits going all the way out to New Zealand to make a
film set in a forest, when there are lots of perfectly good forests in England.
- Steve Pearson
August 2006
Just want to say how much i enjoyed this piece on
Michael J. Murphy... I live in
Portsmouth, and have been active over the years in local film projects and student work.
The university has a thriving media and film department, and we have a popular independant
cinema. But no-one, and I mean no-one, I have ever spoken to from Portsmouth has ever heard
of Michael J. Murphy. I feel this is a real shame. I have watched Murphy's film Bloodstream
many many times. And I have learnt more from it's shortcomings and quirks than from my film
education.
- Will Egleton
November 2005
Just enjoyed the Black
Scorpion TV series on dvd. Wow, it is a very well done show. Shame it only has
one season. It has all the superhero qualities that they are striving for now in Hollywood
but not achieving. This series is there, and with minor tweaks, it could be a winner
for some company who wants to get on the Spider-Man, Batman, Superman,
Wonder Woman bandwagon. Now may be the time... This show should be 'discovered
again by the powers that be' and produced for more shows. The Internet shows there is
a huge following. Just hoping...
- Lee Morrison
Thanks for the review [of Alien
Abduction]. It was pretty darned good and fun to read.
- Eric Forsberg (writer and director)
October 2005
You can't even begin to talk about space
rock without mentioning the 'daddies', the supreme heavy metal kids Hawkwind – still
recording, still touring, still getting new fans – timeless, anarchic, but without all
that punk posturing and a knowing smile. They get extra brownie points for supporting
new talent and having an aura about them that no other band has in quite the same quantity.
Rob Calvert, Lemmy, Dave Brock, Nick Turner, Michael Moorcock, Asimov, Ginger Baker, and
Arthur Brown – it's all there, reggae, ambient, jazz, blues, metal, poetry.
- Shane Molloy
July 2005
Regarding your review of the Hughes brothers' film
From Hell, you must
be having a laugh. Either that or you are unaware of any cinema beyond The Goonies,
which by the way is several Oscars better than From Hell.
This movie is the cinema equivalent of packaged dog-turd. Johnny Depp
(who I agree is usually a tremendously gifted actor) has clearly been directed to 'act
shit'. Heather Graham looks like she has been transported through time and space from
a Vogue photo shoot into 'Grimy Olde London Towne' – complete with her own makeup
and lighting technicians. Well I assume she came from a photo shoot, it certainly wasn't
acting school was it?
Ok, I'll admit that this is not the irredeemable travesty of
Battlefield Earth
(sorry Mr Travolta, this will never be recognised as anything other than the
spiritual successor to Plan 9 From Outer Space), as there are some fairly convincing
sets and a decent supporting cast, but I don't think it is going too far to suggest
that a rectal cavity search of the lead actors, and indeed the directors, producers,
script-writers and investors, would have resulted in a more satisfying film experience.
With this in mind I find it hard to understand how you can highly
recommend this film to either Depp fans or Jack aficionados.
What is good about this film?
There are some very good sets
There are some great supporting actors
Ian Holm (first half on the film)
What is bad about this film?
'Clever' cross-reference to the Elephant Man (who cares if it's in Moore's story, this
is a pointless aside in the film version)
Victorian Cracker – Robbie we love you, but this is plop
Johnny Depp's accent
Heather Graham
Realising who the killer was halfway through
Sitting through two hours of it when I realised in the first 10 minutes that it had
the equivalent Mensa level of a single-celled organism.
- Paul Stakounis
June 2005
..interested to note that the latest Bova
[Mercury] reviewer
hasn't enjoyed his any more than I liked the ones I've tried. I tried to read Mars
last year and couldn't manage a hundred pages before I gave up.
- Duncan Lawie
May 2005
re: CaveSerpent...
I really like Ian Simmons' art. The creature looks remarkably affable and is wonderfully
colourful!
- Amy Harlib
Thanks for the feedback, it is always welcome... I was in a particularly good mood when
I drew the serpent, hence the upbeat and colourful look. I just felt that these creatures
(often uncharitably referred to as 'monsters' just because they feed on the odd villager),
have moods and feelings just like the rest of us 'civilised' beings. Whilst drawing it I
tried to imagine that it had just had a little bit of luck on the serpent lottery and was
swimming to collect its winnings whilst whistling a couple of popular show tunes.
- Ian Simmons
McCalmont's review of Star
Wars: Revenge Of The Sith is an excellent critique. I agree with the general
opinion that this film 'looks' great (as photo-realistic digital art and computer animation
its backgrounds and cityscapes are frequently magnificent), but as science fiction and
even as pulp adventure, ROTS is a dismal failure. For such a long-awaited 'fin de
siècle' drama that's purportedly about death and birth (and re-birth!), on personal
and galactic scales, the closing instalment of this film series is shockingly bereft of
anything resembling 'life', or spirit.
- Chris Geary
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