In 1947 actor/director Robert Montgomery tried something rare. I'm not sure he was the first, but in
Lady in the Lake (1947) he shot the film from behind the lead character, Raymond Chandler's master sleuth Phillip Marlowe. If I recall correctly, his face was seen in reflected glass at least once. Last night, courtesy of Netflix, I watched
Kill Switch (2017), which employed the same technique through approximately half its 91 minute running time. Why only half? It is an alternate universe story told in non-linear form. Set in the not too distant future, the plot involves a new energy source which requires drilling holes in space. When the plan proves a disaster, the main character is given a device that will restore order. One of the parallel universes will be destroyed in the process. He must navigate his way through antagonistic forces to complete the mission. Despite the fact that it was shot almost entirely in the Netherlands, it is in English. It is not easy to follow. The computer generated print seen through the hero's eyes is rather small for a standard size TV. Are there holes in the plot? Yes. There usually are in such fare. Despite its flaws and the familiar story line, I followed along without once hitting the pause button. The flick was directed by Tim Smit, his first time at the helm after years working in the visual effects aspect of film-making. As expected, the CGI is solid. Omid Nooshin, who has directed and written several shorts and one full length feature, and Charlie Kindinger, his first credit, collaborated on the screenplay. I was unfamiliar with the cast, although the main principals have impressive credits. The lead, Dan Stevens, is a veteran of 25 episodes of
Downton Abbey, as well as many other big and small screen works. Berenice Marlowe is a Bond Girl (
Skyfall {2012}). Charity Wakefield has done several BBC productions, including
Wolf Hall, in which she played Anne Boleyn's sister. 5000+ users at IMDb have rated
Kill Switch, forging to a consensus of 5.1 on a scale of ten, a little low perhaps but not far off. Its appeal is likely limited to fans of sci-fi. Here's a still from the movie:
It's no secret that politicians are phonies. The Democrats who are finally getting around to condemning Bill Clinton's behavior all these years later are as annoying and transparent as they are fake.
A Navy flight crew is in trouble for its skywriting. Here's a pic:
No luck selling books on the street today.
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