Interview - Eric Johnson aka Flash Gordon

Eric Johnson - actor, part time super hero and all round nice guy takes time out to chat about his new series Flash Gordon, now showing on Sci-Fi.

This interview was postponed earlier in the day till further notice. I thought this would be a good thing as my voice was a little shredded (sore throat) and I hoped by the time of the rescheduled interview it would be back to it’s operatic best. I came home, plonked myself into bed and went asleep only to be woken in the depths of night by the phone. I would guess that Eric Johnson was a teensy bit startled by the incoherent Rod Stewart/Gollum who picked up at the other end. I apologised and tried to explain that I had been asleep for hours and would just need a couple of seconds to get set. “What time is it there?” he asked. It was only 11.00pm. Bad start.

After the interview I reclined, bit the end off a cigar and pressed play on my Dictaphone only to discover that the all I had recorded was electrical interference from the mobile phone. So I sat down to transform what was in my tiny mind into written words before the letters began to dribble slowly out my ears. What a pro.

Me – Hi Eric, thanks a million for taking the time to have a quick chat.

Eric Johnson – Not a problem.

Me – I guess the first thing to figure out is how you got to this point, was acting something you always aspired to or something you just fell into?

EJ – It was something I really enjoyed doing from an early age. I always loved being the centre of attention, my mother tells me that that was the case even before I could walk. So I guess acting was a natural step for me to take. In school there were small plays and I had great fun doing those so from about 9 years of age I knew I wanted to act for a living.

Me – You must be a very driven person to decide what course you want your life to take at 9 and to follow it through….

EJ – Well I wouldn’t say that (laughs) but it has worked out well. I really do feel like the luckiest guy on earth.

Me – Looking back, was there any defining moment where you felt, this is it, this is for me?

EJ – When I was 14 I was in Legends Of The Fall with some amazing actors (Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Elliot from E.T. etc) and I realised during that time that this was about the most fun you could have while getting paid!

Me – How did you get the role of Flash?

EJ – I read the script and loved it and so I went and read for the part. As I was walking out the door afterwards I said to myself, “this is for me, I have got this one” and thankfully I was right. Usually I say that to myself but nothing comes of it! (Laughs).

Me – So I guess I have to ask if you are a fan of the comics or Flash's previous appearances on the big or small screen?

EJ – Absolutely, the opportunity to play such an iconic character was too good to miss out on. As soon as I read the script I saw that it wasn’t taking itself too seriously while Flash still had that innate sense of goodness. There are a lot of heroes now that seem a little angry or conflicted but Flash always seemed to have a kind of purity about him and that was very appealing to me.

Me – I mentioned to my parents that I would be chatting to Flash Gordon and they told me about Buster Crabbe, the original Flash Gordon. Did you have to do much research and if so, did you go back as far as Buster?

EJ – Hehe I did, Buster was probably the most perfect Flash Gordon. He was an Olympic athlete and also had that sense of inner goodness but I also loved the 1980’s film. I don’t think there was a 12-year-old boy out there who didn’t want to be Flash Gordon around that time. The Queen soundtrack alone was fantastic!

Me – Obviously the film had a huge budget at the time. Has the budget constraints of a budding TV series had any impact on the direction of the show? Was the decision to set it here on earth as opposed to the planet Mongo down to the budget?

EJ – I don’t think so, of course we were working on a tight enough budget but I think the idea of a mad scientist living in suburbia and building a spaceship in his garage is very appealing. Space travel is quite a difficult thing to do obviously but the chance of someone finding a wormhole and travelling through it to another planet with life upon it is interesting. The fact that inhabitants from Mongo can also come to earth through this wormhole is another area we examined.

Me – You mentioned Buster Crabbe being an Olympic athlete and of course Flash is so named because of his speed and sporting ability. Were you a sports star growing up or are your old school friends going to be ringing you up in disbelieve when they see the show?

EJ – Well, I was on the various teams but I must say that I wasn’t particularly good. I made up the numbers I guess and I would expect some ribbing from old friends. In saying that I really enjoy the running around and the action on the show.

In (the TV series) Smallville I played the high school quarterback and this would have been what I would have wished for back in high school but in reality I was just happy to be on the team.

Me – The show seems to have a tongue in cheek comedic style with plenty of action thrown in. What would you say you prefer doing, action or comedy?

EJ – Wow that’s a tough one, I mean I really love the comedy aspect and that was one of the things that most appealed to me when I read the script. Then again the action side was something I thoroughly enjoyed so I don’t think I’m going to be able to choose. Actually no, I think I’ll say comedy because I can still do that when I get too old for the action!

Me – Have you felt the series develop as filming progressed? I noticed the chemistry improve the longer the show went on, is this something that was obvious on set?

EJ – Definitely, Flash was unusual in that after we filmed the pilot we went straight into filming the show proper so were able to build on what we had quickly. This was helped enormously by the director Rick Rosenthal and while there were bumps in the earlier episodes I believe that as the series progresses these were ironed out. The chemistry between the cast was genuine; I can honestly say it was the best time filming I’ve ever had. We put in a pretty big shift across the eight months of shooting and I had an hour-long commute to the set in the morning and in the evening too. In the beginning I was amazed at how high the spirits were but I was sure the novelty would wear off a couple of months in but it never did. It really was the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever worked on.

Me – Well thanks a million for giving up your time Eric, I know you’ve probably got another thousand of these to get through.

EJ – No problem Steve, it was great to talk to you. Take care.

Movie Review - DiG!

Director - Ondi Timoner.

Cast - The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

DiG! is a documentary chronicling the journeys of two bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. For a whopping seven years the bands every move was recorded. Obviously the filmmakers became part of the scenery as they were allowed to capture some fairly heavy stuff on camera. DiG! was screened at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and walked off with the Grand Jury Documentary Prize. It is easy to see why.

The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre have a plan and that grand plan is to start a musical revolution. Well, that's not strictly true, The Brian Jonestown Massacre's lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, egomaniac and just plain maniac, Anton Newcombe, has decided a revolution is required.

It all begins as a friendship between the two bands. There is a mutual admiration between lead singers Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe. In fact Taylor-Taylor, who also narrates, often seems to admire Newcombe even when things begin to sour between them. And sour they do. Newcombe does not envisage “selling out” as being part of him becoming the saviour of the decaying music world. When The Dandy Warhols begin to enjoy some mainstream success venom begins to flow through him and from him. Jealousy, combined with his ego and a dash of drug addiction sees not just the end of a friendship, but also the implosion of The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

While watching this documentary only a fool would bet on both bands staying the course and still making music today but both are still recording. For fans of either band this is an absolute must-see though for music fans in general it is essential viewing. It is true that the music industry can be cruel but sometimes fate and luck can have too much of an influence and looking at this car crash unfold it is rather moving to see the inevitable failure of the more talented musician. Then again, Anton Newcombe’s talent never stood a chance against his tsunami-like ego.

Trawling through over 2000 hours of footage must have been painstaking multiplied by tedium squared but it has resulted in a wide eyed examination of friendships broken, drug addiction, the quest for fame, on stage and off stage fighting. There is enough puss and vinegar here with which to paint your front room. DiG! deserves its' exclamation mark.

Game Review – Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Publisher – Konami.
Platform – PSP.

In its’ many guises over the last fourteen years Pro Evolution Soccer has been the purists’ choice - the most valiant attempt at translating the nuances and subtleties of the beautiful game onto our consoles. Where FIFA and others were more interested in gimmicky effects and high scores PES focused on realism, awareness and intelligence. Goals were scored in other games but were earned in PES. Over the last few years the others have caught up by catching on and mimicking the approach taken by PES. The latest in the PES series suddenly has some work to do to stay ahead of the game.

All the regular features are present and correct. In fact the PSP version is the only version other than the PS2 one that has the World Tour mode. This new mode is actually a welcome addition to the regular cups, training exercises and Master League. It puts you in charge of a club or national team and gives you a task or mission to complete – such as having to win from a goal down or winning by a set number of goals etc. The gameplay is identical to the PS2 version in practically every respect.

The small differences are enforced due to the lack of the two shoulder buttons but this does not take away too much from the experience. Holding down the right shoulder button still makes the player run more quickly but with a double tap the player executes a step-over instead of increasing his pace even further. The one thing that the PS2 can never compete with is of course the portability of the PSP and the idea of playing PES on the plane, train or automobile is delicious! The ability to compete against other human challengers is an option but essentially this is a single player experience.

Unfortunately PES 2008 is not a great step forward from its’ predecessor. In fact it could be argued that it’s actually a backwards step as it seems to have lost a little bit of fluidity and smoothness. Scoring is not as intuitive as it has been in the past and even having taken a first touch and steadying the player his shot is liable to end up in the crowd instead of the net. Unlike the PS2 game this version suffers from slowdown that, while infrequent is disappointing. Overall though, while this PES engine needs to be stripped down and rebuilt it is still about the best fun you can legally have on a bus.

Movie Review - Never Back Down

Director - Jeff Wadlow.

Cast - Sean Farris, Amber Heard, Djimon Hounsou, Cam Gigandet, Wyatt Smith and Leslie Hope.

I remember when my Dad came home with our first video recorder and plonked the gigantic black box beneath the television. There was that all too rare hush of expectation as Ferris Bueller's Day Off began and there was not a word was spoken until the credits rolled an hour and a half later. So began a relentless series of trips to Video Mania in a quest to quench our VHS appetites. Over the course of that summer we chomped through what felt like hundreds of movies and hidden among them were two that were watched more than once - Karate Kid and No Retreat, No Surrender. Never Back Down is a throwback to those halcyon days and borrows heavily from their respective plots.

Jake Tyler feels lost; he has no outlet for the anger within him. He feels responsible for the death of his father who died having wrapped himself around a tree while drink driving. Jake was beside him in the passenger seat and survived. He channels this rage into his high school football but football alone can't contain it and he constantly finds himself ending up in fights. As a result of this he is expelled from school after school and is in a downward spiral. His mother can't relate to him and the absence of a father figure is keenly felt. His younger brother Charlie is a tennis prodigy and his talent wins him a scholarship to a respected tennis school in Orlando. And so the Tyler's move from Iowa to Orlando in search of stability and new beginnings.

The move does not go well initially. Jake's classmates are from the upper echelons of society and have never known hard times. Jake feels even more alienated than before. His brother finds that the tennis competition is far stronger in his new tennis school and is no longer a big fish in a small pond. Their mother Margot is again left to pick up the pieces. Jake's solution is take part in organised but illegal fights, a kind of teen Fight Club. His aggression is no longer enough to see him win through as the other fighters fight using a Mixed Martial Arts style. In order to compete and gain the respect of his peers he joins a dojo where the sensei Roquoa (Djimon Hounsou slumming it) takes him under his wing and hones not just his body but also his mind.

Of course this is old ground we're walking over so the real question is if there is anything fresh Never Back Down can offer. The answer is a resounding not really. The production values are very high and it has a music video type of feel to it that fits well. The two leads are fine though Sean Farris is like a young Tom Cruise and Amber Heard an even younger Scarlett Johansen, which is quite disconcerting. Tyler's rival, both in combat and romance, is Ryan McCarthy who is played well by Cam Gigandet. Unfortunately the fight scenes are not as spectacular as they could or should have been. A Mixed Martial Arts style is used which favours a lot of grappling and wrestling so the flow is constantly interrupted. The fight choreography is not inventive at all and bores quickly. Even the final fight that has been simmering throughout the whole film is a let down, which is a shame.

All in all Never Back Down is somewhat of a wasted opportunity. Then again if I'd watched it that Video Mania summer many years ago I might have loved it.

Movie Review - The Game Plan

Director - Andy Fickman.
Cast - Dwayne Johnson, Madison Pettis, Kyra Sedgwick, Roselyn Sánchez and Morris Chestnut.

The star quarterback for the fictional Boston Rebels’ American football team finds his testosterone filled world turned upside down by the arrival of an 8 year-old daughter he never knew existed. Knowing this much alone should be enough for anyone to not only predict every inch of this story but to also determine whether it's the kind of thing that floats their boat. One other thing, in case there is any doubt about the outcome, this is a Disney production.

The star quarterback in question, Joe Kingman, is played by wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. His daughter Peyton is played by new cutie on the block Madison Pettis. If Joe was a sensitive, well-rounded and empathetic man this film would be ten minutes long so it's no surprise to find that Joe is a stereotypical jock. He is at his peak, famous, very rich and very single. He is a man's man with no responsibilities and his life is just the way he wants it to be. How can he possibly fit his newfound daughter into his world? Well, he simply has no choice so cue "hilarious" fish out of water shenanigans resulting in Joe finding his heart as well as his daughter.

While everything is amazingly predictable somehow it's still half watchable. Pettis grates after a while and gets a little too much screen time but Kyra Sedgwick convinces as the Joe's impenetrable agent with not even the tiniest maternal bone in her body. In the central role The Rock manages to endear himself with his charm and genuine charisma. Although an actual rock would probably pull off the tender emotional scenes with a little more conviction. Still, not since “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in John Carpenter’s cult classic “They Live” has a wrestler shown as much acting potential.

There has been a deluge of merely adequate family movies over the last few years particularly from Disney. This is another one to add to that list even though it does feature the splendidly named Morris Chestnut.

Movie Review - Hitman

Director - Xavier Gens.
Cast - Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Robert Knepper and Olga Kurylenko.

Hitman started life as a video game and was popular enough to spawn three sequels with another due for release next year. With a large and devoted fan base a film adaptation was inevitable. The success of video game adaptations is patchy at best but the Hitman games are quite cinematic and so I was hopeful the movie would deliver on the video game’s promise.

In the lead role as anti-hero Agent 47 we find the perfectly cast Timothy Olyphant who we last saw as John McClain's foe in Die Hard 4.0. As we saw from that performance he is more than capable of inhabiting a controlled, detached and emotionally stunted character. The film opens with a brief overview of how Agent 47 came to be as we see a succession of young boys being turned into soulless killing machines. We then move to the present day where we find Agent 47 surprising his pursuer Mike Whittier, in his study. After a brief exchange we rewind to three months earlier where Whittier, an Interpol agent played by Dougray Scott, is inching ever closer to his big prize, the ghost-like Agent 47.

There is a plot involving the Russian president and his body doubles and a quasi-romantic relationship with Nika Boronina who is played by Ukrainian actress and upcoming Bond girl Olga Kurylenko. The plot is merely a vehicle to carry the set pieces and the relationship between Agent 47 and Nika is where the humorous moments in the movie are found. The set pieces are not as bombastic as other Hollywood blockbusters but are impressive in more subtle ways. There is a delicacy and efficiency in how Agent 47 operates which is amplified by the stylistic way in which the movie is shot. The camera swoops in and out quickly and some of the shots are framed beautifully, particularly in the train station. It is no surprise to find Luc Besson's name associated with Hitman albeit only as a producer.

The action moves along in a bit of hurry so concentration is important. The dynamic between Agent 47 and the two Interpol agents is strained however, mainly due to the absolutely awful performances of Dougray Scott and his sidekick Robert Knepper. They are creakingly wooden though their cause is not helped with their characters being written in such a ham fisted way. The classical score is elegant and lends the movie a maturity not often found in action thrillers, let alone video game adaptations. There is nothing to dislike about Hitman but there is nothing to really fall in love with either. That said, I found myself disappointed when the credits began to roll.

Movie Review – Meet The Spartans

Director – Jason Friedberg.
Cast – Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Ken Davitan, Kevin Sorbo, Diedrich Bader, Method Man and Nicole Parker.

Meet The Spartans is a parody of 300. There you go. At this point you might expect me to say that if you liked Epic Movie, Date Movie or the Scary Movie’s you will like this. But I can’t and I won’t. Nobody could possibly like Meet The Spartans. Even if you are obsessed with Epic Movie, have Date Movie posters for wallpaper and can recite every word of the Scary Movie’s you could not possibly like Meet The Spartans. There should be sponsored Meet The Spartans-a-thons and even then I can’t imagine the charities making much money. This is a BAD movie, maybe the worst movie.

Meet The Spartans stars such Z listers as Carmen Electra, Kevin Sorbo and Method Man and quite surprisingly our hero Leonidas is played by Sean Maguire. If that name sounds familiar you might remember him from Eastenders in the mid nineties. How he has ended up here is a mystery but one thing is for sure, his agent must absolutely hate him. The plot, which of course is the same as 300, is actually incidental to the main purpose of the movie which is to shoe horn into the running time as many contemporary and pop culture references as possible. It seems that the purpose of these references is not to be at all comedic but merely to be identifiable.

The cheap attempts at humour are blood boilingly grating and each “joke” is rehashed throughout the movie many times. The whole thing is tired, old, stunningly lazy and horribly unfunny. Passion Of The Christ is a laugh riot compared to this. My favourite genre is comedy and I find that even in the poorest of comedies there are still some laugh-out-loud moments but not here. Even Run, Fat Boy Run seems Oscar Wilde-esque compared to this.

I couldn’t laugh once. I couldn’t even laugh at it. Famine is funnier than Meet The Spartans and the best thing about is it’s running time of 74 minutes.

Movie Review – The Condemned

Director – Scott Wiper.
Cast – Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones, Rick Goldman, Robert Mammone and Madeline West.

This is former WWE wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s first lead role after a small supporting role in Adam Sandler’s Mean Machine remake, The Longest Yard. We find Steve, as Jack Conrad, sitting on death row in a sweaty El Salvador prison as a result of the American military disowning him while he was caught doing their dirty work. Luckily enough for Conrad billionaire businessman Ian Breckel, played by Robert Mammone, has a bright idea that could give him a second chance.

Breckel has the notion that throwing ten death row convicts onto an uninhabited island and then freeing the last one standing would be jolly good entertainment. He has cameras in every tree and bush so he can film the action and transmit it across the internet uncensored and as it happens. In order to prevent the convicts seeing out their days in hammocks drinking coconut milk he has strapped some plastic explosive to their legs that will detonate after thirty hours. So it’s kill or be killed. His rationale is that these convicts are bad eggs and were going to die anyway so by giving one of them a chance to live he is actually the good guy.

So that’s it, suffice to say Conrad is the hero, Vinnie Jones’ Ewan McStarley is the bad guy and the rest just make up the numbers. There is a little spice thrown into the mix by the fact that two of the convicts are females but that does not make them any less capable of violence. For extra bonus spice one of the females is married to one of the males. It’s a powder keg of moral dilemmas!

The violence is relentless and surprisingly uninventive given the potential scope on the island for traps and home made weaponry. There is a very basic look to the whole thing too, the island is probably very picturesque but we never get the chance to find out. Having seen Steve Austin going through the occasional wrestling monologue over the years I was surprised at how little dialogue is thrown his way here. He always seemed to have some charisma and it seems odd that he is not given the chance to convey that charisma in his first starring role. As usual Vinnie Jones is Vinnie Jones gurning and snarling his way through some cheesy bad-guy-speak. It’s hard to believe that scrawny Vinnie has even half a chance against any of these six and a half foot man mountains but, just like in his Hollywood career, he gets by on his wits alone.

The Condemned bombed both in its’ cinema and DVD release in America. This could be partly because there is nothing here that we haven’t seen before and the whole thing is played out completely straight laced. There is not even the teensiest weensiest bit of humour or irony here. Even a raised eyebrow would have helped! Still, if you are looking for a mundane action thriller that doesn’t star Steven Segal this might fit the bill.

Movie Review – Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds In 3D

Director – Bruce Hendricks.
Cast – Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Kenny Ortega and Billy Ray Cyrus.

If you were wondering what rock juggernaut would be following U2 down the 3-D concert road you might be in for a little surprise. Hannah Montana is a reasonably popular television character here but in America she is idolised by squillions of pre-teen and teenage girls. With this in mind Disney have produced this concert film compiling the best bits from her performance in Utah and splicing them with behind-the-scenes footage.

The TV show revolves around an ordinary teenage girl called Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) who’s alter ego is a world famous pop megastar called Hannah Montana. In order to live a normal life she keeps Hannah Montana a closely guarded secret from all but her most trusted friends. As her mother died some years before she is raised by her father played by real-life-dad Billy Ray Cyrus!?! That’s right, he’s back - although he never really left our achy breaky hearts. Being a Disney production Hannah is a Britney or Christina type singer but without the sleaze. Of course the songs are saccharin sweet, horribly catchy and backed up with some decidedly wholesome choreography.

Since Hannah Montana’s emergence Miley Cyrus herself has, confusingly enough, launched her own solo career. In June 2007, a double album was released with the first disk being Miley singing in character as Hannah Montana and the second disk being Miley singing as, well, Miley. As a result this concert film features them both and we see Miley’s transformation into Hannah for the first time. In the behind-the-scenes footage Miley comes across as a pleasant and rounded person and she can sing although it’s in that schooled way typical of American pop. The 3-D is not as dazzling as U23D but creates a depth that helps take away the feeling that you are watching a concert in a cinema.

This is light entertainment in zero gravity. Even the running time is light, clocking in at only 74 minutes but that makes it all the easier to be a cool mam or dad.

CD Review – Simple Plan

In Quebec in Canada in 1995 some friends came together and formed a band called Reset. Four years later the band evolved into Simple Plan and three years after that in 2002 they released their debut album, the classily titled “No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls”. The success of this album led to two more, the latest of which being this self titled release.

For fans of the first two albums this picks up where they have left off ploughing their now familiar furrow of pop rock. For the uninitiated Simple Plan sound like a Canadian McFly or The Fray-light and believe me, that is light. Pierre Bouvier has that typical inoffensive middle-American “rock” voice that is impossible to pick out from the crowd. His delivery is bland and ensures that the hairs on the back of your neck remain seated. Unfortunately for Simple Plan the standout track on the album is the opener, “When I’m Gone”. It begins with a reggae flavoured keyboard before a pleasant thumping drum arrives and soon your head is nodding its’ answer. So far, so good. Then track two, “Take My Hand”, comes and goes – strike one. Unfortunately strikes two and three arrive straight after and it’s hard not to give up there and then.

However, there are some surprises to be found across the rest of the eleven angst heavy songs. Apart from the ballad “I Can’t Wait Forever” (my toes may never uncurl) there are some half decent soft rock moments. It’s very definitely background music but that’s okay, sometimes the background needs a little music. I can imagine a lot of these songs in a teen romance/coming of age movie. There is nothing complicated here, it’s all very standard but at least there is a slight attempt at individuality with the synths weaving in and out of the guitar sound. The lyrics are the kind of thing you might find on the back of any 14 year-olds’ copybook. “Hey oh let’s go it’s going down tonight. Hey oh let’s go we’re gonna do it ‘til we die. Cause I’ve got no reason to apologise. That’s my generation, don’t need to say I’m sorry.” - this was written by band members now nearing 30 years of age.

In saying that, at least they do write their own songs, play their own instruments and produce some moderately catchy pop rock. If you have a 13 year-old daughter and you want to be a cool parent, buy her this.