| |
G4EBT > MOVIES 20.07.07 18:33l 142 Lines 5381 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : C75993G4EBT
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: Amateur Radio movies?
Path: DB0FHN<DB0MRW<DK0WUE<GB7FCR
Sent: 070720/1555Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:38039 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:C75993G4
From: G4EBT@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : MOVIES@WW
Warren, KB2VXA wrote:-
> You've never seen a ham movie in the cinema, ever wonder why?
>Yup, B O R I N G, boring.
>If you want an audience it must grab attention so there must be action
>and intrigue, a touch of humor and a worthwhile plot focusing on some
>sort of disaster, natural, man made or from outer space. Hams can play a
>part but not steal the show if it's to be of any interest to the general
>public.
Well there was the film "Frequency", wholly about amateur radio, totally
daft but entertaining. I went to see it with my wife, and there was a
couple behind us - I took the guy to be a radio ham and hs wife.
The film kicks off with a fire-fighter, who - in the presence of his
friend, unpacks a box which had belonged to his late father - also a
firefighter.
In the box was a Heahtkit transceiver.
His friend said "what the heck's that?"
He replied "it's an amateur radio transmitter".
His pal looked puzzled: "Huh, amateur radio - what's that?"
The firefighter replied:
"It's something old guys used to do before internet came along".
At that point the woman behind us collapsed in fits of histerics, aided
and abetted by my wife. Her husband didn't see the funny side at all - he
was most indignant.
"I'm not laughing - Any more quips like that and I'm outta here".
It could have been panned by the critics but it had reasonable reviews and
was cleverly contrived. Here's a rundown of the film for anyone who hasn't
seen it:
Quote:
If you were given the opportunity to travel back in time, and change
just one event from your past, what would it be?
New York cop John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel) knows exactly which moment he
would choose: October 12, 1969, the day his fire-fighter father Frank
(Dennis Quaid) died in a blaze at a seed factory along with the homeless
girl he was trying to save.
On the eve of the 30th anniversary of his father's death, John is
magically granted his wish. Drowning in memories, he begins toying with
his father's old ham radio and through the static, he finds himself
talking to a man claiming to be his father, back in 1969.
At first, both men believe they are the victim of a sick prank, but
once they overcome their fear, John and Frank engage in an all-night
conversation which culminates in son telling father that he will die
in a fire the very next day, because he chose the wrong escape route.
Thanks to John's intervention, Frank survives the blaze.
Unfortunately, by meddling with the past, the two men also cause other
temporal ripples: the most worrying being that a serial killer,
responsible for the murders of young nurses during the '60s and '70s, now
slaughters John's mother Julia (Elizabeth Mitchell).
Separated by 30 years, father and son race against time to prevent the
death of the woman they love, but with each change made by Frank in the
past, John suddenly finds himself presented with a new reality.
Parallel universes and time travelling have been the subjects of countless
films, and like many of its predecessors, Frequency is fatally flawed in
its logic.
However, Toby Emmerich's script does have its moments. The twist of fate
that allows the serial killer to survive is very neat, as are the
subsequent temporal ripples which make Frank the prime suspect for the
murders.
His action set pieces are also well paced, and the scenes in which John
tells his father how much he loves him and has missed him are also
beautifully written, portraying a vulnerability and emotional nakedness
between two men which is rarely seen in films.
Quaid has rarely been better, playing the gung-ho hero during the
astonishing firefighting sequences, and showing his sensitive side in his
scenes at home with his wife and son.
Caviezel is equally good, tapping into the anger, wonderment and joy of a
man suddenly given a second chance to be close to his hero. Director
Gregory Hoblit keeps a tight rein on the jumping back and forth between
the two universes, aided by some excellent set and costume design which
captures the very different moods of 1969 and 1999.
Frequency is a smartly written, smartly directed action-thriller which
should appeal to the blockbuster crowd and fire the synapses of
cinema-goers who require a little more fibre and substance in their
cinematic diet.
End clip.
As I said - totally daft but entertaining.
Source:
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/reviews/frequency.html
There was also a TV Play on UK Channel 4 entitled "CQ" back in the mid-80s
which was a bit sad really. It was about an introverted loner radio
amateur whose life changed dramatically when he got in touch with a
round-the-world yachtsman who introduced him to a different life - and a
taste of fame.
I can't remember all of it, but he kept up a prentence of being in
constant touch with the yachtsman to try to stay in the limelight as
public interest faded.
It was first broadcast on Channel 4 in October 1984 and has been repeated
since. It's watchable but not memorable and it doesn't do radio amateurs
any favours - it just reinforces the nerdy wooly cardigan-clad loner
image.
Best wishes
David, G4EBT @ GB7FCR
British Vintage Wireless Society Member
G-QRP Club Member, No: 1339
Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
Message timed: 16:51 on 2007-Jul-20
Message sent using WinPack-Telnet V6.70
(Registered).
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
