In Like Flynn (2018)

In Like Flynn Trailer

So the add a video function is being tempermental and not letting me embed the trailer for the new movie In Like Flynn.  I saw the trailer and I was so on board for this movie.  Thomas Cocqueral certainly looks the part as Errol Flynn.

However what if I was to tell you it was based on Errol Flynn's own travelouge Beam's End ?
(which hopefully means the book comes back in print because prices are crazy high)

But wait there's more Errol's grandson Luke Flynn is co-writer and producer?

Not enough for you? The director is Russell Mulcahy, of Razorback, Highlander, The Shadow and several episodes of the Teen Wolf TV series.

I really enjoyed this movie, the opening sequence in New Guinea brought to mind the opening sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark which is high praise from me.

Most of the movie is a fun pulp ride, i really really enjoyed what I have taken to calling the Razor dance as Flynn fights off several straight razor weilding gang members whilst charming the pants off the gangster's moll.

Flynn is irresistable to women and it gets him into trouble more than once.

But there is also a heart to this movie as Flynn acquires a yacht The Sirocco (the first of two boats with that name that he owned)  and brings in two of his mates Rex and Dook. There is a history between the three men and their friendship is the backbone of this movie.

The trio are joined by Charlie the sailor and owner of the ship.  who joins them on the trip to New Guinea.    I grew quite fond of the old salt who was at his beams end and knew that this would be his last voyage as he was mourning the death of his wife and daughter.  (The end credits replayed one of Charlie's sea shantys which brought a certain sadness to the whole affair.)  The quartet have an easy comraderie which can turn from playfulness to arguements in the blink of an eye yet all four are ready to jump in a help each other when they are in trouble.

If you get a chance check out this movie.

My Favorite Year (1982) Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker

I first heard about this movie reading a review over at The Ferguson Theatre. From the title alone I would have passed this over but after reading Derrick's review I had to watch this.

I'd seen Mark Linn-Baker as Cousin Larry in Perfect Strangers back in the day and his role here is kinda similar.  Larry is the straight man to the wacky Balki in Perfect Strangers and in this movie he's Benjy Stone, the straight man to O'Toole's Alan Swann. 

Benjy is the junior writer on The King Kaiser Comedy Cavalcade Show and he suggest getting Alan Swann, a washed up movie star who closely resembles Errol Flynn in many ways.   Benjy is trying to start a relationship with K.C., the producer's assistant.  Derrick points out that Benjy treats the relationship like a comedy skit - to me that makes perfect sense Benjy is living and breathing skits as he tries to prove himself as a comedy writer. 

In many ways the arrival of Swann into Benjy's life is pivotal.  At the start of the movie Benjy tells us that Swann is his personal hero.  When King Kaiser tries to ditch a very drunk Swann, it is Benjy who stands up for his idol.  Kaiser tells Benjy that he has balls (after checking first) and I wonder if that was the first time Benjy had fought for anything on the show. 

But it's Alan Swann we want to see.  Our first looks at Swann are from his glory days, a cardboard cut out and a greatest hits package from his movies.  He's dashing and heroic.  When we see him for the first time in the now he's drunk and in bed with a gorgeous young woman, and promptly tries to cough up his lungs.

He arrives at the studio and reacts to the footage on the screen which was hilarious. There's a close up the villain from the Robin Hood-esque  film.  Swann says "There's Reggie, I thought he was dead."'

Reggie is stabbed in the movie and falls down dead.  "There he goes." deadpans Swann.

Swann is a likable rogue.  He goes for dinner and ends up stealing away the most beautiful woman in the room.  (In a brilliant gag, the jilted boyfriend yells "Somebody stole my girl." which the band immediately starts playing.)  He points out that he gets away with murder in many parts of his life, which is understandable as he is charming and funny.  The scene in the ladies room is another case.

(If Selma Diamond who played Lil in that scene wasn't the inspiration for Roz in Monsters Inc I'd be very surprised)

I watched this with my wife and daughters and they were all laughing throughout the movie. But behind the humour there is a human story.  On filming night, Swann finds out that the show is aired live and he freaks out. The speech between Swann and Benji is so raw and human, just thinking of it makes my eyes misty.  A lot of what is said is foreshadowed earlier in the movie.  I won't spoil the speech and invite you to check out the movie.  (the speech is in the Quotes page of  the IMDB page.  )

The movie doesn't tell us what came of Benjy after this, but I'd like to think that he was better for his time with Swann.  Certainly thanks to Swann and his advice, Benjy is able to start a real relationship with K.C.

My Wicked, Wicked Ways by Errol Flynn (1957)

If you are going to talk Australians and their contributions to adventure fiction, there is one figure who should be mentioned - Errol Flynn.

Flynn was a Hollywood star appearing in Robin Hood, Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, and a number of Westerns and War films.  As I was thinking about what it meant to be an Australian and a writer, I came across Errol's autobiography.

It's an interesting read. If there was any Australian that that could be considered a Pulp hero then Flynn's our man.  Not only did he make Swashbucklers and Westerns but he was also a writer - not only did he pen My Wicked, Wicked Ways but he wrote Beam Ends (1937) about his journey to New Guinea and Showdown (1946) an adventure novel.  But the persona he played in Hollywood was interesting -  he tells of the press conference he gave and had two naked models walk through the room.  The reporters nearly rioted.

Certainly his adventures in New Guinea that start the book are fascinating,  I really want to track down the other two books now.  Flynn tells that when he got to Hollywood nobody realised that he was Australian, they all assumed based on his name that he was Irish and that when he would tell tales from his time in New Guinea no-one would believe him.

Another surprise was that Errol had appeared on stage in England and that one of his roles was Bulldog Drummond. 

Back in the 90's there was an allegation that Flynn was a Nazi spy/sympathiser, nothing in this book backs that up and it covers his trip to Spain to cover the Spanish Civil War.  (Although there was one good thing to come out of that now discredited claim - Neville Sinclair in the Rocketeer Movie)

If you love classic Hollywood, get a hold of this book.  If you like adventure yarns, I equally recommend this book.

In a sad co-incidence, on the day I finished reading this book I discovered that Errol's third wife Patrice Wymore had recently passed away.