While regular readers must surely despair of my film sensibilities (or lack thereof) and most sensible people surely have a dislike for the film of the recently ended series of books – I actually quite liked the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” film. Admittedly, I’ve not read the books yet (though I may have to do so in the future) so there was nothing to compare it to, but I did love the artistic style, and the fact that it featured a genius inventor girl. Mr Matt Moores, though he despaired a little of the film, actually rather liked the end credits animation, which you can see on the iFilms site. Personally, I find it just reeks of gothic oldness, possibly not quite Steampunk but with heavy Victorian overtones – so I’m quite happy to disconnect brain and bathe in the visuals.

While set a little early then usual for Steampunk (1799), this Tim Burton film, based on many earlier adaptions of Washington Irving’s tale tells of the struggle of a young man filled with the wonder of scientific method, in a situation that defies science! I admit to having a weakness for Tim Burton films, and while I’ve not seen Sleepy Hollow for some time, the above publicity shot (from the IMDB) reminded me why I loved it so much – over the top scientific apparatus, wild hair and delightful costuming in a fantasy world with the contrast turned up.

And I admit – I do want a pair of those magnifying eyeglasses/monocle doo-dahs. Might be a film to dust off and watch again as the nights draw in.

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Wait! Before you watch, have you seen the film that this gives a very thankful nod to? A Trip to the Moon by Georges Melies, from 1902 was one of the first films to feature a plot, and it was most certainly Steampunk! So once you’ve seen that – this music video by the Smashing Pumpkins will seem even more charming, I think.

I’ve heard the music before – and I find it fairly agreeable, and indeed I think I’ve even seen clips from the video before – but many thanks go to Jesse Neninger for being so kind as to think of Brass Goggles and send the link in, as there’s no way I would have remembered it otherwise.  It’s delightfully Steampunk – the costumes and set design are superb and if you look very closely at the steamship at the end, you may recognise the name – the father of Steampunk film.

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Many thanks, Jonnotantan for the link to the above video! Showing some kind of promotional video for Besler and their steam cars and apparently the first (and only?) ever efficient steam plane. Apparently it claimed that if you looked to be running out of fuel in your steam plane, you might merely find a nice clearing next to a lake, take yourself down and filter the water into the boiler and find some nice fallen firewood for your boiler. Doesn’t sound too practical to me, but it’s more feasible than finding a handy oil well and refining your own petrol.

Mr J Gaynor reminded me about the Japanese anime, Last Exile – which has some distinctly Steampunk themes to it. Now, I’ve only watched the first episode, and I have to say that it didn’t immediately grab me and refuse to let go. I’m not sure if anime series are generally slow burners, because I often can’t justify watching multiple episodes in the hope that it’ll get better. I mean, I could – but I don’t want to inflict such uncertain observation on those that watch with me.

But despite that – it’s proven to be quite popular with others, and it certainly has a good Steampunk vibe about it. There’s young destitute heroes who fly their peculiar air-vehicle with maverick skill and courage – desperately trying to make ends meet and be able to buy the next mechanical part. One is a pilot extraordinaire, the other a brilliant mechanic and they live in a strange world of floating military bases and organised wars/deaths. Of course, that’s just the setup – it gets far bigger from there.

Just a quick note to say I’m compiling a list of Amazon.co.uk affiliated links for some of the Steampunk media that I’m encountering. The page is listed in the page list at the side, and each brief entry comes with a short description, and the image links to Amazon. I do want to state that these are affiliated links, so if you buy any of these items via my links, then I’ll be able to ‘save up’ for an Amazon voucher, at no charge to you. Please do not feel you have to buy from these links – I encourage you to shop around and in particular to support your local brick and mortar bookshops. Still, any and all click throughs will be appreciated, if anonymously.

Mr Addison wrote to me regarding the anime Steam Detectives, and while I’ve not watched any of it, the page he directed me to has a great deal of information about the series. From what I can see, there are 3 dvd sets of it, and about 5 episodes per dvd, the reviews do not speak terribly highly of the initial quality of the anime’s production, with plot holes and murky colours abound. The idea behind it sounds quite endearing though – a young boy genius detective, his pretty nurse and their giant steam robot accomplice must cut through lies and smog to confound the villians of the smokey nameless city.

I’ll probably not pick Steam Detectives up quite yet – I’ve too many books to read, but maybe one day I’ll find I have enough time and will be quite happy to turn my brain off, regress to the state of being where watching the live action Batman series was cool, and give Steam Detectives a whirl. If only for the giant steam robots!

The recently DVD released, Brisco County Jr. is a very sneaky little series – it looks for all intents and purposes like a normal, cowboy-style series. However, if you take a closer look at the image above, you will see that Brisco (our hero) is actually riding a rocket with a saddle on it. For you see, Brisco County Jr. is a Western/Comedy/Action/Fantasy – and as such, has light sprinklings of Steampunk every so often.

Brisco was one of those series’ (like the much missed Firefly) that was cut short and apparently went cult, and while I’ve not yet finished watching the series (I’m about half way through) I have to say that I’m rather enjoying it!

Bruce Campbell is very good indeed as the hero of the piece, with a laidback attitude and rakish good looks – not to mention rather excellent comedic timing. There’s the stuffy lawyer who acts as character foil to Brisco, the ‘no good’ dancehall girl who can keep up with Brisco both mentally and…. well, you can imagine. There’s the downright heartwarming friend/rival bounty hunter, Lord Bowler – the character is growing on me daily. Then, there’s the semi-regular Professor character, who is our main source of Steampunk goodness. So far, there’s been rockets, tanks, alien artifacts and brass diving suits – and I do not know what the rest of the series will bring!

Verdict: Not amazingly in-your-face Steampunk, and again, Western style (think Wild Wild West, instead of 20,000 Leagues) but well made, funny, enjoyable and heartwarming action with Steampunk garnish.

Steampunk Score: 8/10

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Do you have 11 and a half minutes for one of the most famous, influential films of all time? How about one with a collection of old astronomers who decide it would be a marvelous idea to shoot a rocket into the eye of the moon to visit? (Yes, that scene – really that scene). Georges Melies, groundbreaking french film-maker and ex-illusionist made over 500 films, was the first person to use stop motion as a frequent source of special effects – and most importantly for us, pioneered film as a medium for entertainment and escapism, instead of the documentary-like life snapshots it had been used for previously.

So here – a video of a film now more than 100 years old – a rip roaring yarn of scientists exploring strange lands, marvelous travelling mechanisms and very Steampunk trappings. Adventure! Danger! And pretty ladies. chuckles

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Well now, this looks very nice indeed. By the same people who made (and sharing several actors with) Batman Begins, this film (of the book) is set at turn of the century, about the rivalry of two brilliant stage magicians, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale). But, of course, it all goes horribly wrong.

It looks wonderful, dark and period, and the Steampunk quality is there, if not emphasised. David Bowie features as Nikola Tesla, and there’s some curious electrical devices visible. So yes – I shall be looking forward to this.