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Reviews
Lost in Space (1965)
Potential nostalgia value for the right age group, but other than that....
As an 11 year old this program was right in my wheelhouse. I loved anything about science fiction, space travel, robots, aliens, etc, so each week I looked forward to the particular time slot for Lost In Space and would sit enraptured. At the time I couldn't imagine a better show and couldn't conceive that there was a "bad" episode in the bunch.
My all-time favorite was "The Magic Mirror" co-starring Michael J Pollard opposite my dream girl Angela Cartwright. It blended science fiction with the mystical in a way that got my attention and I still recall my fascination with the concept to this day. Besides, being trapped in a weird place with Penny Robinson as a companion would make any terrifying crisis more enjoyable.
Being an inveterate hater of school, I was intensely envious of boy genius Will who seemed to know everything, never had to go to school and played with robots and scientific equipment all day and night. Dang, who wouldn't want The Robot as a companion.
I can't say the Dr Smith character ever grew on me. Even then I knew he was a cowardly doofus with no redeeming value. Judy and Penny with their good looks and short skirts (or whatever those outfits were) stirred my pre-adolescent loins. The parents and Major West were distractions, after all they were responsible adults and what fun is that.
About 5 years ago it occurred to me that perhaps I would enjoy re-living some of my youthful fantasies and considered buying the DVD series. But first I made what was in retrospect was a wise decision - I watched a couple of episodes on YouTube. In short I was taken off guard and a bit embarrassed. It simply wasn't very good at all. Totally aside from the implausible science and story lines the sets, acting and special effects were very second rate. I was quickly dispelled of any notion I wanted to see any more, much less a series.
As a kid I would have given this a resounding 10. As a still-nerdy old man I'd be hard-pressed to give it a 2. Oh well, some things are best to be fondly remembered and not revisited. But even more embarrassing is that I'd probably still get all weird if I met Angela Cartwright.
Hogan's Heroes (1965)
A fun WW2 spoof for kids. But I wonder what my dad thought about it?
I was born in the middle of the baby boom. As a kid, TV was full of WW2 and military-themed shows. They ran the gamut from the funny to the quite serious serious. St Bilko of the Phil Silvers Show, Combat, McHale's Navy, 12 O'Clock High, The Rat Patrol, Gomer Pyle USMC, Convoy, Mr Roberts, etc. I loved them all, but Hogan's was my favorite.
The implausibility of a German POW camp being a barrel of laughs never crossed my mind. It looked like a really intense Boy Scout Jamboree to my naive eyes and imagination. A place where you played tricks on the Scoutmasters, threw baseballs and hung out with your buddies at night telling lies and farting loudly.
The hopeless Col Klink, matching wits with the smooth and shifty Capt Hogan was as funny as it could get for an 11 year old. I'd laugh like crazy and wished I could have "been there". I wasn't into girls at the time but even then the hot frauleins stirred an unfamiliar sensation in my pre-adolescent loins. It was a great time to be a kid (well, a middle class white kid anyway). I viewed the past through the eyes of Hollywood producers, writers and actors and programs like the charming, hilarious Hogan's Heroes.
My dad never paid attention to any of these shows. Like so many dads of that era, he was a WW2 vet who didn't talk much about the war or the military, though at the time we sons saw them as heroes (even if they didn't storm a beach or down a Zero). Military service was still very admirable (Viet Nam hadn't reached the debacle stage) and I thought that perhaps a soldier's life might be for me (it wasn't).
Looking back, I'm not so sure that all those WW2 vets appreciated such deadly serious events turned into slapstick for pre-teens but I never asked dad about it. I sure wish I had.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)
Never seen it. Never gonna see it.
Not only do I not want to see this movie, I don't even like thinking about it. I've got a strong stomach and rarely get offended by anything but the idea just gives me the creeps.
Alien Autopsy: (Fact or Fiction?) (1995)
Check the telephone technology.
This was supposed to have happened in 1947 but the coiled telephone cord didn't come into common use until the late 1950s.
Cinema anachronisms, ya gotta love 'em.
Pretty decent special effects though.
The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1962)
This film improved with aging - well, my aging anyway.
I was about 9 when this came out at the local theatre. I loved SyFy and horror movies and was expecting a good time. I was very disappointed. No monstrous aliens, no spaceships, no planetary surfaces, not even a clearly evil villain to be rattled by. Other than being fascinated by the ostentatious Greystone Mansion and its immaculate landscaping I was totally bored. I don't really think I understood what was going on at all.
Decades later it was showing on some late night TV feature so I stuck in a VHS tape and went to bed. At 50+ years of age I found myself much more appreciative of the quality of this production. Though obviously low-budget with non-existent special effects I recognized that the director had created a superb atmosphere of mystery and fear. As a child I wasn't able to get it, but as an adult I most definitely did. (Interestingly, I was still enthralled by the Greystone Mansion. I have a peculiar romantic taste for such construction.)
Though it will never be high on anyone's list of best science fiction movies it deserves far better than the short shrift rendered by my 4th grade analysis. I understand that it is now available on DVD and will definitely give it some consideration.
Carnival of Souls (1962)
Lots of production flaws but darned good entertainment.
This is a low-budget quickie that didn't end up as a total waste of celluloid.
As happened with Night of the Living Dead the cut-rate special effects and cheap staging added an atmosphere of reality that would have less effective with more elaborate production methods. The opening elements of the movie, particularly the repellant river with its swirling muddy currents, beckons eerie attention. When Candace Hilligoss abruptly appears, apparently alive and well, on a sandbank long after she should have drowned you're hooked into wanting to know how it came about.
There's no hint of was Ms Hilligoss' character was like before the accident, but the one that comes out of the water is one cold fish. The abrupt manner in which she drives off into a tenuous future with an emphatic "I'm never coming back" makes you hope she means it. Her features are very attractive in an unorthodox kind of way and her ability to change personalities from charming girl-next-door into weird mama-jama are disturbingly fascinating, even alluring.
As her mental deterioration sets in, she appears genuinely terrified, as would anyone who felt the subtle, progressive onset of losing grip on reality. During the final scenes when it appears that it's dawning on her as to just who and what she is emphasizes that sometimes it's best to not know what's going on and crazy isn't always a bad option.
There are technical problems that are impossible to miss but if you're able to brush them aside and focus the film instead you'll get a real treat.
Der schweigende Stern (1960)
I love sci-fi fluff - but not this one.
I'll never turn down the opportunity to watch an old sci-fi or horror B movie. They represent some of my favorite guilty pleasures. But this one didn't work for me at all.
I have a feeling that the dubbed script didn't translate properly. I'm also sure the available version has been cut to shreds - at least I hope it was because I could make little sense from of any of it.
The plot may potentially have been interesting but I was lost from the opening moments over the frenetic analyzing of the "spool" (or whatever it was). The casting went way overboard in trying to make the crew into a miniature League of Nations. I'm sure it was intended as a fine gesture but it was so contrived as to be irritating. The various creatures and situations encountered on the planet were all over the map (Venusian map that is). At some points I wondered if a different movie had been inadvertently spliced in during the editing process.
I really don't like giving low scores to movies like this because I believe they need to be rated in an alternative manner but I'm stretching just to give it a 3.
The Fog (1980)
Very 1980s - and pretty entertaining.
I'm not sure why this film works for me. The characters are all fun and the actors work hard at their roles but it all comes across woodenly and unconvincingly. The special effects are not particularly special nor is the plot particularly interesting. Yet I drag it out ever year or so, often at Halloween, and find it entertaining every time.
The film does emanate a strong atmosphere of isolation. The town seems to be set off the beaten path from everywhere and of course the lighthouse/radio station is compellingly spooky. The final fog invasion gives a sense that the horror can slip through every crack and there is no way to escape the doomed town or its doomed inhabitants.
Of course one of the major starring roles is Adrienne Barbeau's magnificent bosom and its ability to enhance any scene. I will also note that this is the only movie I've ever seen that features a Volkswagen "Thing" and I find that an endearingly odd choice of vehicle for the cool-as-ice Stevie Wayne. Hal Holbrook goes a little over the top with his portrayal as Father Malone but it fits perfectly for this film.
I still don't know why I find this to be a little gem of a horror film but I do and have tried to convince others that it's worth the time.
Reds (1981)
A long slog, but interesting and well done.
This well-crafted work is probably hobbled by appealing only to a limited audience. The early 20th century is an era that doesn't resonate widely today but it was a tumultuous period that inspired the heights of inspiration and the depths of fear. This film recreates that atmosphere quite well.
The Bolshevik Revolution was in itself one of the most extraordinary events in human history. The geopolitical conditions, political ideologies and remarkable personalities that drove it are fascinating to students of many different disciplines. Warren Beatty put it all together with near genius and tossed in a pretty compelling romantic angle as a bonus.
The witnesses were amazing. I saw this when it initially was released and had no idea who many of them were and those I did recognize I thought had been long dead. Their first-hand experiences brought a relatively arcane subject to real life.
It is a long film and if the subject matter doesn't interest the viewer I can see how it could feel interminable. But from the point of quality cinema it's hard to find a lot to criticize.
Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
I didn't think leeches could roar.
This is pretty bad, even for a B-film junkie like myself. The most gruesome part for me was imagining "Liz Baby" coupling up with that husband of hers. Yuck! Maybe by swamp people standards he was prosperous and at least didn't smell like alligator poop.
I will note that the scene of the leech lurching up to dine on a conscious but helpless Yvette Vickers did have a certain voyeuristic quality to it, but inter-species eroticism is just a bit too much.
The creatures were really bad. Totally unconvincing and simply too anatomically absurd to not notice. And when shot, they voiced their displeasure through via a stock recording of what was evidently a very angry Persian cat. I wonder if they purr when content? I don't like giving these old sci-fi movies really low scores, but this one deserves it.
Teenagers from Outer Space (1959)
Well, with the right mind-altering substance....
Yeah, it's bad, there's no questioning that, but as with the "so bad it's good" this film has a certain charm to it.
I saw this when it came out and it scared me pretty thoroughly. I was only 7 so maybe I had never seen a lobster before. Most certainly I had never seen so many skeletonized humans (the smoky one in the pool really creeped me out).
I look at it now and it's hard to see much value in spending the time watching. But with the ingestion of correct herbal or fermented substances and a crowd of like-minded friends it could serve for light entertainment.
First Men in the Moon (1964)
It's Harryhausen, and that makes it worth the time.
This adaptation of HG Wells work tries hard but never quite clicks. The actors are very good (Lionel Jeffries is a real hoot)but the lines they're given don't seem to shine with any profundity or emotion, they're just going through the motions.
The science is what it is. Though vastly more accurate than Wells' depiction, it was outdated even in 1964. I was just a 10 year old proto-nerd when it came out but I knew better than to buy it.
But it is Harryhausen's contribution that makes this worth your time. Of course the Dynamation pales in comparison to modern CGI. I'm sure kids would see it as laughable. But for those of us who grew up watching schlocky sci-fi in the 50s and 60s that were filled with poor quality special effects it is simply magnificent.
The Day of the Triffids (1963)
OK but doesn't do the book justice.
There are times when a movie depiction of a book really works but in those cases the written version is typically mediocre. When the book is superb even the best directors have a hard time making the translation.
Daphne Du Maurier's "The Birds" and Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting" received excellent treatment by Hitchcock and Wise. But though very well done they didn't quite get there. This adaptation of John Wyndham's extraordinary work was pretty far off the mark.
The most glaring oddity is the telling of 2 simultaneous but completely unconnected story lines. I'm not quite sure why this was done but it's distracting. The actors all try hard but the poor special effects and uninspiring dialog don't give them much to work with.
I still break this out and watch it from time to time but it's mainly to reminisce about innocent young minds and Saturday matinees. If you want a real treat, read the book.
Crack in the World (1965)
Implausible science but a fun watch.
This movie came out during Project Mohole intended to drill into the mantle. I've always assumed this movie was a take on that activity. Though the Mohole was a failure, "Crack in the World" was a solid success.
The science was implausible even at the time. You'd never try this anywhere but the ocean floor and flying a conventional rocket down into the Earth was frankly ridiculous and looked goofy even to my 11 year old self.
But those deficiencies don't notably detract from the fine performances and well-directed suspense. The movie moves along nicely with only a couple of draggy romance scenes. The special effects were well-done and quite convincing for the mid-1960s. All the characters are plausible and deliver equally plausible lines. Dana Andrews elderly stud good looks and mellifluous voice are a joy to watch. Kieron Moore, as always, plays the hunk with broad-shoulders and large biceps who always knows the right thing to do - and can do it all himself. Janette Scott is underused except as attractive scenery and damsel in distress.
Definitely worth the time it takes to watch.
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
Could have been better, but it was very complicated.
There's no way to effectively present this subject of great technical, political and philosophical complexity in a 2 hour film but it's not a bad effort.
If you're looking for technical or historical accuracy on the Manhattan project you'll be disappointed. But if you're interested in a portrayal of two equally formidable but very divergent personalities who by accident have been yoked together to achieve success in one of the most transcendent projects in human history, you'll get a treat.
Dr Oppenheimer and Gen Groves had totally different world views. Oppenheimer was an aesthete who was fascinated by everything. He thrived in the foggy edges of uncertainty and wasn't deterred by not having clear conclusions. Groves was the ultimate pragmatist. A task-oriented, black & white manager who saw only the project in front of him and cared only about it being accomplished. The two of them had to perform a delicate pas de deux, constantly prodding and testing, pushing and pulling to get things their way. A ballet between a sorcerer and a scorpion. But it worked.
Dwight Schultz and Paul Newman pull off what is probably a pretty good likeness of how these 2 men worked together. A combination of mutual contempt and admiration but both on the same mission.
As far as the technical portrayals, a 'meh' is about the best I can give. But in truth, the details are only of interest to geeks. The accident involving John Cusack's character actually happened about a year later to physicist Louis Slotin, although a not dissimilar event occurred not long after the bombs were dropped that involved another scientist named Harry Daghlian.
For anyone who really wants a thorough but understandable primer on the subject, then Richard Rhodes Pulitzer winning "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" is the thing. It's a real tome but it covers a lot of ground.
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
A combo of both the implausible and astonishingly accurate.
I saw this as a 12 year old when it came out. Even then I was a little skeptical about the science but I was certainly astounded by the movie.
I ended up becoming a physician. When I watch this today I have to shake my head at some of the more preposterous portrayals, but I find other sections and effects that are marvelously accurate. The plot, characters, action and pacing are superb. It's hard for anyone who has even the slightest taste for sci-fi to not enjoy this thoroughly entertaining work. If you know some anatomy, it's even more engaging.
It's still implausible to send a tiny, manned submarine into the human body and probably will remain so. But it's not implausible that we'll be inserting unmanned nano-bots into ourselves that might perform the tasks and missions with the same precision and outcomes shown here.
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
You need to be patient for this one, but worthwhile.
This is a movie where reading the book will enhance the experience.
The book contains a considerable amount of background explanation on the nature of the scientific process and the scientists who spend their lives on it. There are some philosophical discussions on the nature of crises and how we respond to them. These help to piece together a movie that on first glance seems to spend a lot of time doing nothing when in reality a lot is going on.
Though dated, the movie is a reasonably accurate portrayal of how such a problem would have been handled in the era. The computational weaknesses are glaring but few would have imagined the smart phones we all carry around today. It's quite forgivable.
This is not any everyman's sci-fi work, you have to understand the sci to enjoy the fi.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
Not very good, a wasted opportunity.
This had the chance of being a pretty solid 1960s sci-fi outing. It certainly had acting talent and a more than interesting concept. Unfortunately, it didn't have much of anything else.
I saw this as a kid when it came out. Even as a young devotee of such movies I wasn't terribly impressed. The special effects weren't particularly engaging and the plot would be better described as a plod. The scene I remembered best was the engagement with the underwater mines and that didn't have a good ending.
I found this dirt cheap on Amazon and thought I'd take a look 50-odd years later. It wasn't worth the time and I'm pretty forgiving.
Hatari! (1962)
Superb! But you couldn't make this movie today.
John Wayne plays his usual rollicking tough-but-big-hearted role to the nth degree is this rather over-long but engaging film.
I have no idea how animals are obtained for a zoo but I can believe that the activities presented here are a reasonable representation of how it may have been done. If so, then wow. I'm glad someone has the nerve to do it, but I think I'll stay inside the air-conditioned safari bus - or maybe at home.
The animal chase and catch scenes are extraordinary. The rhinos look a little undersized (perhaps juveniles) but they are most definitely real - and real mad. No CGI here, this is the true deal. Supposedly "hatari" is the Swahili word for danger and if so these guys are in hatari up to their necks doing this job.
The characters are all fun, likable and well-portrayed. The lines are good and the interaction appears genuine. The multitude of nationalities all ending up in the same place in the middle of nowhere adds an air of wanderlust and romance to the nitty-gritty work and environment.
The current atmosphere regarding animal rights would never allow for this movie to be shown widely in America today. There would be a thick protective coating of PETA members surrounding any theater daring to try. They might have a point though, the way these animals are rounded up, confined and sent off to who knows where is enough to provoke uncertainty in the most cold-hearted of us.
A long movie for sure, but it moves along quite well and few of the scenes seem unnecessary or out of place. Definitely worth a look if for nothing other than the animal scenes.
The Blob (1958)
Great fun and thoroughly entertaining.
OK, the special effects are crummy but everything else rates above average to excellent.
Steve McQueen died young but he showed some extraordinary talent in this early B film where most young thespians find their one-and-only shot and usually fail miserably. McQueen showed off his charisma and skill and took this otherwise unremarkable piece of sci-fi fluff into cult category. He had the undefinable "It" factor that can carry a movie an order of magnitude higher than its face value.
The movie, well, what can you say. It's a giant blob of Jello chasing - and often catching - fleeing, delinquent teenagers on a weekend night. Without McQueen, it would just another anonymous 1950s drive-in feature transiently crossing paths with an indifferent audience. But as it is, it thoroughly entertained my 2 young sons who saw it 30 years after it was made and continues to be one of my own favorite cinematic guilty pleasures.
Definitely worth a look for anyone who has a free evening and a taste for novelty.
NOTE: The fireman in one of the closing scenes who has one deadpan line ("It didn't work") bears a notable resemblance to Bill Murray.
The Beastmaster (1982)
Fun for the kids - and a few dads.
This was one of the VHS movies my 2 young sons would watch over and over again. I have to admit I ended up watching it myself more than once, and not just because of the gloriously attractive Tanya Roberts.
No great acting here, no snappy dialog or stunning morality tale. Just a beefcake guy with some very cute animal sidekicks and a nice hunk of arm candy duking it out with evil forces.
Rip Torn and John Amos show off their significant acting chops to add a little legitimacy, but what everyone wants to see are the animals kicking butt and saving the day. Bulging biceps and bosoms are always great accessories. Hey, if I were 8 or 10 years old I would have loved it too.
Maybe kids today would prefer the modern animation and CGI, but it might be worth a shot.
Sin City (2005)
Not for those easily offended, but powerful.
My son gave me this movie with the assurance I would like it. I was completely unfamiliar with the genre of graphic comics/novels, Frank Miller, etc so you can imagine that after about 15 minutes I was wondering just what kind of person he though his old man really was. Once I recognized the nature of the production I was able to settle in and enjoy the show.
My son was right, I enjoyed it immensely. Though gratuitous violence and gore aren't my style of entertainment, once I accepted it as more or less comic-book excess I really focused on the characters, dialog and individual performances. Mickey Rourke's portrayal as a hulking mountain of man-stink and physicality was extraordinary. Jessica Alba's glowing, self-assured combination of innocence and sexual allure was almost unendurable. Benicio del Toro's raspy, slimy character was as despicable and hate-able as any I have seen in cinema - or real life for that matter.
"Not for everyone" is a well-deserved codicil for this film, but for those who like an in-your-face exhibition of the seamy side of humanity and aren't easily offended will find this a real pearl.
American Graffiti (1973)
Lots of fun if nothing else.
This movie came out when there were still quite a few guys out in the driveway installing high-rise manifolds, quite a few girls wearing ponytails but the internet, cell phones and text dialogues were sci-fi. I've no idea if young people still cruise anymore, but knowing the GPS coordinates of that honey or hunk you have your eye on must surely detract from the thrill of a chance meeting.
In any case, Mr Lucas takes a talented group of unknowns and wrangles them into an ensemble of great quality. His creation of some truly engaging over-the-top vignettes backed by music familiar even to the younger generations makes this a worthwhile 90 minutes for anyone.
Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
I guess humans really are primates.
It has been said that humans are little more than omnivorous, bipedal, African apes afflicted by wanderlust and vivid imaginations. This movie goes a long way to support the idea.
The manner in which the species we've crowned with "sapiens" rapidly degenerates towards primal behavior in this film is disturbingly enlightening. Disturbing because of the cold brutality demonstrated, enlightening because the behavior isn't completely irrational.
The movie is certainly not for everyone. It reeks of man-stink. There are several different male characterizations and I suspect most men like myself would identify with one or the other of them. There is only one female character, however, and though her decisions probably make sense to most men, I suspect there would be a widely varying view among women. Running through the other comments, I saw only 2 that appeared to be from women and one of them obviously thought it just plain creepy.
In any case, it's worth a look if you can find it - and that's not easy. Mostly some low-quality pirated VHS tapes.
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Superbly performed, historically relevant.
Try to imagine a time when there was only one "Church", where diocesan/papal power was supreme and separation from the Church body was the one of the most terrifying punishments that could be meted out. And in this same time temporal kings absolutely believed that it was their divine right to rule with impunity over the masses.
Combine these conditions with a transcendent confrontation between 2 of the most intricate and influential intellectual giants of the era and you've got the basis for a truly epic tale - and it's not fiction.
Add a gifted modern playwright and a superb cinematic director and let them work their magic. The result is one of the finest dramatic expositions ever brought before the public.
There are plenty of other commenters with details and technical observations far superior to what I could offer so I won't bother adding to them. I will say that if you figure there could be nothing remotely interesting or inspiring in a conflict between a narcissistic, power-mad potentate and a pious religious scholar you're absolutely wrong and missing out on a real opportunity.