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Reviews
Alien Species (1998)
You will love this if you're a fan of B-movies
Bad acting, bad special effects, plot holes that you can drive a mack truck right through. All that, and Charles Napier too.
I give this a 9 out of 10 on the B-movie scale; I was thoroughly entertained. You have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this. I can't believe this gets a 2.4 on IMDb while there are clearly worse movies out there that score considerably higher.
It actually reminded me of "Planet Terror" from the Grindhouse double feature by Robert Rodriguez that was released earlier this year.
You can get this movie on a 12-disc set (total of 50 movies) that is titled "Nightmare Worlds" from Amazon . com.
The Wrestler (1974)
Best movie about pro wrestling
I saw a DVD copy of this movie in the cheap bin for $3 so I decided to buy a copy. I heard about it many years ago in wrestling magazines, and the general consensus was that it's considered to be a poor movie.
If the point of movies is to keep the audience entertained, then I think it succeeds. It is certainly better than the other kayfabe movies "No Holds Barred" and "Ready to Rumble" who seem to treat the subject matter with disrespect. I also liked it better than the other movies that break kayfabe, "Beyond the Mat" and "Wrestling with Shadows".
A lot of 1970s wrestling stars make appearances and cut pretty good promos, even though they are from well before my time: Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham are the ones that stood out the most for me. I wish Ric Flair had a more prominent role, but in fairness, he was just a rookie then.
Devil's Partner (1960)
I paid $4 for the DVD
I paid $4 for a DVD in the cheap bin which contained Monstrosity, Black Dragons (w/Bela Lugosi), Night of the Blood Beast and of course, the Devil's Partner. Considering the price, I would say that it was a pretty entertaining film which sustained my interest throughout.
What I liked most about the movie was the villain, and I was cheering for him to cause even more havoc, to get the girl, and ride off across the River Styx into Hades.
I'm surprised that a sequel hasn't been planned, I hope they make one someday :)
These movie packs of old, forgotten films are great for a guy like me who works nightshift--if I have 75 minutes to kill before going to work (or even in the morning after work), I can escape into classic movieland magic.
Bits and Bytes (1983)
This show filled a void
I haven't seen an episode of this show in 20 years, but I was thinking about it and I thought I would post my thoughts on it here.
As a young child in the 80s, home computers were something new. When I was nine, I had won a VIC-20 in a contest sponsored by Pepsi in Northern Ontario (you collected the letters for VIC-20 in the bottle caps).
A home computer was far more interactive than the Atari 2600 because it was usually built-in with a native BASIC interpreter.
Watching this show helped me understand the basic fundamentals of computer programming. It's too bad that there are no TV shows dedicated to showing how to program today.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Magnificient
I have not read the Lord of the Rings and I did not know what to expect. What I saw was by far the best film of 2001, and it deserves at least a nomination for Best Picture Oscar.
Most adventure films recently have been very, very disappointing. Witness the recent "Dungeons & Dragons" movie or "The Phantom Menace". It seems that they have become bland and predictable. Even "Saving Private Ryan" and "Gladiator" were lacking in some ways. This one is very much like an old-fasioned 1950's Hollywood epic done with modern film techniques and special effects.
This movie is right up there with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Empire Strikes Back--a true, modern classic.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Magnificient
I have not read the Lord of the Rings and I did not know what to expect. What I saw was by far the best film of 2001, and it deserves at least a nomination for Best Picture Oscar.
Most adventure films recently have been very, very disappointing. Witness the recent "Dungeons & Dragons" movie or "The Phantom Menace". It seems that they have become bland and predictable. Even "Saving Private Ryan" and "Gladiator" were lacking in some ways. This one is very much like an old-fasioned 1950's Hollywood epic done with modern film techniques and special effects.
This movie is right up there with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Empire Strikes Back--a true, modern classic.
Spider-Man (1967)
Classic animated series that is faithful to the original comic book.
With the hype of the new movie to come out next year, some fans are skeptical about it being faithful to the original (ie: organic web-shooters). However, I like to point out to them that there is a presentation of the Amazing Spider-Man on film or TV that is faithful to the original comic book. That is the 1967-1970 animated series of Spider-Man.
The first season contains the classic villains the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus and the Vulture and the background is a sky-blue motif. I think that it resembles the Steve Ditko Spider-Man comics. And the 2nd and 3rd seasons are more weird and bizarre with villains that consist of space aliens, wizards, cavemen and the background is a more dark, night-time theme. These are my favorite even though the production budget was slashed considerably for them.
Who can forget the 2nd season's "The Origin of Spider-Man"? Or the psychedelic and horrific "Revolt in the Fifth Dimension"? If you prefer more light-hearted shows, you can watch J. Jonah Jameson's comic-induced rantings from the first season as Spider-Man continues to frustrate the newspaper despot. The fact that there are two different sides to this series (1st season VS 2nd & 3rd seasons) is what makes it so fondly remembered today. If all the episodes were like the 1st season, people would easily dismiss it as a typical 1960's animated fluff. If all the episodes were just like the 2nd and 3rd seasons, it would also be discarded as weird psychedelia. The combination of the two styles perfectly portrays the evolution of Spider-Man from early 1960's innocence to the dark and forboding 1970's Spider-Man comics by John Romita and Gerry Conway.
Another strength to this series is the background music which complements the eye-pleasing visuals. Despite the repeated use of the same animation, one never really gets tired of it. The theme song that accompanies the opening and closing segments of the show is very famous and the majority of the non-Spider-Man viewing and reading public will recognize it.
My recommendation: 10 out of 10.