Change Your Image
remingtonresearch-1
Reviews
The Outer Limits: Soldier (1964)
Highly Recommended
I saw this episode when it first aired. I was seven years old.
It was always there in back of my mind so that I purchased it on video cassette when it was first available.
There were a few things I misremembered. I thought that Quarlo was caught by the teenage daughter eating cat food instead of thrown out food, and I thought there was some kind of teen party thrown while Quarlo was living with the Kagens. Chalk that up to memories getting mixed up. I did remember Quarlo talking to the cat.
This episode played again recently on a new HD channel that shows old TV shows and movies. I logged on to IMDb and saw these comments. I had never thought of the connection to Terminator until I read these comments. I'll have to watch the show again, but it seems to me that one of the scenes from the future world shows human skulls on the ground - much like Terminator - and the beams of light in the sky sort of remind me of Skynet, but those could be too generic to draw a comparison.
Michael Ansara, who later played the Klingon Kang in Star Trek OS and DS9 is great in this role. One of the best of the old Outer Limits series.
Team America: World Police (2004)
Surprised
I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this movie. I can't get the "Team America" theme song out of my head and have to be careful telling people about it.
The movie deserves its "R" rating. Indeed, the Parental Control website "KidsinMind.com" awards Team America the highest scores possible (which means it's really "bad") in it's three categories of Sex and Nudity, Violence, and Language - ever reminding you that even though the belly dancers in a middle eastern bar scene are "wooden puppets," they still "show cleavage."
It is a movie of extremes, but if you watch it in the knowledge that it contains extremely crude language and images, the comic genius will rise above and beyond that reality.
It's worth watching more than once, if only for the songs that pepper the movie - pay close attention to the lyrics.
I remember the marionette TV shows the sixties and it is an interesting medium in which to tell this story. Let's just say the marionettes are more "liberated" than their 1960's counterparts.
The political extremes are also interesting. I consider myself to be moderate to liberal, but I found the lampooning of the liberal celebrities to be "on target."
The only "lampooning" of the conservative right that I could see was the whole idea of America being the world's policeman, but I doubt that true conservatives, especially the religious right, would tolerate the language "Team America" employs to achieve its goals.
So, take a chance. You can always turn off the DVD/VCR player.
King Arthur (2004)
History it ain't, but....
This is not Camelot, not Excalibur, and definitely not Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
Purists will object to the either the diversion from the beloved legend or the propounding of a recently advanced (and much disputed) scholarly theory on the origin of the legend.
Since it is a legend we are dealing with here, the movie makers are free to put a spin on the story. The familiar names are all there - but some suspension of disbelief is necessary to enjoy the movie.
And enjoy it I did, despite the fact that I have a degree in history with a focus on English Medieval History. I know the facts, I know the theories, but this movie was a very watchable exercise in "what if" with some exciting action scenes and a twist of an ending.
And the movie made me interested in learning more about the new theory it propounds, as well as revisiting other bits of history (for instance, the Pelagian Heresy) that are mentioned in passing.
I was given this movie for Christmas and will probably watch it again, as well as lend it to my friends.
The Singing Detective (2003)
Lost Interest
I "rented" this movie from Blockbuster because I am on the Movie Pass, it was on the "new movie" shelf, and the movies I really wanted to see were all out. I figured - Robert Downey, Mel Gibson, and Adrien Brody - should make for a good detective story. I knew nothing about the original movie or the book on which it was based.
Maybe it was my mood when I got round to watching it, but I found the whole surrealistic film noir aspect of it to be difficult to follow and visually disturbing. As a result, I lost interest in the story and the sexual fantasy sequences, which had "no redeeming social value," further detracted from what little plot there was.
Before I read that this movie was based on an older movie and a book, I thought for sure that it must have really been one of Downey's hallucinations from his drug rehab days that he thought would make a good movie. Why Gibson and Brody consented to being in this trash is beyond me. They certainly don't need the money.
Had I paid money to see this is a theater, I probably would have walked out. At least I didn't "really" rent it.
Gordon Remington
Shadow on the Land (1968)
I only saw it once.....
I saw this movie when I was about twelve and it made a profound impression on me. Coming from a conservative Republican family, it got my wheels and gears turning so that when Watergate happened, I saw the parallels.
In reading the comments, I wondered about a couple of things. While I saw it more than 35 years ago, I remember that the resistance group was called the "Brotherhood of Man" or something similar. Also, the facility that they attacked was a power plant or vital production facility.
I'd be grateful for any insight on these questions, and I too wish it that were available on DVD or VHS.
Van Helsing (2004)
Over the top
I am glad I didn't see this in the theatre. Renting it allowed me to replay certain scenes to better understand what was going on.
When I first started watching it, I hadn't read any reviews. When Frankenstein made his appearance, I thought "how hokey!" Then I read the IMDb user comments and learned that the movie was not for "purists" - whatever that means.
So from that point on, I just enjoyed the show. The music added to the fast pace, which allowed me to overlook the inconsistencies and incongruities.
I found the elements of combining all the monsters in one place and time for a reason to be innovative, but not so different from 1950s B-movies link "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman." The depiction of the vampires was fresh and much more believable than turning into a bat.
The other thing I liked was when Van Helsing was being outfitted with his special weapons, sort of like James Bond being outfitted by "Q" before going on a mission.
So it was worth the Blockbuster rental, but I should have waited until it went off the 2-day return requirement. There's a lot to digest.....
Burp!