Screamers is a bit of a mess. It has a solid pedigree but somewhere between its origin and its filming, I imagine a number of things went wrong, culminating in the disappointing movie it became. The film stars Peter Weller and is originally based on a story by Philip K. Dick and Dan O’Bannon had…
Tag: robots
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1980) – Ardala Returns, and Twiki is Missing
Princess Ardala (Pamela Hensley) is back in Ardala Returns. Written by Chris Bunch, this episode first debuted on 24 January, 1980. Ardala and Kane (Yay Michael Ansara!) are having issues with the new Draconian Ratchet fighters, since Kane updated them, none of the pilots are good enough to handle them. So a plan is concocted,…
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) – Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe
Netflix delivered a fantastic animated feature with The Mitchells vs. the Machines. I’ll be honest, when I first heard about it, I wasn’t sure. It looked a little too goofy, or too silly, but settling in for it, you actually realize it has a lot to say about family, technology, and life in general, and…
9th Annual Old School Kung Fu Film Fest : Joseph Kuo Edition – Return of the 18 Bronzemen (1976)
Screening right after The 18 Bronzemen today at the Museum of the Moving Image, Subway Cinema in conjunction with the Museum present the follow-up film, though it was released first in most countries, Return of the 18 Bronzemen. This tells a similar story to that of the first film, but from a different perspective, that…
The Ice Pirates (1984) – Stewart Raffill
1984 was an awesome year for me. I moved to a tropical country, and because there was no regular television there, and everyone else seemed to have one, my family bought it’s first VCR. And from there I was able to explore countless genre’s to my heart’s content. And seeing as there were so many…
Gog (1954) – Herbert L. Stock
DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies beings me another mechanical menace, as I am introduced to Gog, in this 1954 science fiction film, that despite it’s terrible pacing, story, and acting hints at tech that is currently in use today, like stealth planes, solar energy, and malware. We are introduced to Dr. David Sheppard (Richard…
Space: 1999 (1976) – Seed of Destruction, and The AB Chrysalis
Broadcast on 11 November, 1976, Seed of Destruction, penned by John Goldsmith lets Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau) indulge into that classic sci-fi trope, the evil twin. He and Carter (Nick Tate) are investigating a strange asteroid that Maya (Catherine Schell) reports is giving off a strange energy reading. While Carter works on the Eagle,…
Space: 1999 (1976) – Journey to Where, and One Moment of Humanity
Moonbase Alpha continues to hurtle among the stars drawing us with them as Koenig (Martin Landau), Russell (Barbara Bain), Alan (Nick Tate), Maya (Catherine Schell), Tony (Tony Arnholt) and the rest of the crew try to survive. Trouble rears its head this week in Journey to Where, penned by Donald James this episode first debuted…
Goliath and the Vampires (1961) – Sergio Corbucci & Giacomo Gentilomo
Monsters in the Movies, by director John Landis and available from DK Canada, keeps the vampire films coming as I continue to stake my way through the chapter on the undead. That brings me to this odd and dubbed entry from Italy that adds (?) to the sword and sorcery genre with some strange trappings…
POPnology at the Ontario Science Centre
It’s summer vacation, time for camps, bike rides, beaches, family trips, seemingly endless days spread out before the young to enjoy, to forget the long reach of scholastic achievement, teachers, and books. So how can you make learning fun, and ensure that the entire family is entertained? Combine education with entertainment, with movies, and pop…
The Mind Reels 