Water may be power, but it's awfully boring, 19 August 2017
In a post-apocalyptic future, people have banded together for survival. The key to that survival is water. A woman holds the key to the location of a vast water supply. She's being chased by a roaming gang of baddies hoping to gain her knowledge. Water is power and the baddies want the power. The woman is rescued (multiple times) by a man known as Stryker. Stryker and his friends will battle the baddies for the secret of the water.
Stryker is one of the countless number of films that looked to cash-in on the success of The Road Warrior. Some are good (or at least enjoyable) and some are not so good. Stryker falls into the latter category. There are lot of problems I had with the movie, but the biggest issue I had was Stryker is it's just plain boring. I had the hardest time staying awake. There's little that held my interest. The plot is so unbelievably unoriginal. The filmmakers attempted to take the search for gas in The Road Warrior and replace it with the search for water in Stryker. In addition, the action is repetitive. The good guys save the girl, then they save Stryker, then they save the girl, and on and on it goes. But the biggest bore of all comes in the form of lead actor Steve Sandor as Stryker. Sandor's Stryker is so unappealing and so dull that it's hard to believe he's the title character. You'd be hard pressed to find a lead with less screen presence. What a wretched waste of time!
3/10
- Rage - Fuoco incrociato
Despite all the flaws, the movie is still watchable, 18 August 2017
In a post-apocalyptic future, people have banded together for survival. One group who would like to see the old world restored to all its glory believes they know the location where uranium was once housed. They hope to power their cities with it. Another group would like to get their hands on the uranium for their own, more destructive purposes. Who will get there first?
First, what's with the character names in these post-apocalyptic movies? Rage? Slash? Trash? Ratchet? Bronx? Hammer? One? Why not Roger or Fred or even Bill? I think the Italian filmmakers tried to outdo each other with their names. Rage and Slash from A Man Called Rage are perfect examples.
As far as this kind of movie goes, A Man Called Rage isn't overly original. There are only two scenes I can think of that stray from the standard playbook – the seeds at the end (nice touch) and the train. The rest is derivative filmmaking at its finest. A noticeable lack of budget doesn't help. Costuming is often as uninspired (and cheap) as tying a t-shirt around an actor's head. There's a lot of driving that serves as inexpensive padding. I can't tell you how many scenes begin with the good guys' jeep coming into frame, stopping, and someone pointing and saying, "Look". It happens over and over. Finally, the best (or worst) example of the film's budget limitations has to be earthquake. A few pebbles thrown across the surface of a larger rock while the camera shakes doesn't make for an effective natural disaster. Throw in some poorly choreographed fight scenes, iffy acting, and ridiculous special effects and you've got the makings of a real stinker.
However, despite all the flaws, A Man Called Rage is still watchable. The main actors playing the good guys are likable enough. Bruno Minniti is oddly enjoyable in the role of Rage. The chief baddie is appropriately over-the-top. Even though there's padding galore, there are some nice action sequences sprinkled throughout. Like I said, I especially enjoyed the scenes on the train. Finally, the ending worked for me. The use of the seeds was something completely different from what I was expecting or what I've seen before in one of these movies. It's a nice, restrained, upbeat moment.
Oh, I almost forgot another big plus for The Man Called Rage. Those painted-on jean shorts worn by lead actress, Taida Urruzola, are the real star. Wow!
5/10
"You have committed a crime and are presumed guilty. You have a right to die.", 16 August 2017
In the future, law enforcement will essentially be out-sourced. These new police, known by the unimaginative acronym COPS, will not only arrest criminals, but also, in many instances, act as judge and juror. But the system can easily be manipulated. When a reporter threatens one of the owners of COPS, he has the reporter's name added to the wanted list with a sizable bounty and a message to kill. One of the COPS named Tucker (David Carradine) sees the system for the flawed mess it has become, decides to help the reporter, and is put on the execute list for his trouble.
If I had to use only two words to describe Future Force, I'd say it's lazy filmmaking. As an example, Future Force is lazy in the sense that, even though the movie is set in the future, very minimal effort was taken to make it look like the future. The only real futuristic aspect is the all-powerful glove used by Tucker. And, the filmmakers were so lazy they used it sparingly. Tucker uses a regular old non- futuristic pistol in 99% of the movie.
Another way Future Force is lazy can be seen in the acting. I can't remember one acting performance that stood out. Every one of them seems to be just going through the motions. The worst offender is Carradine. His performance is a fantastic example of an actor in it for the paycheck. It's easy to see he doesn't care at all about the finished product. Speaking of Carradine, he looks horrible in this movie. I can't remember ever seeing him look this out of shape. He doesn't look well.
You can see Future Force's laziness in the writing. The film is full of filler. There are scenes that add nothing to the plot. In fact, there are scenes where literally nothing happens. There are a few example I could name (people driving cars with no purpose, people doing absolutely nothing while hiding out, etc) but my favorites are a couple of rather lengthy shots of a guy having a drink. That's all he does – he pours a drink, sips it, sets the glass down, and picks it up for another drink. And it happens at least twice in the movie. It's about as lazy a job of writing as I can remember.
Future Force is another of those movies I could write about for days. The laziness extends to set-design, music, costuming, and on and on. But, as I always say, what's the point. It's a bad movie that doesn't deserve any rating higher than 2/10. In some ways it's not as bad as it is sad. Future Force is truly a depressing experience.
2/10
A good moment can't save the rest, 15 August 2017
The Rat Patrol is given a new type of highly volatile explosive to be used against a radar installation. Time is of the essence as Allied bombers will be flying overhead very soon. However, the stuff is so volatile that getting it to the target is half the challenge. Moffatt has heard tales of an old, dry riverbed that runs through the mountains that may provide The Rat Patrol with a smoother surface to transport the explosive. However, Dietrich has also heard the same tales and is waiting for Troy and his men.
In writing about the previous episode, I doubted I would find an episode I disliked as much as The Fatal Chase Raid. Well, that didn't take long. The Blow Sky High Raid is just about as bad. The problem here is the utter stupidity of the writing. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could list about four or five things in this episode that are completely ridiculous. But the most idiotic part has to be Tory walking into the German encampment without getting shot. There's no way in this world would that have happened. Sure, he's carrying an explosive, but the German's didn't know that. With all the heartache Troy has put Dietrich through, he would have had him shot on sight. Instead, Troy waltzes in with his explosive and takes out the German radar. Ridiculous.
There is one scene in The Blow Sky High Raid that I found very interesting. Dietrich's interaction with the blind native woman, Selhim, is an incredibly compelling moment. Here, Dietrich is presented as an actual human. Sure, he's using Selhim for information, but there's more to it than that. It's easy to see he likes this woman. It's a small thing, but something different from the ordinary.
5/10
Easily my least favorite episode thus far, 15 August 2017
The Rat Patrol busts-up a convoy of German transport vehicles loaded with Allied POWs. Among the group is a Sgt Gribs who has intel on German troop movements that might be useful. Troy and Co need to get Gribs back to headquarters. Making things more difficult: the team is down to one jeep for seven guys, they're low on water, Gribs is a royal pain, and there are two soldiers who want to kill Gribs for being a coward.
The Fatal Chase Raid is easily my least favorite episode thus far. I really can't imagine enjoying any of the rest of the series any less. It's that bad. The problem is Gavin MacLeod as Gribs. MacLeod was a decent enough actor, but his Gribs character is so annoying that, like his men, I wanted to see him die also – a slow, painful death. I know the character was meant to grate at the nerves, but it's way too over the top. Had I been Troy, I would have had to knock him out to shut him up. Also, The Rat Patrol usually has an unrealistically easy time handling the Germans they face, but here, the Germans all but roll over. For example, I "like" the way The Rat Patrol was able to destroy the convoy using dynamite, yet the German vehicles were still operable. Was it skill, luck, or lazy writing? You decide.
4/10
Universal's beginnings, 14 August 2017
Universal Horror is a look back at how Universal got started in the horror movie business. The film includes a heavy dose of very welcome film clips and some interviews with experts on the subject, famous fans, and a few stars that actually worked at Universal in the 30s. Having been a fan of Universal horror films for about 45 years, I was already familiar with most of the information presented in the movie. However, I did learn a thing or two and find some bits interesting. There's also a lot of information presented on non-Universal horror. There are big chunks dedicated to German films, silent films, and King Kong. I appreciate this. Universal didn't exist in a vacuum and drew its early inspirations from a variety of sources. I'm glad these inspirations were given screen time.
A few things that stuck out to me: 1. The Cat and the Canary (1927) – I'm a bit surprised how much time this non-Universal movie was given, but it looks great. I've seen the 1939 film, the 1979 film, and others inspired by this movie, but not the 1927 film – something I intend to take care of shortly. 2. The clips of the Universal films look fantastic. It's easy to forget how good these movies look, even though they were made 80+ years ago. I also enjoyed the comparisons to German expressionist films of the 20s. Very enlightening. 3. Fay Wray – I was a bit shocked to see an extended interview with Fay Wray as she never appeared in a Universal horror. Her recollections of filmmaking in the 30s is a highlight of the movie. She was a real looker back in her day. 4. Finally, I was a bit surprised that the Universal history presented in the film ended prior to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I know it came out way past Universal's heyday, but it was just as about as important and impressive a film for its time as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Co were for theirs.
As with all documentaries, I rate them based on two criteria – was it effective and was it entertaining. Effective – somewhat. If you're a longtime fan of Universal like I am, there's not a lot of new ground covered here. If you're new to these films, however, it would probably be hugely informative. I'll give it a 7/10 for effectiveness. Entertaining – I always enjoy seeing clips from these old films. Here, they've cherry-picked the very best scenes. It's a lot of fun. I'll also give it a 7/10 for entertainment value. So, it should come as no surprise that I've rated Universal Horror an overall 7/10.
7/10
In a post-apocalyptic future, people have banded together for survival. The key to that survival is water. A woman holds the key to the location of a vast water supply. She's being chased by a roaming gang of baddies hoping to gain her knowledge. Water is power and the baddies want the power. The woman is rescued (multiple times) by a man known as Stryker. Stryker and his friends will battle the baddies for the secret of the water.
