"Get out your card decks and backgammon boards, lucky Buck is back!", 7 March 2008
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was the pilot movie that set-up the television series of the same name. I doubt there's anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction who doesn't know the basic plot: After having spent 500 years floating in space in a state of suspended animation, Buck Rogers is revived by aliens from Draconia. The Draconians are headed to Earth on a supposedly peaceful mission. Buck learns that things aren't as they appear and the Draconians have another, more sinister purpose for their visit. The Earthlings are quite naturally suspicious of Buck and his wild claims that the approaching Draconian envoy is really an attack force in disguise. Buck must adjust to his new surroundings, prove his loyalty to those left on Earth, and help defeat the Draconians.
If you're looking for a deep, meaningful storyline, big budget special effects, or award caliber acting, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century probably isn't for you. But if you just go with it and take it about as seriously as the people who made it seem to be taking it, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century can be a fun, entertaining experience. The movie is fast paced and full of interesting eye candy. The plot, though predictable, provides enough interest to hold your attention throughout. The acting is serviceable at the worst. Gil Gerrard and Erin Gray make for very likable and watchable leads. And anything with the great Henry Silva can't be all bad. One thing I get a kick out of watching Buck Rogers in the 25th Century some 30 years after it was made is the "look" of the film. (SARCASM WARNING) It's amazing how much the 25th Century feels like the late 70s with the spandex pants, lip gloss, and electronic disco music. (END SARCASM WARNING) I guess my only complaint is that some of the comedy is misplaced and fails to hit its mark. The robot Twiki can be especially annoying.
7/10
Where are the police?, 6 March 2008
Season 2 of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries continues to disappoint with the season finale called Campus Terror. In this one, Joe is called by an old flame for help in solving the mystery of three girls who have disappeared from campus. Frank and Joe are on the case before you can say "missing coed". While it's not the worst of the season, it comes close. The stupidity on display is mind-boggling. For example, three girls have been kidnapped, yet there is still virtually no police presence on campus. On two separate occasions, girls scream for help. And who are the first people on the scene? If you guessed Frank and Joe Hardy, give yourself a prize. Where are the cops? Where's the security? People can still come and go at will. People are still able to enter and leave buildings without notice. And people are still able to hide in the shadows undetected. I realize that this is a fictional television show, but how about allowing a little reality into the situation. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
4/10
Lame, 6 March 2008
While I'm generally a fan of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, I'm not such a fan that I can't spot a bad episode. And it seems that in Season 2, there are a lot of bad episodes. Mystery of the Avalanche Express is one of the worst. To begin with, the plot it just ridiculous. War profiteers? Asylum seekers? That's not the kind of stuff I associate the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew getting mixed up in. What happened to the haunted barns or the UFOs or the other cool mysteries? Neither the Hardys nor Nancy Drew do much of anything to solve a case or bring about a resolution to the situation. It's almost as if it's someone else's plot they just accidentally got involved in. For lack of a better word, Mystery of the Avalanche Express doesn't have the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew "feel" to it.
Next, I never cared for Janet Julian taking over the role of Nancy Drew, but in this episode, she's absolutely terrible. She's got some of the most unnaturally delivery I've heard. And she just doesn't fit the part. She looks too young. Like the scene where she's announces she a private investigator - it reminded me of a child with an overactive imagination making things up.
Finally, when The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries originally aired, they were geared toward a young demographic. Can someone please explain to me the bizarre casting decision to hire the likes of Fabian, Edd Byrnes (complete with laughable accent), Deborah Walley, Vic Damone, and a bunch of other has-beens for this episode? I'm sure the kids in 1978 were beside themselves with the anticipation of seeing Tommy Sands! I can't remember, but I'm sure I was. It's so lame!
3/10
Nice beginning to the series, 4 March 2008
I have a 5 year-old son who just loves anything to do with animals. The other day we were out shopping and ran across Season 1 of Flipper. I remembered watching it as a child and enjoying the show, so I thought I might take a chance on it and buy it for my son. And at less than $15, I really wasn't risking a whole lot. To my utter delight, my little boy just loves it.
So far, my son's favorite episode is "300 Feet Below". The plot involves a man who radios for help after being attacked by a shark. Badly needed plasma is delivered to the boat by helicopter, but it's accidentally dropped into the ocean. When Ranger Porter Ricks dives in to get the plasma, he runs into the same shark. Fortunately, Flipper is on hand to battle the shark and save the day. For me, I was surprised at how much real tension and suspense I got out of this episode. I was also surprised to see actual blood in a family television show from 1964. I didn't know you could do that back then. For my son, he talks almost every day about the Flipper vs. shark showdown and goes on to describe blow-by-blow how it all unfolded. He's hooked. And I'm thinking that's not a bad thing. With the state of television today, you could do a whole lot worse than Flipper.
7/10
- Sukeban Deka: Kôdo nêmu = Asamiya Saki
I really wanted to like this movie, 4 March 2008
I really wanted to like Yo-Yo Girl Cop and, for a while anyway, I thought I was going to. To begin with, just take a look at the DVD cover – a Japanese school-girl complete with uniform and a lethal yo-yo striking a pose in front of a fiery explosion. How awesome is that? And the plot sounded very promising: Saki Asamiya (Aya Matsuura is terrific in the role), a very troubled and violent teen, is hand-picked by a secret government agency to infiltrate a group of would-be high school terrorists. The group has already killed at least one other agent. They tied her hands together, strapped a bomb to her, and sent her out into the crowded streets. Nice, huh? On the group's website, they've started a 72 hour countdown clock, but a countdown to what? It's Saki Asamiya's job to find out – and do it before time runs out. The film gets off to a great start with the whole explosion in the streets scene, Saki's fight on her first day at school, and a chase through a crowded mall. Add to that a funky vibe that runs through much of the movie, the incredibly stylized look, and a nice score, the makings were here for a real winner. Unfortunately, Yo-Yo Girl Cop abandons the promised action and all but slams on the brakes in favor of melodramatic, teen-angst clap-trap during the second act. It was enough to make me want to hurl. Life's tough – get over it already and get back to the yo-yo butt-kicking! The movie does redeem itself somewhat in the finale as Saki and her female nemesis don leather outfits for the highly anticipated all-girl yo-yo fight to the death. As cool as that may be, it comes way too late to save Yo-Yo Girl Cop from being anything other than average at best.
5/10
- Der Frosch mit der Maske
Despite its shortcomings, its a "must see" for krimi fans, 4 March 2008
While I enjoy watching these German-made krimis, I've yet to find one that I just love and can recommend without hesitation. That holds true with Fellowship of the Frog. The best I can say is that it's about average. The plot is twisted and nonsensical like you'll find in most krimis. I won't even attempt to go into it other than to say it involves a masked criminal known as The Frog who, with his seemingly endless supply of flunkies, is responsible for a string of robberies and murders in London. For reasons only he knows, the Frog seems to have set his sights on a young woman named Ella Bennet and kidnaps her brother Ray to get to her. It's up to Scotland Yard and an amateur detective named Richard Gordon to put a stop to this devious criminal.
There are several things in Fellowship of the Frog to enjoy. The film gets off to a nice start. It's appropriately dark and foggy with the requisite smoky (though unmemorable) jazz score playing in the background all helping to create a nice sinister atmosphere. The movie features a couple of faces familiar to even a novice fan of krimis like myself – Joachim Fuchsberger and Eddi Aren't (I'm sorry about the apostrophe, but the IMDb spell-checker seems intent on putting it there). While both are quite good, I especially enjoyed Aren't's unusually quiet performance as the all-knowing butler James. However when the second act begins, most of the good feelings I was having toward Fellowship of the Frog came to an end. To call the second act slow would be a gross understatement as the movie all but grinds to a halt. I had to go back and play a couple of scenes over to make sure I hadn't missed anything as my mind wandered. Fortunately, my persistence was rewarded with a delicious twist near the end that's as shocking as any I've seen recently. It almost saves Fellowship of the Frog from mediocrity.
One final note, I understand from doing a little research that this movie is notable for being the first of the Edgar Wallace based krimis produced in the 50s and 60s. Because of that fact, and regardless of the film's shortcomings, Fellowship of the Frog is necessary viewing for anyone calling themselves a fan of these movies.
5/10
Watchable - but that's being generous, 3 March 2008
It's difficult to write a plot description for a movie like The Monkey Hustle. On its surface, it would seem to be the story of a diverse group of people banding together to stop a proposed freeway from destroying their community. But the movie is just as much about a cheap, small-time hood named Daddy Foxx (Yaphat Kotto) and the boys he trains in hustling. Then again, The Monkey Hustle is about the relationship of two young people and what they go through to be together. Or is the movie really about a flamboyant would-be gangster named Goldie (Rudy Ray Moore) maintaining his control over a community through force? Actually, The Monkey Hustle's plot is a mish-mash of ideas that, unfortunately, never seem to hit their mark. It's supposed to be a comedy, but I can only think of a couple of instances that I found remotely amusing. And even though The Monkey Hustle gets lumped in with the blaxploitation movies of the period, it lacks the sex, violence, and emotional charge necessary to be considered as such. What does it say about a movie when the most generous adjective I can come up with to describe it is "watchable"?
Did you ever watch a movie and feel like a reel or two were missing? That's how I felt after watching this movie. A big part of the plot is that Daddy Foxx has "something" on Godlie. Likewise, they both seem to have "something" on the Alderman. Infuriatingly, the movie never spells out or even hints at what the characters have on each other. In the films finale, we see Daddy Foxx and Goldie wink knowingly at each – but why? It just doesn't make any sense. I feel like I feel asleep and missed crucial plot points.
I normally don't get into the messages or meanings of the movies I watch, but with The Monkey Hustle, I feel almost compelled to at least mention the mixed messages it sends out. Why are Daddy Foxx and Goldie made out to be the heroes? They don't do much of anything of value for the community. And neither man has any moral issues when it comes to stealing from their neighbors, thereby helping to maintain the status quo of poverty. It's a shame that the one educated black man in the community who was responsible for organizing the save the community block party isn't given any of the credit. Instead, it's the hustlers and the number runners who come out looking good as the real hero is shoved into the background.
4/10
