Reviews

SyFy needs to take a lesson from the producers and directors of Hunter Prey. Most of the crappy movies they show on the channel could use these people to revitalize their channel. Simply said Hunter Prey presents a compelling scifi vision that though violent and warlike in nature does entice the viewer to open his mind to the possibilities of what you are witnessing. The production design is obviously not top-tier Hollywood big production but that is okay because they pulled off the shooting and design in a plausible and decent way that allows you to believe the story taking place is feasible. Costumes and props are alien and high tech enough to be believed as workable and the actors deliver their lines well enough that you don't cringe with every syllable they speak. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was the length. I think they could have made it a little shorter by speeding up some of the scenes and judicious cutting of some of the exposition and drama shots. Other than that it was a great little indie scifi that was a good use of my time on a cold Decembers's day.

I would have given it more stars but for the simple fact that some scrimping had to be done in order to create the world of 2045. The continuity wasn't always consistent. However the series taken from the four Universal Action Pack movies that aired in syndication months before the series debut was one of the most futuristic and visionary cyberpunk stories to air on television in the early/mid-nineties when VR and Cyberspace was beginning to become common buzzwords in the lexicon of the 90's. Granted the future was very stylish, not the beat-up grungy used and recycled vision of cyberpunk that visionaries like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling gave us in their novels. Here the tech was high tech looking with colorful polished surfaces, metallic sheen and a slightly computer generated look to it's design. I like to call it Ikea-Tech as it has a subtle euro-Nordic influence to it's design sensibilities. This doesn't detract from the viewing experience, just makes this cyberpunk future a bit more heavy on the futuristic comfort rather than the "beat it to fit and paint it to match" aesthetic of wrote cyberpunk. But again, that is a minor aside, what counts is the stories and the acting and Evigan and cast deliver good solid dialog with only a few winces (Rez-off) and cool cyber-noir story lines that would make effective reading if not filmed. In this stylish future the world is plagued by the drug TEK. The drug is a futuristic VR hallucinogen that when active allows the user to experience whatever illusion he or she desires along with enhancing the users neurochemical processes. That is why it is deadly, as these TEK experiences can not just be addictive but eventually cause neurological deficits, nerve damage, brain damage and eventually death. Jake Cardigan a former police officer starts the series being revived from a 15 year cryoprison sentence early to find his world turned upside down. His wife has divorced him and taken another lover, his son is ensconced away in a private school in Europe and he has no job and a bad reputation as a TEK junkie and a cop killer the last of which is what got him thrown in CryoPrison. Walter Bascom, head of Cosmos security got Jake out for the express purpose of giving a wrongly accused man a second chance to redeem himself as a crusader against TEK. The series follows his adventures with his trusty sidekick Sid Gomez as they take down TEKLords that have murderous VR duplicates, TEK family syndicates, Hackers in search of TEK secrets, Android part thieves and even saving the life of a scientist who has figured how to stop TEK from affecting the brain, thus making it non addictive and harmless and making him a target for some very powerful TEK distributors. Along the way, Jake and his equip(Nika, Sid, Sam) make serious in-roads into stopping TEK and freeing the world from the nightmare of addiction and murder that follow in it's wake. Sadly the series never completed a first season, and was not renewed for following seasons like many a scifi series. The series was rerun on SciFi Channel which is probably where it belonged in the first place. Universal who I think had just bought USA Networks (owner of SciFi Channel)decided to showcase the series on a cable channel in prime-time instead of prime-time syndication like most of their Action Pack series. Had it been run that way, there could have been a wider viewing base with better ratings as a result and the series might have had the numbers that showed it was a worthwhile investment to keep filming. Granted USA was gaining in popularity as a Prime-Time network to rival the syndies and non-cable nets but this was still early and uncharted territory. Still, we got something and with remakes becoming popular these days, a chance that this could be remade with even more lavish FX is possible. I am sure the writers of this series could find a bit more to write about Jake Cardigan and his fight against TEK.

Okay, this is not the new Battlestar Galactia or an episode of the many vaunted series so bear with me and accept this for what it is. Its an masterpiece in the sense that it was possibly the best thing to happen to the Buck Rogers after being given the green light for a second season. An almost fruitless second season. Buck is enjoying some downtime when Searcher returns to Earth for resupply and refit when out of the blue an Earth Tribunal begins with designs on pinning the entire cause of the great nuclear war on Buck. Needless to say Buck saves the day and acquits himself adequately. Highlights include a small space chase which is made more impressive by having the later half take place in Earth's atmosphere. A true first for Buck and a hallmark in the annals of scifi in general. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat as well. Overall a well written show to a series that at this time was severely on the bubble. Though it is a good episode, it does have a few glaring errors. Such as why does the tactical screen of the chasing starfigher say high score on the bottom? I also like how a the dress of a 25th century park ranger hasn't changed in over 500 years. When you see it, you will wonder if Buck hadn't just landed on Earth but maybe gone back a several centuries as well. Well, with that said, check it out and hopefully you will be pleased.

This strange gem fits suitably in the creche of Cronenberg bit it's not for everyone that loves Cronenberg....Just the ones that are insanely in need of everything he has ever created. Its not because it's a bad film, on the contrary it is very intriguing. Its just incredibly slow and the sparse environment lack of color and mostly silent audio makes for a surreal but not very compelling film. There is no soundtrack...At all. There is no real dialog just moments of narration, which of course paints the picture moreso than the acting and mise en scene. Set in the Future, we are treated to a pseudo-documentary based on the scientific workings of a parapsychologist named Luther Stringfellow a famed member of the fictitious Canadian Academy for Erotic Inquiry. His thesis; It is hoped that telepathic groups, bonded in polymorphous sexual relationships, will form a socially stabilizing replacement for the "obsolescent family unit". The subjects will be seven young volunteers who will submit to experimental brain surgery to endow them with telepathic abilities and quench their ability to speak and be recorded daily. The film serves as a record of said experiment. This is where the film kinda falls down. The film gives us some interesting characters to watch, but their silence doesn't allow us to really know sympathize with them. Its like watching an acting class exercise in "emoting" or "mugging". A pantomime this complex needs some form of interpretive audio. While it is interesting to watch the actors go about their "telepathic" play, the drama comes off as stilted due to the highly scientific nature of the narration. Some long sequences that involve little or no narration do not pass quickly and create a kind of dream logic between film and audience. Are we getting what he is showing us? I dunno, as some of the action is so interpretive that we could be on a completely different plane of reasoning than what Cronenberg could be trying to describe. Heady, perhaps, but I think that Cronenberg was not trying to be pretentious, I think he was doing what a lot of first time film students do. Get in over their heads with grand ideas. I can forgive as I have done that myself, which is why I gave it 7 stars. Its not bad its just not for everybody.

I feel as though an angel has smiled on me. After years of wanting to see this movie I finally saw it. This was one of the ABC movie of the week deals that I learned about in high school back in the 80's. Unfortunately I was born a scant 5 or 6 months before it aired on ABC, which meant my parents were probably enjoying it whilst I was napping in my crib in another room. I can't remember how I found out about it back in 1988 but I did, and had a nice enough of a working idea of the plot to attempt a remake of my own. That became my senior video project in my Mass Media class and while it got me an "A" in the class, it didn't garner me much recognition. I even built the props in addition to making the script! The producers needn't get their lawyers ready as I have long since lost the footage of me and my friends running around reenacting what was poorly but cogent rendition of their movie. However it would be nice if someone would remake the movie for a more modern retelling. A good made for TV movie with a nice twist-ending.

I finally got to watch this movie. All 3hours of it. Now, I gave it a little leeway seeing how its more than 20 years old but I was still a little set back by this adaptation. I remember when it debuted on NBC as a movie of the week. I was in the middle of traveling with my family and when we finally reached our destination, there were only 30 minutes of the film left on television for me to watch. VCRs were not common household appliances then so that was not an option for me or any of my friends at the time either. It was interesting to see what I missed. It looked like they raided the set departments of Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica (a distinct possibility as this was a Universal property) in their quest to make the future of BNW. Though they tried to make it sterile it came off as a bit garish and I guess they thought the future meant everything had flashing LEDs. Some things were inventive though. The contraceptive belts used rotary dialers off of old telephones, one set was actually a mock up 747 interior that was supposed to be a luxury hotel suite (very interesting). It seems great care went into trying to be as accurate to the novel of the same name, but there was still a clunkiness in the acting. Perhaps it was the novel's dialog brought to life. Unlike "1984" where the environs created a bleak landscape that added to the culture of the people presented, BNW creates almost cartoon like personalities living in a utopia world that come off as silly and often naive though they portray their duties as part of this utopia very seriously and steadfastly. The one highlight of finally getting to see this movie for me was seeing a young Bud Cort. His portrayal of a shy and tortured Alpha Plus Bernard Marx was quirky and fascinating to watch. I never knew he had this type of range as I often missed seeing some of his better performances. Overall it was worth watching once but after that you may want to watch 1984 or Brazil in order to sweep away the anodyne utopian visions of this version of BNW.

To most that remember Johnny Quest, the family was just full of men....Always. It was always Johnny, Dr. Benton Quest, and Race. Then came Hadji and of course we cannot forget Bandit. Well this retelling of the family Quest shows us Johnny's mother for the first time and then sets up the story of how she is taken away from the team forever. Dr Quests eternal foe and "cold war" analog Dr. Zin makes a bold and high tech appearance here that is voiced perfectly by Jeffrey Tambor. Overall its a cool venue for those that came late to experience Johnny Quest of the 60's but for those that grew up in a time when the original was new, it may be a little hard to swallow. Whatever your taste, this is a nice middle of the road story and beats the pants of its direct sequel: Johnny and the Cyberinsects.

I vaguely remember this movie from a long time ago. I think it was my senior year in high school when it came on one night real late on The Movie Channel or something. I only remember the cheesy space ships where you could see the animation stand holding up the model and the scenes in the space station that where clearly filmed in an airport or something. All the stupid escalators around and the white interiors. Then the alien showed up and started turning people into a slimy gel substance or something. Then it ended all sweet and gooey with the alien trying to repent for killing the crew and becoming a loving alien with the surviving crew. God, how did they get funding to even write the script for this piece of trash.

Having read and watched both the print and televised versions of the Boondocks I can honestly say, to me it was a diamond in the rough...until now. The antics and sometime semantics of the lead characters Huey, Riley and Grandpa are enough to keep ones funny bone in stitches while at the same time sending a message to the viewer loud and clear. The message is that no matter what color, no matter what creed or race....everyone is F'ed UP! I know the brothas and sistas will be jammin on how Huey is sticking it to the white man and so on, but that is only one side of the equation for the story often shows the illogic and humor of how African Americans view life. A stinging indictment on how the gov't seeks to obstruct and keep down the black man gives way to portrayals of black men stereotyping one another with colorful and racial epithets. The mocking vision of white males acting like black gansta rappers melts into the savage humor of hoes and pimps and black men and gun play. Its the long stretch and cleansing breath of the soul the racial landscape of America has needed for a long time. No one is perfect and this show is unafraid to show that no matter what color or ideology , that you have a bullseye on your back when Huey and Riley come around!

Well I can say that this and Invasion will probably hold my interest of the three new scifi shows on prime time channels. I am not entirely happy with the casting of Threshold. Dutton, is a great actor but seems not very menacing as a government agent who is supposed to be reigning in the "Red Team" on a regular basis. I think Keith David would have done better, at least his voice sounds menacing enough. Ramsey the angry but intelligent dwarf is not a high point on my list either. Give him a little less ire and arrogance and maybe he can become a likable character worth keeping otherwise I would just restrict him to lines pertaining to the science he is SO smart about.

I'll never forget the first time I saw Thundarr. My mom actually watched it with me out of fear it my be some new wave of cartoon that would prove too mature for my still immature sensibilities. I won out and got to keep watching as the action proved not to much for me to indulge in. Thundarr was a fresh landscape for me. I hadn't really immersed myself in the "Post-Apocalptic" genre of scifi but this and a little Mad Max soon got me on my way. The stories were fantastic and though I am an animation snob now in my adulthood, back then I could really care less about the nuances in quality. It was just good ole fashion fun. I will say this though I remember very few of the actual episode story lines I remember a sense of sadness for the characters after the show ends. The idea that these rag tag warriors would be forever traversing the Earth, fighting for their lives and the lives of others and with the possibility of never knowing peace or true joy seemed very likely. I guess I was still too much the idealistic scifi dreamer to realize this was the only world Thundarr knew and would live in until society advanced beyond the means they existed in.

I remember this uncut gem from the early days of SciFi Channel. It was their "Cinema Event" of the month or some such. Their way of making the repetitive nature of the channel with all its Buck Rodgers and 70's scifi, seem non-existent. So they threw some money into this concept and got themselves yet another low grade SciFi flick shot in Canada. Pare' was convincing as the lead but seemingly disinterested in his surroundings. The other actors/actresses seemed like they were overacting when matched against him. Though low budget it had some interesting set design. I even believe they built a miniature city for those futuristic exterior shots these films need. No pricey first generation computer effects here. Its a shame too, after seeing the stirring and incredible work of Mamoru Oshii and his film Avalon, I know this film could have been made better with a better budget and finer attention to details in story and effects. Alas, not every director seeks to max his budget for the sake of the art.

A sure ratings looser for UPN, the Burning Zone was their freshman season solution to Fox's X-Files. Throw in a pinch of the controversial movie Outbreak and what you got was a "Disease of the Week" series with semi-paranormal overtones and alot of borish dialog in between. The story centers on a team of virologists, assembled by a typical (shadowy benefactor) for the purpose of rising to the challenge of biological catastrophies. They tried to mix in a "conspiracy" element (a further stab at X-Files) by dropping hints to a evil agency called "The Dawn" that were to prove responsible for a great number of the cases they had to solve, but it totally went nowhere. Fortunately the series didn't survive, but unfortunately the damage was already done. The Burning Zone lived on for a while on SciFi Channel until they decided it had outlived its usefullness and they eradicated it from their schedule. Simply not worth looking for unless you are a fan of any of the actors involved and you must see every speck of their work.

Quite possibly the best show in age of modern television that was cancelled before it could shine. The concept of the "man on the run" and the conspiracy that invariably drives such events has been done before, but what made Nowhere Man a more effective, if not evocative story was the idea that Thomas Vail quite possilby fabricated the events that caused him to go on the run. Everything he was running from, he may have created. This plus the many turns and twists the episodes took made the series irresistable to many, maddening to most and unfortunately fodder for dismissal in the pantheon on UPN. Its really too bad SciFi hasn't sought fit to continue the series or at least pick it up for rerun. They did some good fan service when they picked up other slain series like "Prey" and "Burning Zone" for replay, and you would think this one would come up for the running. Shame really.

I probably wouldn't have commented on this film. After getting into a discussion about 80's sci-fi movies with a friend, this title popped up. Wow, I thought I was the only one who remembered this flick. Having originally seen this waaaay back in 87' I can say it didn't really get much better with age. That is okay however, as this was blip on the radar. Just one more failed pilot for a series that CBS couldn't avail itself to try producing. It was however a enjoyable effort but one that most viewers could probably see being skewed into a "Voyagers" type programming pigeon-hole had it gone to full series. From what I understand, "Scholastic", the mass media educational powerhouse was to help with the franchise. Alas, it could have not just been entertainment but educational too!

This series really takes me back to the days when SciFi channel was just getting off the ground. Sure, they were fledgling days with very little original content but what the channel had then was soul, as it reached out to not just adults but kids on a regular basis, and embraced its desire to be alien with the zeal of a scifi fanboy. Those days are pretty much gone, and unfortunately the FTL newsfeeds went with them. What could be best described as a "micro series" in todays view the show was a peek into the 22nd century lives of a select group of individuals. Greeted by a simulated menu and then the virtual news anchor, viewers were whisked into futuristic political intrigue, technological wonder, and other melodrama pertinent to this 22nd century world. Though each episode ran for only 30 seconds they were often repeated more than once during the broadcast day, just in case you may have missed the first showing. It wasn't "High Concept" but it was fun, and somewhat intriguing to watch this little world unfold between reruns of Battlestar Galactica or TekWar and unfortunately the innocent indulgence of having this show was plowed under, in favor of "bolder" and "more inventive" programming. Programs which really don't deliver much beyond preaching to niches already established by the lengthy runs of SG-1 or Andromeda.

That is how I felt after watching this spectacle of humanity. Completely down. Like I was damaged and left for refuse on the side of the curb. Rifkin did a wonderful job of giving us a side of humanity that we usually see but not at its gritty and gnarly best. This film is right up there with Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream" only it feels slightly more polished. The locale for one lent a perfectly hopeless air to the mise en scene. Rifkin played with the color saturation in such a way that it also added an extra layer of desperation to the visuals. Perfection, and this movie is right up there with other modern despair epics like Atlantic City and Requiem for a Dream.

AlienNation was an excellent show that really went beyond just scifi images of aliens. I was to my memory the first sci-fi show where the culture of the aliens was just as important as the actual beings themselves. To this end, often they came up looking superior or more advanced then the humans they were now coexisting with. Having that come up continuously was kind of a turn off, but here is where we see the almost perfect and advanced veneer of the aliens peel away as we explore the darkest crevices of Tenctonese society and history. The Udara: a collective of Tenctonese slaves dedicated to destroying the "Overseers" at any cost resurface in the most controversial and frightening of fashions. This not only proves troublesome for the humans as the Udara are now connected to killings in Los Angeles but the sinister history of the Udara even reaches into heart of the Francisco family. Though the formula for the Udara is not anything new the insertion of this style of subterfuge into the increasingly perfect "new age" world of the Tenctonese and their long suffering status as alien flotsom was a master stroke. It was good to see that these perfect little aliens that fell to Earth and wanted all the humans to drop everything in order to make them feel loved, needed to clean up their own houses and affairs and reflect on the injustice and horror they put themselves through for once. This was AlienNation at its most mature state and its a shame it never lasted beyond the movies.

It is almost pointless to post about Century City now that its cancelled but what the hey. Set 26 years from now in a Los Angeles that has been through a 7.1 quake, and rebuilt itself into a slick, gleaming megacity (still hazed with smog) fraught with all kinds of futuristic legal problems we arrive. Taking a tack from the Minority Report school of design the set pieces look like they came directly from the warehouses of Bang Olafsen, Ikea, and Sony with the typical "computer displays etched onto glass windows and desk display panels made of plexi" type of style. Derivative of Earth tech of the near future in scifi. Great... Anywho this Law Office presented here gets some really cool and creepy cases to litigate, and for the most part they always win.

The pilot episode concerned a man attempting to save his son with the aid of an embryonic clone of said child. The only problem is cloning is illegal in the U.S. and having had the clone manufactured overseas (Crafty Singaporeans), and transported to the states he has committed not just an extrordinary crime but created a ethical situation which will not only hold the life of his son in the balance, but show the darker side of cloning....harvesting of its organs to support its gene donor. Sadly the drama presented was rather complex and emotionally unstable due to the writing and pairing with a second story involving an aging Boy Band that wanted one of its memebers to use a dangerous anagathic (age defying) drug as part of his wellness regimen. What was supposed to be serious came off as silly and contrived and really stole the drama away from the Cloning portion of the story. So basically the first episode was a bit of a dog and unfortunately that taint would come back and haunt the series for a few more episodes.

While it was not a "hyped" scifi show, filled with otherworldly effects and intergalactic intrigue, it did have its moments. One story concerning a virtual rape with nanomachines showed chilly social implications of technology and the future of stalking and psychopathic crimes while another episode dedicated itself to the plight of a man who with the aid of a neural implant that was designed to raise his IQ was facing possible death if he didn't have it removed, and the contentious issue being was he mentally capable of making the decision to change himself back or fight to stay as he was. There was indeed the kernal of great drama and speculative vision housed in the shows writers.

Whatever the future holds for scifi, televsion, and law remains to be seen in another time another place. Century City our best hope for glimpsing a possible "legal" future has met the falling of the gavel and its court is dismissed. Sad? Potentially, as "thinking persons'" televsion is few and far between and this could have been contender.

Not one of my personal favorites, this was also shown as part of the SF Anthology series :The Outer Limits, episode titled "The Forms of Things Unknown". Other than having the beautiful Barbara Rush the only thing I enjoyed this particular episode for was brief interlude when we hear the opening strains of Frontiere's theme for "The Invaders".

Its been decades (literally) since I saw this film but after talking with co-workers today about Karen Silkwood (today is the anniversary of her death) I began to recollect this movie. From what I remember Janet Margolin was a decent lead actress for this film. THe story wasn't lifted "directly" from the "Silkwood/KerrMcGee" case but you can see the essence of it in the film with its drama based on nuclear power plant, plutonium contamination, corporate coverups and a ending similar to Karen Silkwood's. This film has been lost to the foreign market so it is doubtful I'll get to see it and compare it to Silkwood on a real-time basis but if you happen to catch it, check it out and compare for yourself.

Perhaps it was the fickleness of the 90's or the fact that we were actively forgetting the identities of the 70's and 80's but when this show debuted it came off to such great critical acclaim and then like most critically acclaimed shows, it vanished. I am proud to have seen this series. As someone who considers himself a true lover of scifi and not just pulp or space operas this was a vista as open as any epic scifi novel. With the gentileness of one listening to their Grandparents tell stories of their youth and "salad days" we watch as elderly retiree Ben Miller regails all that will listen (including us) of his loves, losses, triumphs and pitfalls. The show was definately ahead of its time. When most scifi shows were exploring space, this one was more concerned with exploring the human condition, of the future and society on family and I think that has made all the difference. This was definately television too good for television.

It could only happen in the 80's. Take one of America's fastest rising animation studios. Add the notion of doing a scifi kids show entirely in Japan just to capture the campiness of Japanese directing. Use mostly bluescreen sets to shoot on. And finally, base the entire show on the fad phenomenon of the 80's Photon Laser Gaming and this is what you get. In typical 80's fashion you get 30 minute stories with some decent action and attempt at entertainment (they really did try folks.) which also in typical 80s fashion bodyslam you with a moral message come the end. What wasn't so typical was the fact that it was probably the only kids show to feature knock offs of popular 80's hits, okay this show and that blasted Kidd Video, but anyway what could be better than watching a cool teen space warrior blasting at bad guys with Photon guns and doing cool gymnastics with other colorful space warriors to "Danger Zone". Well its gone now, or maybe not, perhaps when DIC gets its "Entertainment Network" going (whenever that is) they will revive this little gem for the new generation to gawk at.

Simply the one of the best animated series to ever be produced in the 80's. I still have a hard time deciding which is best Jayce or Galaxy Rangers, but for sake of this commentary Jayce. Its a shame this show is not being rerun on Cartoon Network or even in worldwide syndication like it was in the 80's, many children today could benefit from its tight and mature storytelling, its intriguing characters and beautiful animation. All of this not to be outdone by an equally powerful and rousing soundtrack (Which we need on CD). Like many cartoons of the 80's J&WW provided viewers with a sense of fair play in the storytelling department and why not with now acclaimed television writers like JMS (B5) having formerly written episodes. One could watch and really feel for the character's plight, thrill to the action and adventure and sense the emotion from every change in the overall journey of Jayce and crew and thankfully the departure from typical 80's fare is the fact that J&WW didn't nail you to a cross with preachy morality play dialog and the almost requisite after episode "factoid" or "FYI" spot. No, it was concise, and brilliant entertainment. The way entertainment should be. I have come to the news that DIC is currently planning an entertainment network of their own. I pray to God it becomes a basic staple of American households and if so that there is plenty of Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors on the schedule for mine and everyone's sake. Oh and if you are listening DIC and Mr. Heyward a DVD set of all 65 episodes would be so wonderful in lieu of seeing it again on your future network.