COMM STATION
With Darren Maxwell
There is no doubt that the disaster the fell upon America in September last year with the destruction of the World Trade Centre was a major tragedy. From a sci-fi film perspective it has also had repercussions as a lot of films, especially the ones set in the future, are now “dated” because they feature the Twin Towers. Escape From New York, AI, X Men, The Ultimate Warrior are good examples of this. The only fix will be if they ever rebuild the WTC buildings looking exactly as they did before.
I went into a display house a little while ago and whilst having a look around the kitchen I saw that the dishwasher was made by a company called Smeg – which of course is now a cult “slang” word used extensively in Red Dwarf. I couldn’t help but think that maybe this dishwasher would either not work very well or would wash the dishes with a serious attitude. Still, I guess if you were a big Red Dwarf fan you would never consider buying any another brand (a bit like Star Trek fans only buying Vulcan heating appliances).
Don’t you hate it when you buy a “special edition” DVD only to find that the film actually has bits taken OUT of it! Superman The Movie is like this. If you’re pretty familiar with the film you’ll notice heaps of little scenes that are missing from the old TV print which have been shifted to the “deleted scenes” section of the disk. The annoying part is when you’re watching the film and can’t help but remember “hey isn’t there supposed to be a blah, blah, blah scene here? …….. and here? ……… and HERE!” Grrrrr
Did you see in the Melbourne Cup a few months ago that there was a horse in the race called “May the Horse be with U” (where do people get these names from).
Hear about the two dudes in the US who started queuing up at the cinema to see Attack of the Clones five months before its release. I bet I know what will happen next…. There’ll be another guy who will think that they too had better get in line now otherwise others may end up in front of him (can you see the pattern here?). Wouldn’t surprise me if there’s suddenly a flurry of people tomorrow rushing to join the a mile long queue two months before the film’s premiere is due (either that or everyone in the queue is a tad loopy).
You know you’ve got a one tracked mind when you’re at a wedding and you see a little girl who is the spitting image of Elizabeth – the star child from V who saves the day at the end of V- The Final Battle. It gets worse when you can’t help but wonder if this girl had a deceased sibling who was a slimy green lizard. Definitely something I should’ve asked her parents.
Who says old science fiction movies have lost their appeal??? I noticed recently that there is a new five pack set of 50’s classic Sci-fi films now available on video called the “Retro Collection”. Included in this set of gems is the original Invaders From Mars, Project Moonbase, Flight to Mars, Destination Moon and the top notch Brain From Planet Arous. Do what I did and pick up these vids today, you won’t regret it.
Ever find a few theatrical releases of sci-fi films pass you by throughout the year and you miss out seeing these movies on the big screen? Well if you do I highly recommend going to the Westgarth cinema’s 24 hours of Sci-fi movie marathons which are held in the first weekend of December in Melbourne. Last December’s marathon included a whole swag of 2001 released films including AI, Evolution, Ghosts of Mars, Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy, also included were some timeless classics like Westworld, Soylent Green, and 2001 A Space Odyssey to name a few, Fantastic seeing them all on the big screen again.
Do you find when you watch a DVD for a film now that you need to set aside a whole day just to get through all the extra features? Final Fantasy – 10 hours of extra material, The Phantom Menace – 10 hours of extra material, Terminator II the Ultimate Edition – 6 hours of extra material and so on. I guess an excellent scenario of this is the DVD of Contact which offers three different commentary tracks for the film: one by the Director and Writer; one by the lead actress; and one by the special effects people (not to mention the music only track if you’re willing to sit through the film again). Man, gotta love these DVDs or what!
Speaking of DVD commentaries, if you want my ultra quick pick on the best and worst of them, then check out Kenneth Johnson’s commentary for V which is simply outstanding and is a must watch. For the most disappointing commentary look no further than Adam West and Burt Ward’s commentary on the 1966 Batman. Considering how informative and insightful this could have been, especially with the original Dynamic Duo back together again, it instead ended up being a real let down as neither of them really had a lot to say.
Every once in a while you come across something that is truly exceptional. In this case, the classic Sci Fi film The Time Machine has been released on DVD and included as a bonus feature is a brand new scene filmed 40 years after the original movie. This scene, set in Wells’ lab, features both the original actors Rod Taylor and Alan Young as George Wells and Philby and is set around 16 years after Wells first uses the time machine in 1900. This scene is both kind of a sequel to the film and an extension to the middle act and is excellent to watch as a follow up to the story as a whole. If you really enjoy your classic Sci Fi films you’ve gotta give this a look in. The only down side is that this scene is located in the middle of a rather long and awkwardly made “making of” featurette which, though very informative, tends to drag on a bit.
Feel like buying an instant X Files video collection? Well with my local Target was selling HEAPS of X Files video tapes recently for a poultry $4.95 each – with prices like that you can’t go wrong! Too bad the 30 or so tapes on offer were all exactly the same one.
I always used to think that only quality movies will be released on DVD. Imagine how wrong I felt when I was able to pickup these fantastic 50’s sci-fi classics a short while ago: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Teenagers from Outer Space, She Monster, The Indestructible Man and The Amazing Transparent Man . To be honest, I don’t know how anyone was ever able to make these films.
We all know these days how dicey it can be using names that are copyrighted and trademarked for selling products. Well, it seems not everyone received that particular memo. Sure enough there is a place in Melbourne called Jedi Finance. Now I’m not a business expert, but I’m willing to go out on a limb to say that this name has not been authorised by Lucasfilm Ltd. I mean surely you’d have to realise that using the word Jedi is simply a no-no. Still as a Star Wars novelty I say “good on ‘em”. Although by the time this column goes to press, they might already be put out of business.
Remember how I always say that sci-fi can appear in your life in the most unlikely of places. Well sure enough I was watching the Winter Olympic Games on TV back in February and when one of the female competitors in the snowboarding had completed their run, in the background the music being played to entertain the crowd was none other than the Imperial March (Darth Vader’s theme) from The Empire Strikes Back.
A couple of Comm Station’s ago I reported seeing a Sydney car number plate called SMEG (famous Red Dwarf term). Well guess what, recently I saw the Victorian version the same plate, this time on a motorcycle. How’s this for a number plate that doesn’t allow for misinterpretation, TREKIE (complete with “Resistance is Futile” banner on the back and Klingon logos on the side windows). Speaking of Star Trek, well known Frontier Online personality Fraser spotted WARP 10 in his travels recently, which is funny because in the Star Trek universe Warp 10 isn’t considered an achievable speed. This next plate is actually from the US and is featured on a Delorean, which of course was car from the Back to the Future movies TMMCHNE