Actuarial Science Movie Reviews

Anybody who loves horror movies and calls themselves an expert must have Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space." It qualifies as an 'it's so bad it's good' classic. However, don't make the mistake that I made in buying the Passport DVD "Plan 9" with the 40 minute Ed Wood story. The basic reason is that in this version you will spot the capital letters PIP stamped in the lower right hand corner in every shot. Unlike some people, I don't have to have the initials of the company that produced the DVD staring me in the face when I'm watching it. You cannot remove these initials. Get another version of "Plan 9."

Before I go into the film itself, let me say that Passport Video's release has the company logo on-screen through the entire film. The release from Image Entertainment is much cleaner, does not have the logo, and includes the documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood. Both versions have the original trailer.

If you have seen Tim Burton's film Ed Wood, you already know what it took to get this film to release, and can skip this paragraph. For those who haven't, Ed Wood talked a church into backing this film, on the theory that a blockbuster science fiction film would earn back the money invested and more, giving the church a huge budget to make religious films. This film is Bela Lugosi's last film, and in fact, he died during shooting, so someone two inches taller than Lugosi was hired to stalk around menacingly and wordlessly, with a black cape elbowed over his nose. The real "stars" of the film are a man who can barely speak English, and an anorexic late night movie hostess who won't let her real name be used, so is billed simply as "Vampira."

This is probably the worst movie ever made. Robot Monster and Reefer Madness are also in the running, but Plan 9 from Outer Space is much more fun than the others. Look out for toppling over styrofoam tombstones, and cardboard flying saucers hung from visible strings.

The plot is this: aliens, having failed with plans one through eight, move on to plan 9, reanimation of the dead of earth. What the aliens are trying to accomplish with plan 9 is to convince the people of earth to cease nuclear weapons proliferation. By plan 9, they were apprently grasping at straws, because the logic fails me.

This movie is a laugh a minute, albeit unintentionally, and really quite enjoyable as long as you know what you're in for. In the realm of bad films, this film would have five stars.

This is it! The most popular Atomic Age cult film of the twentieth century. Winner of two Golden Turkey Awards for Worst Picture and Worst Director of All Time, the immortal Edward D. Wood, Jr.! It's all here, the not-so-special effects, aliens in skating skirts zooming around in string-powered flying saucers to implement the ninth plan of Earth's conquest with an army of zombies Vampira, Tor Johnson and Bela Lugosi in his legendary "postmortem" performance. This truly original movie, Ed Wood's "Citizen Kane," is a hymn to all those who have ever tried to create something intelligent and meaningful, only to fail miserably every step of the way. Critically acclaimed as the citizen kane of bad movie. Plan 9 from Outer Space is a movie that lives up to it's reputation. Believe me. It is just as magnificently terrible as you've heard. Plan 9 is the story of space aliens (I think) who try to conquer the Earth through resurrection of the dead(Yeah you knew it was gonna be a ham). Psychic Criswell narrates as police rush through the cemetery, occasionally clipping the cardboard tombstones in their zeal to find the source of the mysterious goings-on (this will generate gut bursting laughter). More than just a bad film, Plan 9 is something of a one- stop clearinghouse for poor cinematic techniques such as: The time shifts whimsically from midnight to afternoon sun, Tor Johnson flails desperately in an attempt to rise from his coffin, and flying saucers zoom past on clearly visible strings. Fading star Bela Lugosi tragically died during filming, but such a small hurdle could not stop writer-producer-director Ed Wood. It'sso bad that you can't help but laugh at it. If you watch it alone, it's not as fun, but with your buds, this movie will be a total laugh-fest. This might be the worse movie ever. Some movies are so bad they aren't funny, but when you get to the absolute worse, you can't help but laugh at how unbelievably bad this is. It's art basically. Amazingly bad. Worse film ever! But if you have a sense of humor, you can enjoy it. It's so bad it's good!

Anybody who loves horror movies and calls themselves an expert must have Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space." It qualifies as an 'it's so bad it's good' classic. However, don't make the mistake that I made in buying the Passport DVD "Plan 9" with the 40 minute Ed Wood story. The basic reason is that in this version you will spot the capital letters PIP stamped in the lower right hand corner in every shot. Unlike some people, I don't have to have the initials of the company that produced the DVD staring me in the face when I'm watching it. You cannot remove these initials. Get another version of "Plan 9."

Before I go into the film itself, let me say that Passport Video's release has the company logo on-screen through the entire film. The release from Image Entertainment is much cleaner, does not have the logo, and includes the documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood. Both versions have the original trailer.

If you have seen Tim Burton's film Ed Wood, you already know what it took to get this film to release, and can skip this paragraph. For those who haven't, Ed Wood talked a church into backing this film, on the theory that a blockbuster science fiction film would earn back the money invested and more, giving the church a huge budget to make religious films. This film is Bela Lugosi's last film, and in fact, he died during shooting, so someone two inches taller than Lugosi was hired to stalk around menacingly and wordlessly, with a black cape elbowed over his nose. The real "stars" of the film are a man who can barely speak English, and an anorexic late night movie hostess who won't let her real name be used, so is billed simply as "Vampira."

This is probably the worst movie ever made. Robot Monster and Reefer Madness are also in the running, but Plan 9 from Outer Space is much more fun than the others. Look out for toppling over styrofoam tombstones, and cardboard flying saucers hung from visible strings.

The plot is this: aliens, having failed with plans one through eight, move on to plan 9, reanimation of the dead of earth. What the aliens are trying to accomplish with plan 9 is to convince the people of earth to cease nuclear weapons proliferation. By plan 9, they were apprently grasping at straws, because the logic fails me.

This movie is a laugh a minute, albeit unintentionally, and really quite enjoyable as long as you know what you're in for. In the realm of bad films, this film would have five stars.

This is it! The most popular Atomic Age cult film of the twentieth century. Winner of two Golden Turkey Awards for Worst Picture and Worst Director of All Time, the immortal Edward D. Wood, Jr.! It's all here, the not-so-special effects, aliens in skating skirts zooming around in string-powered flying saucers to implement the ninth plan of Earth's conquest with an army of zombies Vampira, Tor Johnson and Bela Lugosi in his legendary "postmortem" performance. This truly original movie, Ed Wood's "Citizen Kane," is a hymn to all those who have ever tried to create something intelligent and meaningful, only to fail miserably every step of the way. Critically acclaimed as the citizen kane of bad movie. Plan 9 from Outer Space is a movie that lives up to it's reputation. Believe me. It is just as magnificently terrible as you've heard. Plan 9 is the story of space aliens (I think) who try to conquer the Earth through resurrection of the dead(Yeah you knew it was gonna be a ham). Psychic Criswell narrates as police rush through the cemetery, occasionally clipping the cardboard tombstones in their zeal to find the source of the mysterious goings-on (this will generate gut bursting laughter). More than just a bad film, Plan 9 is something of a one- stop clearinghouse for poor cinematic techniques such as: The time shifts whimsically from midnight to afternoon sun, Tor Johnson flails desperately in an attempt to rise from his coffin, and flying saucers zoom past on clearly visible strings. Fading star Bela Lugosi tragically died during filming, but such a small hurdle could not stop writer-producer-director Ed Wood. It'sso bad that you can't help but laugh at it. If you watch it alone, it's not as fun, but with your buds, this movie will be a total laugh-fest. This might be the worse movie ever. Some movies are so bad they aren't funny, but when you get to the absolute worse, you can't help but laugh at how unbelievably bad this is. It's art basically. Amazingly bad. Worse film ever! But if you have a sense of humor, you can enjoy it. It's so bad it's good!

This is a crowd pleaser, not a groundbreaking film like 2001. But somehow it seems like a good idea. 2001 left a lot of things unanswered and 2010 delivers those answers, isn't that the way its supposed to be? Anyway, both movies are great in their own ways, and every one should own both. 2001 to expand your mind, 2010 to blow it away.

this movie was a good movie I thought it was funny the USSR was our enemy in 2010 but this movie was made in 1980 I hope everyone is just as scared as the return of the USSR as me lol this movie made sence where 2001 made no sence you can skip 2001 and enjoy this movie if anything seeing how much 2001 sucked made me like this movie even more I just can't give it more then 3 stars

much better than 2001 which I thought was a snoozer.

This is a crowd pleaser, not a groundbreaking film like 2001. But somehow it seems like a good idea. 2001 left a lot of things unanswered and 2010 delivers those answers, isn't that the way its supposed to be? Anyway, both movies are great in their own ways, and every one should own both. 2001 to expand your mind, 2010 to blow it away.

this movie was a good movie I thought it was funny the USSR was our enemy in 2010 but this movie was made in 1980 I hope everyone is just as scared as the return of the USSR as me lol this movie made sence where 2001 made no sence you can skip 2001 and enjoy this movie if anything seeing how much 2001 sucked made me like this movie even more I just can't give it more then 3 stars

much better than 2001 which I thought was a snoozer.

Despite all the problems, a lot was going for this sci-fi thriller. Good special-effects, good production design and excellent art direction were all ahead of its time (1979). Yet, despite the 20+ million budget the whole movie collapses upon itself with the absolute dumbest dialogue of all time and the most annoying bunch of robotic characters that one cannot help but wonder - what the hell happened?

The prominent area of blame is the screen writers. These folks should have had the reins pulled in on them during the editing phase. The plot has holes, the ending is ambiguous, rules of physics have been ignored and most of the robotic characters (VINCENT and the sentry-'bots) grate on the nerves of the viewer. However, that's not the most glaring eye sore. While the Black Hole still has plenty to offer in visual splendor, even for today's standards, the one thing that keeps me from referring it to a friend (for fear that I will be scorned and ridiculed for ages to come) is the cardboard performances of a talented cast that didn't have anything interesting to say.

The crew of the deep-space exploration vehicle "Palomino" is returning to earth after a fruitless search for alien civilizations when they stumble across a once lost ship hovering at the edge of a huge black hole in this 1980 flick that Starlog magazine billed as Disney's $25 million gamble. The gamble did not pay off for reasons that become quickly clear and are reinforced throughout the flick - dated special effects and a thin plot that's an obvious pastiche of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Frankenstein" and "Moby Dick".

The ship turns out to be the "Cygnus" a one of a kind mammoth wonder designed by the equally enigmatic Hans Rheinhardt (Maximillian Schell). Though a huge ship, Rheinhardt is mysteriously the only surviving member of the crew - never a good sign in sci-fi. In place of the crew, Rheinhardt appears to have built an army of androids - militant sentries, faceless androids who give the ship the air of a medieval abbey, and Maximillian (no relation) a silent, floating enforcer with whirring blades where his hands should be and a single unblinking eye that seems fixed in an evil stare. Rheinhardt fetes the Palomino crew (which quickly gets over its apprehensions of the reclusive master of the Cygnus) and invites them to witness his planned entry into the nearby black hole. Rheinhardt has pioneered a type of gravity engine which he believes will allow him to enter the black hole safely and learn of its mysteries. As they poke around however, our heroes of the Palomino only find disturbing clues as to what Rheinhardt has been doing all those missing years (the most ominous appears to be an elaborate funeral held by the androids) and even begin to wonder if they will be allowed to escape the Cygnus.

"The Black Hole" doesn't turn up on cable that often, so it's worth at least a rental. The effects are so dated, it's pointless to even try comparing them to anything of our CGI age. Instead, they have their own unique quality which keeps you from dismissing it. The look of the Cygnus seems very un-spaceship like (wide halls and sweeping spaces, unlike the claustrophobic corridors and cloistered nooks of Nostromo) which makes the flick look even more interesting, but only as an extremely expensive episode of "Dr. Who". The problem with the look is that the film has no frame of reference for the state of technology in the future age in which the story occurs. How much of the Cygnus and its robot crew is supposed to amaze us? Are hordes of monkish androids an unsurprising thing to find? Who knows. They could have handled that better by making Roddy Macdowell's character V.I.N.CENT an android, which would have given the Palomino (and us) a better frame of reference. The dialog won't win any awards, but it's not the hokum that others have called it (though with the talent available, the script was bound to fall short). The flick's biggest hurdle is that it's unclear who its for - too violent and ambiguous (especially at the end) for kids, but not exciting enough for adults or teens (like the lasergun battles - no teen would buy robot-sentries who manage to stand still while humans blast them). Schell is great as the sinister Rheinhardt (I don't think he's that overplayed) while Tim Bottoms is also great as the Palomino's resident hot-head. Anthony Perkins seems underplayed as the Palomino crewman who actually buys into Rheinhardt's fantasies, while Ernest Borgnine gets some laughs as the Palomino's journalist who alternates between snooping and cowering (but always thinks of himself). Though it's easy to see what went wrong, I still like to catch this flick when its on. When it came to decide between financing either this flick on one hand or 2 more Herby movies, a sequel to "The Apple Dumpling Gang" and, another remake of "Parent Trap", "The Black Hole" was still the better idea.

Ok, so this sci fi movie isn't great. But, on the good side, it isn't too bad either.

I like the concept of Disney writing this movie where Ernest Borgnine,Yvette Mimeux,Anthony Perkins are on a mission to chart a black hole in 2130.

Personally, I like the whole idea of the scientist Max Schnell, wanting to take the crew into the black hole.

The ending was great. Some people don't get it. Too cereberal for them I suppose. Ok, it isn't 2001. It isn't supposed to be.
This movie needs to be judged on its own. And when it is, it's pretty good.

Aside from the dialog, and the cute robots, the story is good.

Despite all the problems, a lot was going for this sci-fi thriller. Good special-effects, good production design and excellent art direction were all ahead of its time (1979). Yet, despite the 20+ million budget the whole movie collapses upon itself with the absolute dumbest dialogue of all time and the most annoying bunch of robotic characters that one cannot help but wonder - what the hell happened?

The prominent area of blame is the screen writers. These folks should have had the reins pulled in on them during the editing phase. The plot has holes, the ending is ambiguous, rules of physics have been ignored and most of the robotic characters (VINCENT and the sentry-'bots) grate on the nerves of the viewer. However, that's not the most glaring eye sore. While the Black Hole still has plenty to offer in visual splendor, even for today's standards, the one thing that keeps me from referring it to a friend (for fear that I will be scorned and ridiculed for ages to come) is the cardboard performances of a talented cast that didn't have anything interesting to say.

The crew of the deep-space exploration vehicle "Palomino" is returning to earth after a fruitless search for alien civilizations when they stumble across a once lost ship hovering at the edge of a huge black hole in this 1980 flick that Starlog magazine billed as Disney's $25 million gamble. The gamble did not pay off for reasons that become quickly clear and are reinforced throughout the flick - dated special effects and a thin plot that's an obvious pastiche of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Frankenstein" and "Moby Dick".

The ship turns out to be the "Cygnus" a one of a kind mammoth wonder designed by the equally enigmatic Hans Rheinhardt (Maximillian Schell). Though a huge ship, Rheinhardt is mysteriously the only surviving member of the crew - never a good sign in sci-fi. In place of the crew, Rheinhardt appears to have built an army of androids - militant sentries, faceless androids who give the ship the air of a medieval abbey, and Maximillian (no relation) a silent, floating enforcer with whirring blades where his hands should be and a single unblinking eye that seems fixed in an evil stare. Rheinhardt fetes the Palomino crew (which quickly gets over its apprehensions of the reclusive master of the Cygnus) and invites them to witness his planned entry into the nearby black hole. Rheinhardt has pioneered a type of gravity engine which he believes will allow him to enter the black hole safely and learn of its mysteries. As they poke around however, our heroes of the Palomino only find disturbing clues as to what Rheinhardt has been doing all those missing years (the most ominous appears to be an elaborate funeral held by the androids) and even begin to wonder if they will be allowed to escape the Cygnus.

"The Black Hole" doesn't turn up on cable that often, so it's worth at least a rental. The effects are so dated, it's pointless to even try comparing them to anything of our CGI age. Instead, they have their own unique quality which keeps you from dismissing it. The look of the Cygnus seems very un-spaceship like (wide halls and sweeping spaces, unlike the claustrophobic corridors and cloistered nooks of Nostromo) which makes the flick look even more interesting, but only as an extremely expensive episode of "Dr. Who". The problem with the look is that the film has no frame of reference for the state of technology in the future age in which the story occurs. How much of the Cygnus and its robot crew is supposed to amaze us? Are hordes of monkish androids an unsurprising thing to find? Who knows. They could have handled that better by making Roddy Macdowell's character V.I.N.CENT an android, which would have given the Palomino (and us) a better frame of reference. The dialog won't win any awards, but it's not the hokum that others have called it (though with the talent available, the script was bound to fall short). The flick's biggest hurdle is that it's unclear who its for - too violent and ambiguous (especially at the end) for kids, but not exciting enough for adults or teens (like the lasergun battles - no teen would buy robot-sentries who manage to stand still while humans blast them). Schell is great as the sinister Rheinhardt (I don't think he's that overplayed) while Tim Bottoms is also great as the Palomino's resident hot-head. Anthony Perkins seems underplayed as the Palomino crewman who actually buys into Rheinhardt's fantasies, while Ernest Borgnine gets some laughs as the Palomino's journalist who alternates between snooping and cowering (but always thinks of himself). Though it's easy to see what went wrong, I still like to catch this flick when its on. When it came to decide between financing either this flick on one hand or 2 more Herby movies, a sequel to "The Apple Dumpling Gang" and, another remake of "Parent Trap", "The Black Hole" was still the better idea.

Ok, so this sci fi movie isn't great. But, on the good side, it isn't too bad either.

I like the concept of Disney writing this movie where Ernest Borgnine,Yvette Mimeux,Anthony Perkins are on a mission to chart a black hole in 2130.

Personally, I like the whole idea of the scientist Max Schnell, wanting to take the crew into the black hole.

The ending was great. Some people don't get it. Too cereberal for them I suppose. Ok, it isn't 2001. It isn't supposed to be.
This movie needs to be judged on its own. And when it is, it's pretty good.

Aside from the dialog, and the cute robots, the story is good.

Arnold, the govenor has gone threw it all, from fighting the devil, to being the terminator and conan the destroyer but this time he faces the evil clones that Robert Duvall and Tony Goldwyn make. good action with some funny scenes involving two Arnolds at the same time. this clone movie is a notch better than Attack of the clones, which Arnold would of layed the smack down on their asses.

The 6th Day is great. The plot is intriguing. Adam ? (Arnold Schwrzeneger) is a family man. His birthday is suppose to be joyful until his dog dies. His wife wants him to go and get the dog cloned, but he objects. When he comes home from work, he realizes the family is singing happy birthday when he's not there! Inside is his clone, and along with his wife, daughter, and cloned dog!!! This is a great movie to rent for a Saturday night with twists and turns as well as tons of action. Check it out!

Excellent movie; interesting special effects; lots of action; a morale, happy ending; Schwarzie at its best !!

Arnold, the govenor has gone threw it all, from fighting the devil, to being the terminator and conan the destroyer but this time he faces the evil clones that Robert Duvall and Tony Goldwyn make. good action with some funny scenes involving two Arnolds at the same time. this clone movie is a notch better than Attack of the clones, which Arnold would of layed the smack down on their asses.

The 6th Day is great. The plot is intriguing. Adam ? (Arnold Schwrzeneger) is a family man. His birthday is suppose to be joyful until his dog dies. His wife wants him to go and get the dog cloned, but he objects. When he comes home from work, he realizes the family is singing happy birthday when he's not there! Inside is his clone, and along with his wife, daughter, and cloned dog!!! This is a great movie to rent for a Saturday night with twists and turns as well as tons of action. Check it out!

Excellent movie; interesting special effects; lots of action; a morale, happy ending; Schwarzie at its best !!

You know, if anyone has ever read any of my other reviews, you'll realize that I've got a horrible pet peeve about movies that have a lot of potential and flop miserably. I don't think a movie has been made yet that exemplifies this more then Paul Anderson's 'Soldier.'

This movie REALLY could have been mind-blowing had it not been held back by Anderson's chronic lack of any imagination (see my other reviews of Paul Anderson's work). If this material was being molded by ANYBODY with any sense of vision or especially scope, this movie might have been as popular as the Matrix is now. 'Soldier' was CRYING to be done on a grand scale. How cool would it have been to have seen a huge 'Saving Private Ryan' meets 'Attack of the Clones'-type battle scene? Instead we get work that looks like it was done in a high school auditorium.

Look at things like the horribly dull set designs (not bad per se, but just no creativity), the poor lighting, the stereotyped lemming-civilian characters, and the clichéd villains. It's awful how phoned-in this movie just seemed.

The tragic part is that Kurt Russell was terrific in it and was just surrounded by people (actors and production crew alike) that just had no interest (or maybe ability) in trying to add flavor to the VAST RESOURCES they had at their disposal.

I actually cringe when I think about just how cool this could have been compared to the body of work that everyone seemed content to turn in.

This has to be one of the worst sci-fi movies of all time and definitely the worst movie Kurt Russel has ever done.

The genetically-bred/robot soldier story has become so cliche and overdone that it would now take a lot more imagination for such a film to be good than what this trash has to offer. Kurt Russel doesn't really act in this movie as he has an even smaller script than Schwarzenneger had in "Terminator." In terms of quality, "Escape From New York" would really be Oscar material in light of this garbage.

The story is utterly predictable and the action is weak. Terrible film. Don't believe the great reviews for this movie and save yourselves both money and time.

Paul W.S. Anderson's "Soldier" is a film with a fascinating premise. Unfortunately, that premise was never realized to its full potential. What could have been a gritty, science fiction equivalent of "Shane" is instead a derivative cinematic mess that is shockingly devoid of energy or conviction. Oh, what could have been.

Sgt. Todd (Kurt Russell) is a legend in his own time but faces obsolescence when a new generation of genetically-enhanced super soldiers arrive on the scene. When Todd is forced to combat Sgt. Caine (Jason Scott Lee), it becomes painfully apparent that he and his colleagues are inferior to their successors. Todd is left for dead on a junkyard planet but finds a new purpose for himself when he becomes the protector of the planet's inhabitants. Forced into a showdown with the soldiers that replaced him, Todd stands his ground and proves to the military commanders overseeing the battle that new is not necessarily better than old.

"Soldier" is an empty and hollow film which boasts some great visuals but little else. The film feels like a series of skits that were assembled with no transitions between them. Furthermore, the embattled populace that Todd protects is so thinly developed that we form no interest in their plight. When they come under fire, they strike the viewer as merely actors and actresses feigning panic. They do not come across as living, breathing cinematic characters who are being threatened by the situation at-hand. Thus, there is no vested emotional interest in seeing Todd save the day. Making matters worse is the wooden performance Lee delivers. The charismatic Jason Scott Lee from "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story" (1993) is nowhere to be found here. His character is a bore and easily one of the least-convincing baddies of the 1990's. Russell tries his best to salvage the film but in the end "Soldier" winds up being one of those films that leaves you wondering to yourself why you dropped good money to see it.

The box says widescreen, not 16:9 (anamorphic) enhanced. That's perfectly fine if you watch on a standard TV, but not as good on a 16:9 large screen. If that's what you watch on, wait for the re-release in March 2004 or so. It'll be the last of the Star Trek movies needing to be brought up to date. 2 & 5 were not anamorphic originally but have now been replaced with special edition anamorphic versions. 3 & 4 were anamorphic originally. 6 is coming in January with an anamorphic special edition. Generations, hopefully to be re-released in a special edition, will be the last one needing upgrading. 8, 9, 10 were anamorphic in their first releases.

I am a big Star Trek fan and like this movie. I got the DVD as a present and was disturbed that the sound was badly out of sync at times in the DVD. I tried multiple times to get a response for Paramount but was unsucessful. Be aware that at point in the DVD it is like watching a dubbed movie.

I feel that science fiction is very hard to write and you have to make it as simple as you can. And since Star Trek has become so elaborate by a construction made from a period of almost 40 years, it is still difficult to write a story that would match a trekkie's expectations.
To me Star Trek Generations is an awesome movie. It is a magnification of the TNG series just as I wanted to see it with great camera movements on the bridge, stunning visual effects in space and a theme that will make you wonder.
Generations catches the true spirit of to the whole cast as well as the Star trek tradition of seeking the nature of human existence.
The death of Kirk had to be in this film. We knew what Spock, Bones and Scotty were doing in the 24th century. And Picard's send off of the most legendary ship captain fo all time made a great closure the the original cast.
Star Trek Generations is the best Star Trek movie after the Motion Picture, it is a wonderful tribute to the whole Star Trek Universe.