Forensic Science Movie Reviews

This film is a take on C L Moore's classic short story "Vintage Season". In "Vintage Season" time travellers from a distant future visit the present. Just as wine connosieurs savour a particular "year" so does these travellers seek out a specific year noteworthy for its unexpected descent into tragedy. Like that last Bank Holiday in August 1914, before the Great War came. The travellers are totally dispassionate about the events they witness, they are just as happy visiting the coronation of Charlemagne as they at witnessing the collapse of a modern civilisation. Reading the story conveys the impression that time travellers would view any world they visit as sort of an open air zoo or theme park. The story is disturbing, particularly as it is written from the persceptive of a man who only gradually realises that his visitors are the equivalent of racecourse spectators waiting for a crash, and that his world is doomed to collapse. The travellers are venal, petty and devoid of any empathy for the suffering of others.

Whilst copying several of the plot elements from the original story the film burdens Jeff Daniels with an unbelievable soap opera-ish tragedy in his past. The tragedy is supposed to invigourate Mr Daniels into trying to change the future, even though he can't change the past. The narration is weak, and the "action" by Daniels lacks any dramatic tension. Daniels is an actor too associated with light roles to bring much dramatic tension or detremination to the role. A happy ending when the future has already been written ? A great story looses all its strength when watered down to this anaemic film.

Unfortunately this film, like the latest remake of the "Time Machine" just doesn't do justice to its antecedents.

I want to award four stars because it was a good, solid story and refreshing to see a time-travel movie I had missed. But it is dated, effects are comparable to a late 80's low to mid-level production value and there is a hole or two. Ain't perfect, but by no means a bad movie. My girlfriend made it through no problem. When I first put it in, I immediately said this is going to be dated sci-fi= your not going to like. But she enjoyed it. Not really "Grand", but watchable. As a sci-fan, I was beholden to check this out and was not disappointed, but actually pretty impressed.

The story: A group of time traveling tourists come back to see a disaster unfold in a small town where Jeff Daniels' character has a small Inn (with a perfect view). The story is not as cut-and-dry as you might think though, he does of course figure it out and try to stop it from happening, but there are some interesting twists that make this a cut above the average. rent.

I appreciate your prompt service. Everything went without a hitch.

While this movie can stand on its own, it simply begs for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment, and it got one. I believe this was the funniest MST-3K'd movie ever, I mean eye-squirting funny. The voice-over for Grandpa alone is worth the price. You'd perhaps be better served finding this one on the MST-3K collections that are also coming out on DVD.

I'd been waiting to see this movie for years (somehow it's never played on TV in the Chicagoland area), and after reading some of the other reviews here my expectations were high. I am not disappointed. 'Teenagers' starts off a little slow, but stick with it; the absurdities pile up steadily until the completely ludicrous finish causes your lower jaw to drop open in amazement. It actually gets better with each viewing. Some of my favorite cheese factors: the alien analyzer machine clearly labeled "multichannel mixer"; the Fabio and Harry Chronic-lookalike aliens; the heroine's salacious hag of a girlfriend; the so-cliched-he's-brilliant TV newscaster; and the disorienting effect of hearing the 'scary' music cues from Night of the Living Dead in this context. Plus, whenever someone gets zapped, their skeleton is curiously held together with metal clips; the high-tech aliens are extremely dependent on human automobiles for getting around; and at bottom the story is really a soppy romance peopled with Mayberry and Mayfield refugees. All alien/hero Derek really wants is a home and family! And of course there's the Gargan; you have to admire their chutzpah and utter shamelessness in using the silhouette of a crayfish (not the actual crayfish mind you!) for their monster. There's something quite Ed Woodian about the whole thing; the naive enthusiasm of the cast, the non-sequitur dialogue, the poverty-stricken effects. Hour of fun for the bad movie connoisseur!
Ironically, Image's DVD presents the film in as pristine a state as could possibly be expected. The tonal values, sharpness, and detail are excellent, and you have to really watch closely to see any speckling or blemishing. The chapter stops are on the main menu, and a trailer for 'Teenagers' is included, as well as five of the same handful of trailers that are on other similar Image releases. Informative production notes are on the box. A solid entertainment value at the price.

At first I wasnt sure if I was going to like this movie.....But then my heart was touched by the friendly nature of betty and her grandpa ,who decide to welcome derek with open arms.......Derek is sort of a james dean type person

I was being kind to give this DVD a 3 rating. I was disapointed in the actors and the plot was so over-used that I fell asleep a few times. So you've got your "futuresport", a combination of hocky, rollerball, and anti-grav boards. What started out as a means of stopping street gangs from fighting has turned into a multi-million dollar world-wide event. The future holds nothing new - we still have primadona atheletes who want megabucks for doing their thing. It boils down to the good guys, lead by Dean Cain, fighting the bad guys for world domination or was it freedom? All I know is it's supposed to stop the terrorist attacks by the "freedom fighters" who want to make their point and in the meantime it will make a lot of money for somebody. Wesley Snipes plays a fading hero with a Rastaman hairdo and accent, who is supposed to have been Dean Cain's mentor, which he was, but now he's in it for the money with the bad guys. Confused yet? Just remember that the good guys always win and Good will always triumph over Evil. Hey, where's my Rum Raizon ice cream?

I am pretty much interested in technology and Dean Cain. When you combine the two, you get one great show. But whose paying attention to the plot when I was going "WoW! what a high tech gadget." and "Oh, wow! He's is sure handsome." All in all the show was okay, with two very nude female scenes, I just skipped over that part.

But half the time I wasn't even watching, just in a daze looking at that gorgeous man and noticing how it relates to "Lois and Clark. The new adventure of Superman." Oh, the twist in the plot was nice too. Dean getting killed by his best jamacian friend from down under...or not.

Futuresport is an electrically charged combination ice hockey-basketball game that is invented to prevent gang violence - territory disputes are settled by which team wins the game. Ten years after its world-wide exploitation, Futuresport is THE game on the planet and Tre Ramsey its #1 star. But it is only utilized as a sporting event, until Tre Ramsey gets the idea the world could return to its basic premise for the game, at least for now: settling land disputes. The land under dispute is the Hawaiian Islands, which North America wants to retain, yet the HLO - Hawaiian Liberation Organization - wants to reclaim as independent. HLO's method of liberation is through acts of terrorism, and also through the targeted assassination of the most famous part-Hawaiian in the world - Tre Ramsey - someone who has been vocally against the methods utilized by the HLO. Tre is targeted as a "traitor." The #2 target of assasination is Tre's old girlfriend, a journalist who's politically active against HLO and had originally promoted Futuresport and Tre Ramsey into prominence years earlier. The climax of the film is a North American Alliance game of Futuresport against the Pan Pacific Alliance to settle the territory dispute of the Hawaiian Islands, foregoing an all-out war. The plots and intersecting - and numerous - characters are worth watching more than once, just to make sure you get it all. If you're not paying attention, you're going to miss something. The performances are uniformly good; the technology intriguing and fun; Futuresport itself fast-paced. Vanessa Williams is the journalist, and does a fine job, but has a peculiar jaundiced look to her skin, as well as orange-tinted hair, presumably representing the super-chic style of the time. Dean Cain is Tre Ramsey, attired in casual-expensive and sporting a permanently unshaven look. The only real problem with this movie is it's too short at ninety minutes to do the characters and the complexity of the plot the service it deserves. As far as the DVD is concerned, the only extra is the trailer, which is also fast-paced and image-laden.

This is a wonderful film from the 1950s, with a harder, noirish edge lacking in bigger budget studio films of this period. However, this so-called "widescreen" movie is actually presented in full screen, and very bad full screen at that. I tried to change the settings in my DVD player but all I got was a smaller picture, with the right and left side of the credits still cut off.

Nice menu and extras--but where the heck is the widescreen?

VCI did a good job restoring this vintage sci-fi invasion tale. After a failed suicide attempt, Nora King (Kathleen Crowley) wakes up to find the city deserted except for a body or two with horrified expressions on their faces. She encounters Richard Denning and they try to figure out what happened (he had been mugged unconcious) while they "slept". They meet a colorful couple drinking it up who survived also and the four band together. An invasion of robots from Venus have attacked the Earth and everyone has evacuated. (Well, actually it's only one robot clanking around but this IS a low-budget quickie). They end up in a hotel, contend with a gangster and fight the robot. Not everyone survives, but there's a rescue by the armed forces who have discovered how to demobilize the robots. With high-frequency sound! Engagingly goofy, loopy sci-fi that's competently acted but very low-budget. The robot is so cheesy looking I expected pieces of him to fall off any moment. But that was part of the fun. If this is your cup of tea, enjoy---!

This has always been a favorite of mine. The low budget keeps things simple but very atmospheric. This is a very good DVD! The commentary is from the Roan laserdisc from a few years ago (which I still have). The picture is fine and this IS a widescreen disc! Around 1.85 to 1. The viewers who claim that it isn't are watching another disc! This is the real McCoy.

Here's an Italian horror flick that's a cut above the rest. It's not as corny as most of the films in the genre(though it is still a bit corny), but the actors pull it off nicely. Of course we've got Giovanni Radice, who once again is great in his offbeat performance. As you probably know already, John Saxon(a fantastic actor not given his due) was lured into this one, and it's very amusing to see him in this kind of film. I think this film is hyped up to be alot gorier than it actually is(the notorious "sewer shootout", while cool and all, just isn't as gruesome as you're led to believe), though the violence is executed nicely here. As opposed to Fulci, who's violence is very slow and drawn out, this film's violence is quick, realistic and frantic. Also, the film's star isn't the gore or violence, but the strength of the performances and story, which is rare for this kind of thing. There are long stretches without any violence at all, and in my eyes, wasn't at all boring. Usually in this kind of flick, you couldn't care less about the characters and their problems.....you just want to get on with the gore man! You want the impalements and the cannibal feasts and the moldy, cruddy zombies blown to smithereens! Well, Cannibal Apocalypse is a truly standout flick that combines the best of both worlds.

When I first got Cannibal Apocalypse on DVD, I did not know what to expect because I only saw reviews about it. But when I saw it for the first time, I thought it was a good movie, but why name it Cannibal Apocalypse? There were a few scenes that showed the infected soldiers bite people, but they mostly used their hands or weapons to kill people. Other than that, it was a good movie. Also, it is worth it checking the extras that come along with the movie, especially Cannibal Apocalypse Redux. It interviews two of the stars and the director about how the movie was handled and so forth, especially the part that Quentin Tarantino thinks of this as one of his favorite movies ever. Also, it shows an alternate version of the movie that was edited on video here in the US. However, if you want the check out the Butchering of Cannibal Apocalypse option, you might want to come closer to read the text because of its small print. Other than that, good movie to see.

This is a great horror movie that has withstood the test of time. The print is in great condition and the commentary provides interesting information about this movie. Such as John Saxon not realizing that this was a Cannibal Movie before signing the contract and then being a little baby when it came time to put the "BITE" on somebody. This movie has always held my favorite gore scene. See this movie just for that scene. It's well worth it.

I have been a WHO fan forever.

Tom Baker is outstanding as usual.

I recommend that you seek episodes without Mary Tamm as she is very pushy and obnoxiously masculine really degrades the show.

Would have been 5 star though Tamm made it very trying.

All other aspects are excellent.

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with these films. As a tried-and-true fan of the TV series, I always feel a little bit like they're "not the real thing", just "trying to make some cash" - a fairly common attitude for a fan. And that's exactly why they were made...but really, don't they deserve a place in Doctor Who history, too?

The first film is admittedly one I have never been enamoured of. It's very, very sixties - the pink plastic set, the Thals' makeup, the wild Dalek colour schemes, and the corny humour all contribute to a definite feeling of kitsch. I have to be in a very certain frame of mind to enjoy it. The second film is, in my opinion, much more entertaining. There's real tension and horror in the situations presented, and it compacts the story nicely from the TV serial's 150 minutes to the film's 84. Both the Daleks' colour schemes and Cushing's performance are more subdued, and the flying saucer is very cool. I'd much rather watch this than the TV version, 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth'.

Both movies are presented anamorphically in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 - a real revelation to me, as I expected the traditional 1.85:1 or even 1.66:1. The transfers are just gorgeous, boasting a remarkably clear picture and strong, vibrant colours, including very true blacks. If you've only seen the films on pan 'n' scan video, you just haven't seen them! There is some grain evident in the picture - more noticeably in "Daleks - Invasion Earth", thanks to the extensive outdoor scenes - and the occasional shimmering suggestion of edge enhancement, but the films really look extraordinary for 35-year-old pictures. I don't know who remastered them, but clearly work has been done. Very nice indeed. Unfortunately, I can't give a completely clean bill of health to the films. Regrettably, Anchor Bay was provided with the wrong edit of "Daleks - Invasion Earth". This causes the film to open with the title sequence, followed by the pre-credits robbery scene. It's terribly obvious, since the scene ends with a musical cue leading into the titles, and you can't even correct it with the memory function on your player (although the titles and robbery are different chapters, each ends with the fade-up from black to the next scene). I fervently hope Anchor Bay takes action to re-release the film in its proper form.

Both discs include a nice smattering of extras, including their original trailers, a "History of Doctor Who" text essay, extensive photo gallieries, and an in-depth biography of star Peter Cushing. "Dr. Who and the Daleks" also includes a commentary with actresses Jennie Linden (Barbara) and Roberta Tovey (Susan), monitored by journalist and Cushing film historian Jonathan Sothcott. The pace of the commentary is leisurely - perhaps too leisurely - and the discussion is often very generalised and anecdotal. It's a fun commentary, yes, but nowhere as good as those on the BBC's "Doctor Who" discs. Take it for what it's worth, enjoy 83 minutes with some very friendly people, and then realise you'll probably never choose the 'Commentary' option again.

The third disc contains the 1995 documentary "Dalekmania". Containing interviews with many of the actors and actresses involved, as well as Dalek creator Terry Nation, stuntman Eddie Powell, and others, the 57-minute film is a wonderful companion to the two Dalek pictures, and very much in the vein of Kevin Davies' other, better-known Doctor Who documentary, "More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS". Pleasantly, he transfer for "Dalekmania" is equal to that of the two films, with a bright, vivid picture marred only by a bit of grain. It's really nice to see it treated as well as the main attractions, as I had imagined a more VHS-quality print.

Overall, this 3-DVD set went far and beyond my expectations. The only thing that could make it better, in my opinion, is if Anchor Bay issued a corrected version of "Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.", and replaced those discs already purchased. I highly recommend the set or the individual discs to any fan of the Dalek movies, as well as "Doctor Who" fans who haven't yet tried the films - this is definitely the way to see them! Maybe DVD release will finally bring Peter Cushing's portrayal of the Doctor, and the Dalek films as a whole, the respect they deserve.

Just bought this boxed set, a day I've dreamed of, for decades.
Beautifuly remastered, crisp and clear as the first day of release. Having only seen the pan and scan versions on television, I never realized the true scale of these productions.
Especially "Invasion earth", shot on many exterior locations, with a much bigger budget than the first film. It's also the first post-apocalyptic sci-fi vision of the future, so prevalent in modern films today. I think any fan of science fiction would enjoy this, not just fans of Dr. Who. The one hour documentary provides great insight into the films, but the biggest plus for me, is the original British movie trailers.
Highest regards to Anchor Bay, for another job well done.

This movie has to be viewed more than once to appreciate it. A plastic submarine in an aquarium is hard to accept but all in all this movie is a pretty enjoyable watch. An alien saucer under the polar ice cap planning the take over of earth. As for the DVD itself the quality is quite good, no extras (other than the trailer/scene selections} but a nice clean picture.

I saw this movie on the BIG screen when I was 6, and I was under the seat most of the time back in 1958. My parents lived within a block of the movie theater; thus, you know what I was doing at that age. The music and sound effects really added to the earie atmosphere of this movie; especially, when the beam of light melted the frogmen. The cyclops creature had me under the chair - I now know it's a hand inside the puppet - but on that BIG screen...

I have to admit that a few things about this film disappointed me. The acting was better than expected, and the script was somewhat literate. Other than that, this was all the schlock, bad F/X I expect from films of this genre & time period. It's interesting to know that this film was released by Allied Artists, which was a studio neck-to-neck with American-International for the drive-in crowd. A-I went somewhat legit when they went with the Corman/Poe/Vincent Price movies, later the Beach Party films. Allied Artists went a different route: they picked up the options for the American release of "epics" like EL CID and 55 DAYS AT PEKING. (My vote goes to A-I, for sheer originality...) Enough history... This is a fun film. The special effects are absolutely laughable, my favorite being the alien saucer leaving the polar ice cap, obviously a toy being pulled up through soft wax. A previous reviewer referred to this as "warmly corny"; I couldn't put it better. Bad sets, bad effects...and, of course, after Brett Halsey proves himself to be a hero and not a wimp, his shirt is suddenly open showing lots of manly chest-hair. What a guy! I've always liked Arthur Franz (especially in "Monster on the Campus"). All in all, it's loads of fun for the "bad sci-fi" afficianado. My major disappointment with the DVD, though it has great picture & sound quality, is that it should've been in Widescreen. At the beginning, they show News Headlines declaring horrible stuff, but you could only see the middle of the headline...there was no perifery. As far as sets go, the perifery wouldn't have mattered...but no one can deny that the majestic scenes of the Arctic (few as they were) would have been awesome. Watch this, and keep all of your other guilty pleasures (beverages, junk food, etc.) handy. If you can ignore the good points of the film, the bad points will overwhelm you and entertain.

Bert I. Gordon (aka Mr. B.I.G.) decided that enlarging things had been overdone so he decided to shrink his cast in Attack of the Puppet People (aka Fantastic Puppet People). You hafta love when Gordon has the two leads go to a drive-in to see his Amazing Colossal Man. John Hoyt plays a lonely doll maker who has invented a machine that shrinks people to doll size. Hoyt keeps his 'dolls' in suspended animation stored in glass tubes and only brings them out when he wants to play.

Not a bad little B film. John Agar is his usual B Movie self, but June Kenney is really awful as his love interest. John Hoyt gives a sweet, warped performance as the lonely doll maker. Truly one of his best efforts.

MGM has used a decent copy of the film for this DVD. As is typical with MGM Mignite series, the only extra is the trailer. Hey, MGM, how about a feature commentary once in a while?

This was a drive-in movie classic from the late 50s. John Hoyt plays the somewhat-benevolent mad scientist with pathos as he shrinks people he likes, stores them in a display case of dolls, and brings them out at night for entertainment.

If you enjoy cheesy B-movies, or if you have fond memories of this or other old b&w 'scary' movies, you will enjoy this nice print of Bert Gordon's (The Amazing Colossal Man) classic, with little people dialing a (rotary!) phone, being chased by a dog, and acting out a scene in a puppet theatre.

DVD extras are sparse: a trailer, and subtitles in French or Spanish -- hey, it's educational!!

Attack of the Puppet People is no more than a mediocre B-movie made primarily for the drive-in market of the late 1950s. The investors didn't even deem it worthy to be filmed in color. Director Bert I. Gordon and the American International studio instead focussed their lukewarm efforts and severely limited budget on some modest special effects. John Hoyt portrays the self centered doll maker Mr. Franz who turns the people he likes into miniature size. In other words, it's best to be on his bad side. Everybody else is essentially ignored and left alone. Mr. Franz is something of a benign dictator who claims to care for his victims, but refuses to allow them to choose their own destiny. John Agar, better known as the former real life husband of Shirley Temple is Bob, and June Kenny stars as Sally. The plot revolves around the attempt of these doll size folks to escape their current irritating predicament. Please note that I describe their reaction as merely irritating and not existentially horrifying. Alas, do I really need to add that none of the actors in Puppet People were nominated for any acting awards? The dialogue is wooden and embarrassing to watch. It is doubtful if the actors spent even five minutes rehearsing their lines. Far better acting is normally found in one's local high school theater group. The movie's theme song utters the ridiculous lyrics "You're my living doll." Admittedly, though, the song is so banal that you might find it hysterically funny. I still burst out laughing when thinking about it. This 79 minute long flick probably took no more than two weeks to complete. Attack of the Puppet People is definitely a strong competitor for the worst movie ever released.

The reader up to this point might assume that I am discouraging them from viewing Attack of the Puppet People. Nothing could be further from the truth. This movie earns a five star recommendation, but not for its dubious artistic quality. It inadvertently is the reason why Richard M. Nixon eventually resigned from the presidency. The lookout for the Watergate burglars was suppose to use his walkie-talkie to warn those inside if the police were entering the building. However, this less than brilliant individual got distracted watching Attack of the Puppet People on television. Perhaps no other movie has ironically so impacted the history of the United States. That is reason enough to own a copy---and prominently place it in your own personal film collection.

3.5 stars -
Far superior to most other Sci-Fi of it time. This low budget color film has many of the makings of what could have been classic B Sci-Fi movie.
Yes there is some questionable acting and many predictable elements in the story. and 4D is unintentionally campy at times but the camp revolves more around the love triangle and buisness relationships of the characters rather then the Sci-Fi. The 4D effects, by todays standards, are rather obvious but not bad for the time and always fun. But the reality is that the D4 effects are rather few and far between. Most of the effects are implied - Actually very clever of the film makers to make you blieve you have scene a special effect where none happened. For example - often the 4D Man is already in a room rather then actually seen entering it and his 4D ability is telegraphed by music rather then anything actaully happening. But all in all the story is good. The presentation is compelling and colorful. There is a very cool Jazz soundtrack and a good opening credits montage. But the best thing about the film is Robert Lancing. If Lancing's performance here is any indication - Lancing might now be considered one of the better actors of his time had he starred in A-films. In 4D man Lancing overcomes every banal line, every amature actor and every low budget road block to deliver a strong, cool and believeble performance. The film moves very fast to a good twist ending. A side note - had the film makers had 4DMan's girl actually really adore him as she is forced to do what she does at the end - 4D might have been a minor B classic. I love Image for presenting good prints of films like this. This is probably the best print we are going to get - That said the film deserves a better DVD presentation and would have been helped immensally by crisper, cleaner and more colorful picture quality and sweetened sound track. I recommend this film (especially for the price)to those who enjoy films like X The Man With XRAY Eyes, The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Fly. That said I feel 4D Man is still a notche below the fore-mentioned films. But I still might have given the film 4 stars had it a better DVD presentation.

I've liked this movie since I was a kid. Most of the acting is good. Decent script. Average directing. I think I always really liked this because it was a bit smarter sci-fi than the other stuff of the time. As for the DVD itself....very good transfer, very crisp. No complaints there. The downside is that there are no extras whatsoever, and also that it's presented in full screen instead of widescreen (a BIG minus in my department). Anyway, for the price, it's not bad.

Atomic Age-era Cain and Abel parable about two brothers conducting nuclear physics experiments. They both love the same lab assistant (played by Lee Meriwether, looking like Jennifer Connelly when she does 50s drag).
One brother gets the girl, the other conducts the experiments on himself and becomes a walking anti-matter, radioactive timebomb. He walks into bank vaults with fistloads of cash in his pockets, mauls nitclub b-girls killing them with his radioactive touch, all to the big beat of a sleazy screeching 50s big band. The technicolor is rich and over-saturated (the way I like it).
No extras on this DVD, but the transfer is cool, bar some excess surface noise on the print.
This would make a good copmpanion-piece to "X! The Man With The X-Ray Eyes".
Have a martini and enjoy.

effects-laden japenese sci-fi flick about two people
people working for a power company come across a device that leads them to another dimension ruled by monsters and must help a alien crime fighter stop them. winner of the 1991 tokyo film festavle.

This movie was awsome I espeally liked the part when the five headed woman eats the pile of 50 year old pizza boxes

Although I am glad to have this highly entertaining Japanese sci-fi on DVD, widescreen format, it would have been nicer to have the original Japanese soundtrack with English subtitles. Fox Lorber should be aware that when they are releasing DVDs for purchase they are dealing with DISCERNING CUSTOMERS. The movie is very low-budget but full of charm; reminiscent of ULTRAMAN and other TV heroes and monsters of the bygone era ('70s, to be exact) but with a nod toward strong female protagonist. Moriyama Yuko kicks butts! (By the way she is NOT the ornithologist in GAMERA, that's Nakayama Shinobu. I know, I sometimes can't tell the difference between Gwenyth Paltrow and Meg Ryan, either) It would be very nice if some enterprising company releases Zeram 2, an even better film, and Moon Over Tao, where Moriyama gets to show her true acting abilities (She plays 3 aliens) on DVD, with SOME EXTRAS, and in ORIGINAL JAPANESE SOUNDTRACK. By the way the animated version (IRIA) is a travesty, reducing one of the coolest heroines in Japanese science fiction into just another cute anime character, avenging her brother's death, or some such nonsense.