Forensic Science Movie Reviews

H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come is so deliriously bad that it begs inclusion in any collection of 1970s kitsch. It's a disco-flavored variant of TV's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century--just another no-budget rider on the coattails of Star Wars. Only a fool would perceive even a slight connection to Wells's classic novel, to which this misleadingly titled cheese-fest is ostensibly a sequel. Their careers in sorry decline, Jack Palance, Carol Lynley, Barry Morse (late of TV's Space: 1999), and John Ireland look embarrassed as they wrestle with a wearisome post-apocalyptic plot that pitches Morse, a pair of Ken-and-Barbie heroes, and their quirky robot (of course) against megalomaniac emperor Palance, who controls a drug needed for survival of moon-based colonists. Prior to directing this laughable mess, George McCowan had helmed episodes of several prominent TV action series of the '70s, but here he devolves into moribund hackwork. This is a ham sandwich sans bread, from a time when stale sci-fi was spreading like mold on George Lucas's leftovers. --Jeff Shannon

The Standard Deviants: American Government Part 1
An unorthodox lesson in civics is presented by the Standard Deviants, a cast of energetic young performers, in this video, which is designed as an extensive review guide for a course in American civics. Starting with the ethics of Aristotle and quickly jumping forward to philosophical concepts espoused by Locke and Hobbes, the performers present the basic background of American democracy in skits and recitations that are often oddball mnemonic devices. Topics covered include the theories behind democracy, the grievances the American colonists had against the British, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and the eventual drafting and ratification of the Constitution. The landmark legal cases and the principles of civil rights are also covered. The approach to the subject matter may not be to everyone's liking, and at times the performers do seem to trivialize matters that are generally approached with some solemnity. However, this video has academic advisers, including professor Larry Sabato (a name familiar to viewers of public affairs programs). If the presentation is sometimes off the wall, the actual material is very solid, and even then it comes with disclaimer that it is intended as a review guide and is not a substitute for attending class. --Robert J. McNamara

The Standard Deviants: American Government 2
Continuing their unusual review course in civics, the Standard Deviants, a group of ebullient and youthful performers, forge ahead to explain via skits and various performance routines the venerable institutions of American democracy. This video begins with an explanation of the legislative branch, covering its history, powers, and the procedures by which it operates. The roles played by the Speaker of the House and other central figures are portrayed with purposely weird computer graphics and skits (complete with a congressional whip wielding, of course, a bullwhip). The powers of the president and the executive branch are also covered in detail, and an in-depth review of the judicial branch and its workings concludes the lessons. The approach to the material is never solemn and at times verges on the bizarre, and this won't be to everyone's liking. However, the academic advisers to this production have ensured that the material itself is solid, and it should be noted that the attempts at comedy are designed as mnemonic devices on the principle that something presented in an off-the-wall manner is easier to remember than the boring lectures that students endure and forget. --Robert J. McNamara

An unorthodox lesson in civics is presented by the Standard Deviants, a cast of energetic young performers, in this video, which is designed as an extensive review guide for a course in American civics. Starting with the ethics of Aristotle and quickly jumping forward to philosophical concepts espoused by Locke and Hobbes, the performers present the basic background of American democracy in skits and recitations that are often oddball mnemonic devices. Topics covered include the theories behind democracy, the grievances the American colonists had against the British, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and the eventual drafting and ratification of the Constitution. The landmark legal cases and the principles of civil rights are also covered. The approach to the subject matter may not be to everyone's liking, and at times the performers do seem to trivialize matters that are generally approached with some solemnity. However, this video has academic advisors including professor Larry Sabato (a familiar name to viewers of public affairs programs), and if the presentation is sometimes off-the-wall, the actual material is very solid, and even then it comes with a disclaimer that it is intended as a review guide and is not a substitute for attending class. --Robert J. McNamara

An unorthodox lesson in civics is presented by the Standard Deviants, a cast of energetic young performers, in this video, which is designed as an extensive review guide for a course in American civics. Starting with the ethics of Aristotle and quickly jumping forward to philosophical concepts espoused by Locke and Hobbes, the performers present the basic background of American democracy in skits and recitations that are often oddball mnemonic devices. Topics covered include the theories behind democracy, the grievances the American colonists had against the British, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, and the eventual drafting and ratification of the Constitution. The landmark legal cases and the principles of civil rights are also covered. The approach to the subject matter may not be to everyone's liking, and at times the performers do seem to trivialize matters that are generally approached with some solemnity. However, this video has academic advisors including professor Larry Sabato (a familiar name to viewers of public affairs programs), and if the presentation is sometimes off-the-wall, the actual material is very solid, and even then it comes with a disclaimer that it is intended as a review guide and is not a substitute for attending class. --Robert J. McNamara

The 2-disc set The Standard Deviants - Space & Science DVD 2-Pack contains:

The Standard Deviants - Astronomy, Part 1
Aimed at college students or accomplished high school students, this award-winning series uses humor, whimsical graphics, and a lot of quick cuts to make academics accessible--even fun. And that's tough when you're talking about an hour and 39 minutes of astronomy-theory history (from the ancient Greeks through Newton), the law of gravity, properties of light, how telescopes work, makeup and rotations of the Earth and Moon, and more laws than you can shake a stick at. The Standard Deviants staff of professors, a comedy-writing team, and 13 actors manage to find the right balance of goofiness (a doofus mechanic tries to explain nanometers) and hard-core information (explanations of parallax, retrograde, the Doppler effect--need we say more?). So if a Calvin Klein ad parody is your idea of a good way to teach the Kelvin scale, this program is for you. A study card with outline and formulas is included. --Kimberly Heinrichs

The Standard Deviants - Physics, Part 1
Only the most intense science geeks have ever considered physics entertaining, but the Standard Deviants, undaunted as ever, do their best to make serious science fun to watch, and therefore memorable, in this two-hour presentation. Utilizing flashy graphics that make the perennial example of Newton being struck with an apple appear positively quaint, the troupe of exuberant young performers starts off by quickly providing the obligatory "what is physics" intro, and then moves into a fast tutorial on scientific notation. With the basics out of the way, it's time for segments illustrating scalars and vectors, which, in the format followed throughout the DVD, are followed by a review section and a quiz, which the student can either take or skip. More advanced concepts, including one-dimensional kinematics, two-dimensional kinematics, Newton's Laws of Motion, and friction all follow. Physics may not lend itself to the kind of madcap delivery the Standard Deviants have brought to other subjects, but the graphics employed are often brilliant, and the individual lessons are concise and easy to understand. The material has all been approved by an academic panel, and while this presentation is not intended to be a substitute for a course in physics, as a review guide this stands as a solid treatment of a serious subject, made as entertaining as possible. --Robert J. McNamara