February 12th, 2008DVD Releases (02.12.2008)
Martian Child is based on David Gerrold’s short novel The Martian Child, which is itself based on Gerrold’s own experiences as an adoptive parent. Unlike in the novelette, the film’s adopted child actually believes he is from Mars, which leads science fiction writer / protagonist David Gordon, played by John Cusack, to believe that he is particularly well suited to help the boy. Not surprisingly, the protagonist from the semi-autobiographical novel is stripped of his homosexuality and made into a more marketable widower instead.
This comedy-drama doesn’t really belong in our list, but we include it because we like David Gerrold. For those who don’t know, Gerrold is the creative father of the Tribbles (which he called “Fuzzies”) and writer of, among other things, the popular Star Trek: TOS episode “The Trouble with Tribbles”.
Before he was 45 and single, Scott Baio was young and horny in this 1981 movie about a teenager who gets telekinetic powers from a high school lab accident. Unlike the Heroes heroes, he neither becomes a villain nor a superhero, but rather uses his powers to look up girls’ skirts. The usual high school clichés apply, except in this case, Baio doesn’t remove the nerdy girls glasses to find out that she’s a hottie - he telekinetically shatters them off her face. Hilarity (and probably reconstructive plastic surgery to remove glass shards) ensue. Trivia: Baio’s future Charles in Charge co-star Willie Aames was nominated for a Worst Actor Razzie for his stellar performance.
The Wiz (30th Anniversary Edition w/ Bonus CD)
Has it really been over 30 years since Michael Jackson went bonkers?
Blade The Series - The Complete Series
I don’t know anyone who watched this one-season series, but it was apparently one of the most successful shows ever on Spike. Now, was that when it was called Spike TV or The Nashville Network?
Armand Assante stars as Simon in this vampire flick that I’ve never heard of. IMDB says:
“Soul’s Midnight is a present day vampire horror based on a historic cult who delves into ancient rituals revolving around the legend of St. George. The Eve of St. George is upon them and they must find the perfect sacrifice, a child with an untainted ancestry to St George, to resurrect their ancient leader.
Two for the Nipponophiles:
- Doomsday: The Sinking of Japan
in which Earthquakes (unexpectedly?) sink Japan. It will take a hero worthy of Sci Fi Channel Saturdays to save the nation! The Sinking of Japan is a remake of the 1973 Nihon Chinbotsu (literally, “Japan Sinks”) which is based on Sakyo Komatsu’s disaster novel of the same name.
- Red Room
in which Japanese game show insanity is taken to a deadly extreme. From IMDB:
“In this latest and most vicious game show to emerge from the Japanese underground, four contestants (a husband and wife on the edge of divorce, and two sisters) are locked in the Red Room to draw cards in the “king game.” Whoever draws the king selects two others to enter a cage where one performs the most outrageous acts upon his or her unlucky victim. The game is played to the death. Survivor takes all, and the losers go home in body bags!”
Finally, if you’re anxious for The Dark Knight:
Batman & Mr. Freeze - SubZero / Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (Double Feature)
February 13th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
the tribble episode was the best DS9 episode ever!
i don’t like the original show but that original episode wasn’t bad either.