Science Fiction

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
  • IMDb: link

Widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made, the low-budget Santa Claus Conquers the Martians features a story about Martians kidnapping Santa Claus (John Call), and two American children (Victor Stiles and Donna Conforti), to Mars to instill the spirit of Christmas and wonder in their own children. Just about as wacky as it sounds, the story also takes a turn when one of the Martian (Vincent Beck) soldiers, disagreeing with this plan to sully Martian society with Earth nonsense, repeatedly attempts to sabotage the endeavor and murder Santa and the children.

…

Santa Claus Conquers the MartiansRead More »

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Read More »

Guilty Pleasure – Krull

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Krull
  • IMDb: link

Flashback Friday takes us back to 1983, a young king, a captured queen, a motley band of heroes, a quest across a desolate landscape, some questionable special effects, a monstrous beast, a prophecy, and a fortress that relocates across the planet at every dawn. A sword-and-sorcery epic with sci-fi trapping such as alien soldiers with laser rifles, Krull introduces us to Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) and Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony) whose marriage will unite two warring kingdoms against an invading alien force until they steal the bride on her wedding day. 

…

Guilty Pleasure – KrullRead More »

Guilty Pleasure – Krull Read More »

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
  • IMDb: link

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the most kinetic, edge-of-your-seat, visually bonkers popcorn movies of the past decade. Exploring the origins of the film’s breakout star (played in Fury Road by Charlize Theron), Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is… largely fine. More structured, less zany, and with far fewer surprises, Furiosa still provides plenty of crazy stunts and action against the backdrop of the dystopian world, and Anya Taylor-Joy, taking over the Furiosa role, proves she can carry a film with minimal dialogue.

…

Furiosa: A Mad Max SagaRead More »

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Read More »

Doctor Who – Joy to the World

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Doctor Who – Joy to the World
  • wiki: link

While the larger story of “Joy to the World” involves a the creation of a man-made star capable of destroying the Earth being handed off to innocents transformed into brainwashed couriers, the latest Doctor Who Christmas episode is most notable for the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) being force to stop running, for an entire year, and wait. The episode plays on similar themes to “The Power of Three” when the Doctor (Matt Smith) stayed with Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) for an extended period on Earth, but this time the Doctor is forced to make his own fun with some Christmas trappings thrown in as well.

…

Doctor Who – Joy to the WorldRead More »

Doctor Who – Joy to the World Read More »

Skeleton Crew – Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew – Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin
  • wiki: link

Still searching for their home world, the crew’s robot steers them to what was likely once very similar to At Attin but now is a post-apocalyptic hellscape (or the Disney equivalent where nothing remotely violent happens on-screen). The crew spends a single episode on At Achrann with the kids and Jod (Jude Law) each joining opposing warbands until they meet up again with the crafty pirate captain having crafted a fix for all of them. The end of the episode teases clues to the real At Attin until it’s revealed SM-33 (Nick Frost) has been programed to forget about his experience with the former planet. When those memories are unlocked by Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) his orders to kill anyone asking about the planet are revived as well.

…

Skeleton Crew – Can’t Say I Remember No At AttinRead More »

Skeleton Crew – Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin Read More »