Century of Science Fiction
Editorial review of Century of Science Fiction courtesy of Amazon.com
Century of Science Fiction – Hosted by internationally acclaimed horror-meister Christopher Lee, this remarkable 5-DVD set features the very best of science fiction and fantasy from a century of cinematic magic, told in 26 haunting half-hour shows.
Trace the evolution of the science-fiction film from marvelous early trick shorts such as Melies‘ A Trip To The Moon through classic sci-fi like The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds to more recent mega-hits such as Independence Day and The Terminator.
Lon Chaney Jr. biography
Lon Chaney, Jr. (February 10, 1906 — July 12, 1973), born Creighton Tull Chaney, son of the iconic silent film actor Lon Chaney, was an American actor known for playing the titular role in the 1941 film The Wolf Man and its various crossovers, as well as portraying other monsters such as The Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, and Count Alucard (son of Dracula) in numerous horror films produced by Universal Studios. He also portrayed Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men (1939). Originally referenced in films as Creighton Chaney, he was later credited as “Lon Chaney, Jr.” in 1935, and after 1941’s Man Made Monster, beginning as early as The Wolf Man later that same year, he was almost always billed under his more famous father’s name as Lon Chaney. Chaney had English, French and Irish ancestry. His career in movies and television spanned four decades, from 1931 to 1971.
Frankenstein 1931
Frankenstein (1931) starring Colin Clive, Boris Karloff
reviewed by: The masked reviewer
Dr. Frankenstein has been working in isolation for weeks, and his fiancee Elizabeth is worried about him. So she and her friend Victor go visit Dr. Waldman to ask for his help in getting Frankenstein out of his Laboratory. While they’re there Dr. Waldman tells them that Frankenstein is trying to create life. Meanwhile, Frankenstein, and his assistant Fritz are almost finished with the monster.
Invisible Invaders
Invisible Invaders (1959) starring John Agar, John Carradine, Jean Byron, Philip Tonge, Robert Hutton
When stock footage attacks! Actually, Invisible Invaders is a better movie than that. It’s clear upon watching that it was done on a shoestring budget, with ample use of stock footage, footage from documentaries, etc. The basic plot has literally invisible invaders. Aliens, who previously ignored Earth, but have now taken notice since the atomic age. And they demand surrender to their invisible empire. Or they will animate corpses and use them to cause vast devastation while being immune to any damage. A small group of scientists and one military man need to band together, find the aliens’ weakness, and fight back.
Deep Space
Deep Space (1988) starring Charles Napier, Ann Turkel, Ron Glass, Julie Newmar
The question is not, is Deep Space a cheesy rip-off of Aliens? — because, of course, it is. The question is, how did these actors get into a movie this bad?
Journey to the Seventh Planet
Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) starring John Agar, Greta Thyssen
Synopsis of Journey to the Seventh Planet
The Land Unknown
The Land Unknown (1957) starring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy
The Land Unknown is one of those science fiction movies where good acting is undercut by truly terrible special effects. At its heart, it’s The Lost World – but with several interesting twists, including a very different character stranded there.
The Retaliator
The Retaliator, aka. Programmed to Kill (1987) starring Robert Ginty, Sandahl Bergman
Synopsis of The Retaliator
A female, middle eastern, terrorist is captured by the CIA in Greece after an attack on a marketplace. Transported back to the USA, the terrorist undergoes an operation. She is transformed into a cybernetic killing machine. Now the CIA have a secret weapon to send back to the Middle East …. But how long can they control her?
The Time Machine 2002
movie review of The Time Machine (2002) starring Guy Pierce, Samantha Mumba, Jeremy Irons
Movie review of the 2002 version of H.G. Wells novel, “The Time Machine” written by a fan of the original George Pal version of the story. Surprisingly, I found that I enjoyed the new version as well.
