Invaders From Mars (1953 – Review)
Invaders From Mars
1953
Starring
Jimmy Hunt as David Maclean
Helena Carter as Dr. Pat Blake, MD
Arthur Franz as Dr. Stuart Kelston
Morris Ankrum as Col. Fielding
Leif Erickson as George MacLean
Hillary Brooke as Mary MacLean
One of the first generation of 1950’s alien invasion movies. Almost a classic. Almost a failure. Almost
unforgettable. Almost Famous. Excuse me… This movie predates Invasion of the Body Snatchers, yet shares some of the same themes. Those themes seem to be paranoia and fear of Commies. Instead of dwelling on them, the movie changes course midstream and become a aliens kidnapping children and women movie, where the military might of the USA must destroy those dirty Martian Commies and make outer space safe to become the fifty-first state. The kid in this movie is one of the few non-annoying children in science fiction movies you will come across. That is a big plus, as science fiction children are the most annoying children ever to grace this planet of ours. I hope that the Earth is not judged one day by alien races that have only older science fiction movies as their sole source of information, they would destroy this planet before the second reel.
Categories: Movie Reviews, Ugly Tags: 1950s SciFi, Arthur Franz, Helena Carter, Hillary Brooke, Jimmy Hunt, Leif Erickson, Mars March, Morris Ankrum
Total Recall (Review)
Total Recall
1990
Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Douglas Quaid/Hauser
Rachel Ticotin as Melina
Sharon Stone as Lori
Michael Ironside as Richter
Mel Johnson Jr. as Benny
Ronny Cox as Vilos Cohaagen
Get your ass to Mars!
Paul Verhoeven directs this Philip K. Dick story turned action film, starring my governor. Full of Verhoeven staple actors and Verhoeven staple mindless action (or satire action, as he likes to make most of it.) Now, that style may work well with obvious pieces such as Robocop and Starship Troopers, but it feels out of place at times in movies like this and Hollow Man. Not that this is a terrible movie, it’s just a few of the actions scenes seem like they are slightly out of it compared to the general tone of the film. This movie is also drowning in Star Trek actors, you can’t kick over a mutant in Venusville without seeing half a dozen scatter.
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Categories: Bad, Movie Reviews Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mars March, Mel Johnson Jr., Michael Ironside, Paul Verhoeven, Rachel Ticotin, Ronny Cox, Sharon Stone
Santo Contra la Invasion de los Marcianos (Review)
Santo Contra la Invasion de los Marcianos
aka Santo vs. the Martian Invasion
1966
Starring
Santo as El Santo
Manuel Zozaya as Prof. Ordorica
Wolf Ruvinskis as Argos
Ham Lee as Morpeo
El Nazi as Martian
Maura Monti as Aphrodite
Mexican Masked Wrestler El Santo, the Silver Mask. A Legend. Starred or was featured in 52 movies in his career. We can honestly say, this is one of them. Actually, this is pretty good for a Mexican Martian invasion movie. It fits in nicely with many low budget American science fiction films that were coming out at the time, and since it involves Martians invading Mexico, and a masked wrestler as Earth’s only hope, you know it’s more of a superhero film than anything else. In fact, El Santo had his own comic series in Mexico, and many of his films and other Luchadores Enmascarados (Masked Wrestlers) films are science fiction/horror/comic book movies at their cores. These movies can be a load of fun, or just a big load. Despite the ridiculousness of much of this movie, I enjoyed it, as it did a few things American movies rarely did back then.
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Categories: Bad, Movie Reviews Tags: Alfredo B. Crevenna, El Nazi, El Santo, Ham Lee, luchadores, Manuel Zozaya, Mars March, Mars needs stuff, Maura Monti, Mexico, Wolf Ruvinskis
Mission to Mars (Review)
Mission to Mars
2000
Starring
Gary Sinise as Jim McConnell
Tim Robbins as Woody Blake
Don Cheadle as Luke Graham
Connie Nielsen as Terri Fisher
Jerry O’Connell as Phil Ohlmyer
Mission to Mars. It sounds like a great concept for a movie, people going to Mars and setting up a base, only to encounter aliens. Sure, it’s been done before, but this movie will strive to make it more realistic scientifically. Plus, it’s got a great cast, Tim Robbims, Don Cheadle, Gary Sinise, Jerry O’Connell, the chick from Gladiator…how can it fail?
On every level, that’s how!
Not only is much of the science in this movie bunk (biology taking the greatest beating,) but many of the actions of the characters are also suspect, to the point that you throw your shoe at the movie screen. Let’s not talk about the ending for now.
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Categories: Movie Reviews, Ugly Tags: awful science, Connie Nielsen, crying aliens, Don Cheadle, Gary Sinise, Jerry O'Connell, Mars March, Tim Robbins
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (Review)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
1964
Starring
John Call as Santa Claus
Leonard Hicks as Kimar
Vincent Beck as Voldar
Bill McCutcheon as Dropo
Pia Zadora as Girmar
First they came for the men. Then they came for the women. Now they have come for the sweetest plum of them all: Santa Claus! We got the original edition right here, not a Crow, Joel, or Tom Servo to be found. There is no Patrick Swayze Christmas here, it’s all pain. This is not the first MST3K film that I’ve seen without Joel/Mike and the bots (that honor goes to Alien from L.A.) but this is the worst I have seen without their protection. The thought that this movie is still being shown to children throughout the world as a Christmas classic is horrifying. I can only pray that the endless showings of A Christmas Story are enough to counter the effects here.
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Mars Needs Women (Review)
Mars Needs Women
1967
Starring
Tommy Kirk! as Dop
Yvonne Craig! as Dr. Bolen
“Bubbles” Cash! as Some Stripper
Directed by Larry Buchanan!
After Devil Girl From Mars taught us Mars had a war that killed off all the men, now we do a complete 180 and have a movie where Mars is short of the womenfolk. Here it’s a mutation instead of a war, but you can’t deny the Mars kidnapping theme. Mars craves abducting humans like a crack addict craves the sweet sweet rock. This wonderful treat stars Tommy Kirk, noted Oscar caliber actor. Wait, that should read noted “Best Bowler in Milan, Illinois” league actor. Tommy Kirk has made so many crappy movies if video tapes of all of them were stacked on top of each other you could climb to Mars yourself and see if they need men or women. He was also in Old Yeller, which means he has to be given some respect regardless of the career choices he had after Disney threw him out for being gay. The director of this film is a man I’ve come to know an love, Larry Buchanan. MST3K fans will remember him as the director of Attack of the the Eye Creatures (not a typo) that just didn’t care. Nor does he care here. Tommy Kirk is a million times the actor Buchanan is the director. Batgirl also joins the cast, as Mars Needs Batgirl as well. I could use a little Batgirl myself every now and then.
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Categories: Movie Reviews, Ugly Tags: 1960s SciFi, Bubbles Cash, Chet Davis, Larry Buchanan, Larry Tanner, Mars March, Mars needs stuff, Tommy Kirk, Tony Huston, Warren Hammack, Yvonne Craig
