Forgotten TV: 'The Outer Limits' Wants you to Chill out!

 Is the 4th time the charm?

This Episode of The Outer Limits is the 4th lowest rated one on IMDB.
Is it bad?

Is it at least a Sci-Fi Premise this time?

This is...

A group of people- including Costas Mandylor and Barry Pepper- kill some Soldiers and steal a truck.

They want what is inside.

It's actually a Soldier...and then...not the missiles that they were expecting.

What is in the box?

That's the question on everyone's lips, save for this Captain who was also hiding in the truck.

The Major- Colm Feore- is going to torture this lady to get what he wants.

Nearby, the box is penetrated (by bullets) and unsealed.

Something is watching them.

As Pepper lights up a torch to torch...ure her, the creature shoots over and freezes him via digital sharpening of his image!

He's frozen and shattered and now know that a weird little alien that freezes you was in the box!

Can they stop it?
Can they get along?

No, of course not!  The good guys survive and the bad ones die with the alien.  Duh.

*******

This one does feel like a Sci-Fi Story, but...shouldn't there be more here?

These ones always have some sort of moral and this one...well, doesn't.
This is not a bad idea for an Episode.  It's a good Plot.

I just feel like this was missing something.

This feels like a Sci-Fi Channel Picture that was condensed and had the stakes lowered.  They are just trapped in a building with a nameless alien that freezes stuff.

The Film would have more of them or some other aliens too.

Is this a bad Episode of Sci-Fi Television?  No.
Is this not a great Episode of The Outer Limits?  Yes.

Don't hate me- i said it!

Next time, we go back to Season 1 and...oh, damn it!  It's...well, you'll see if you don't know already.

Import/Export: Night Watch (2004)

 Random chance has won the day and I'm finally covering a Film that I've always Wanted to.

That's kind of a lie- I just wanted to use the pun.

This is Night Watch, a 2004 Film that made Timbur Bekmambetov's Career in America.  It led to a Sequel and a slew of American Films that...exist.

He just had a Film out this Year with Chris Pratt, but it wasn't the one with Yoshi in it.

This one is loosely based on a 1998 Novel, but is more known as one of the many 'Everything you know is wrong' Films that were popular in the wake of The Matrix/Men in Black.

Anton is a guy who discovers what is going on and is now a part of things.  Can he survive and solve a mystery that proves to be personal?

To find out, read on...

In a strange Cold Open, we get narration about how there was a big battle between the Dark and the Light.

The Dark Leader loved to fight, but the Light one didn't and forced a truce, establishing the Night Watch and Day Watch to enforce it.

It cuts to 1992 and a guy is paying a Witch to do something terrible to his Girlfriend who left him when she got pregnant with another guy's kid.

Strangers- who he spotted briefly earlier- run in and stop the ritual, saving the baby.

They are then surprised to find out that he can see them.

The Film then abruptly jumps ahead 12 years...what?!?
It will be important later, but there had to have been a better way to do this.

In any event, the guy is an Other- people with powers- and, like all of them, must choose between Dark and Light.  No gray here.

He's a Seer (he gets vague visions of the future) and has worked for the Light during this time.

In spite of that, he's kind of terrible at the job.  How is this just NOW becoming an issue?

He stops a Vampire pair from feeding on a kid, but gets nearly killed.

Backup arrives and he inadvertently kills the Male Vampire with light, causing him to turn into a statue and crack like a Twilight Vampire.

That's a thing in multiple Films?!?

The main Plot involves a woman who is apparently a Tempest.  She's cursed and causing all sorts of evil/danger around her.

Separately, there's talk of a strong Other who will be the key to balance.
You know, like Anakin was.

I'm sure that this won't come up later.

The kid from earlier is still being targeted- I wonder why.

The Lady Vampire was put back on his trail and our Hero (alongside his new Companion) save him from 'The Gloom' (a vague, dark presence).

It isn't easy.

Also she was pretending to be an Owl when he first met her.

While trying to find the source of the curse for the lady who's a Tempest, our Hero discovers a shocking truth.

The Witch lied to him!  The kid he nearly killed was actually his own.

12 years ago, you say.  

Hmm...

Our Heroes are split up to protect the kid- since the Vampire is still loose- and figure out who cursed the lady.

As it turns out, the answer is...kind of stupid.

Our Hero goes back to save the kid since the Lady Vampire got him in her grasp.

They stop her, but then the head of the Dark shows up.

A fight ensues between our Hero and him, which leads to the bad guys revealing the (misinterpreted) truth to the kid- who is actually our Hero's Son!

The kid chooses the Dark and...well, see how they resolve this in the Sequel.

The End.

A Film that is full of style and flair, but is there more to it?

The big draw of this Film is the idea of the Plot (not necessarily the execution) and the crazy visuals.
The latter seems to have become strongly associated with the Director- for better or worse.

Being known for one thing only can't backfire, right M. Night?

The Plot is all sorts of bizarre and jumbled, which is not exactly helped by the constant visual distractions.  Don't get me wrong- many of them are great, but they are distractions.

Little things- like showing a car driving- requires CGI shots of the engine combusting, for example.

If you get past the visuals, the Plot is kind of silly and disjointed.  The time jump really telegraphs the twist too.

The Film seems to have big aspirations, lots of ideas for crazy visuals and a general idea of a world to build, but it never quite came together for me.

Maybe in the Sequel.

I'll leave you with this real shot from the Film...done in Virtua Fighter?!?

It's also a key moment in the climax.

Next up, a look back at an out-of-print Film from the early '70s.  The Plot reminds me of one of my Top 10 Favorite Films, so...I'm hyped.  Stay tuned...

Shudder Day: 'Tales From the Crypt'- 'Dig That Cat...He's Real Gone'

 A look back at the final 3rd of the Show's actual Premiere.

When it debuted, the Show had 3 Segments run back-to-back-to-back.  I covered the first one, but I'm skipping the 2nd one (since it is Christmas themed).

As such, let's take a different look at death in...

Like the first one, we get a Cryptkeeper Intro and then an Intro from the Lead Character.

I'm curious to see when this drops off and why.

In any event, this guy- Joe Pantoliano- is bragging about how he can't die and stay dead...from inside of a coffin.

In a flashback, he shows us that he was a hard on his luck guy who met with a Scientist.

The guy did an experiment on him that involved transplanting an organ from a cat that is somehow the thing that 'gives it nine lives.'

Now he's got it.

After the Doctor shoots him (one life down) to prove that it would work, he comes up with a get rich plan.

The Doctor pitches an Act where the guy dies and comes back to life.
Robert Wuhl is just crazy enough to try it.

Yes, this is from later, but I take the Caps I can get it.

And so the man- Ulric- begins a series of limited engagement Shows where, he, well, dies.

After the crowd nearly leaves the first time, things are escalated with very gimmicks such as hanging or an Archery Gallery.

He eventually betrays the Doctor, since he's greedy.
Another life down.

The cumulative effects are starting to pile up (something later used in Happy Death Day) and he's even betrayed by the beautiful Carny Woman when he gets rich.

He sets up one last trick in which he'll get 100% of the profits.

It is only then that he (sort of, but not really) miscounted- since the Cat lost one of its lives- and he'll die for real.

This actually doesn't track, but, regardless, The End!

A fun, flashy Tale of irony and greed.

For starters, this one was Directed by Richard Donner, who is one of the 47 Producers on this Show.  As such, it looks great and is dynamically Filmed.

With the Sideshow Theme, they often make you feel like you're really in the Audience.

It also helps that we have some strong Leads like Pantoliano (hot off of The Goonies) and Wuhl (hot off of Batman).  They make this one really stand out.

The build up with the character is nice as he's not a great guy first and you can see things really go to his head.  When he gets his comeuppance at first, you're sad...but he also deserved it.

A pretty simple Moral on display here.  Given that this is based on a '50s Comic, that tracks.

Now can I do an 'Alas Poor Urich' joke if the other guy is also a Skeleton?

A fun example of the style and charm of the Show.  With good Actors and a great Director, you can't go wrong.

Tubi Thursday: Prospect (2018)

Pedro Pascal.  Star Wars.  Grogu.
Does this please you, oh Algorithm?

With that out of the way, what is this actual Film like?

Let's find out...

A young woman and her father are living out in Deep Space and make a living going to Planets to prospect rare minerals.

Things take a turn when their potential haul is interrupted by the world's meanest beekeeper (aka Pedro Pascal) and his henchman.

They want their haul and their ship.

Things end up poorly for the Dad and now the Daughter has to run back to the ship.

She tries to leave, but their pod fails.

Things take yet another turn when the survivor of that incident (Pascal) shows up at her pod.

He tries to make a deal for profit and escape from the Planet (which you must wear a suit to survive on).

Can they make an uneasy alliance to get off this dusty, verdant death trap of a Planet?

Is this accidentally another Pedro Pascal Mentors Young Person in a Sci-Fi Story?
Yes, kind of.

To see how it all ends up, stream it now.

It is good, but it definitely takes its time.

This one of those Films without grand narration, some sort of dialog about the Plot or even an Audio Log.
It just throws you into this bleak World(s) of Prospectors and slowly fills in the blanks.

If you want 'hand holding' or anything other than intuitive observations to fill in the gaps, this is not for you.

The Film is full of atmosphere- and not just the vague alien spores that kill you...I guess.  It's not clear what they are, but don't inhale.

It takes some good risks and does attempt to implicate a bigger World(s) out there to explore.
There is currently not a Sequel & Pascal is probably booked steadily until 2035, so maybe do it without him.

The Film is a nice 'proof of concept.'  I'm curious to see what else they have done/will do now.

Oh no, I just blue it!

A Film that is filled to the brim with potential.  It is great with worldbuilding, but will not exactly satisfy those looking for all of the answers.

Re-Review: Jaws of Satan (aka King Cobra)

Back in 2016, I had a decent enough copy and was okay at writing these.
In 2026, I have an HD Copy and am hopefully a bit better at writing these.

As such, let's look back at Jaws of Satan, a 1981 Film that was a bit late on the big Film trends of the 1970s.

Killer Animals!
Films about Satan!

As the Meme goes, why not both?

The Plot involves Satan coming to a small Town as a snake to kill a Priest.  You'd think he'd be busy keeping the Public Domain Horror trend alive, but whatever!

Like many bad things, it comes to us from a guy named Bob. 
Mr. Claver was a Director for lots of forgotten TV Shows like Here Comes the Bride to respected stuff like The Bob Newhart Show to the cheesiest of 80s Shows like Small Wonder and BOTH Shows where the Lead is an Alien Teen (Out of This World and The Powers of Matthew Star).

Somewhere in the middle of all that, he made this Film.

Is it better than I remembered now that I can see Fritz Weaver's pores?  To find out, read on...

This still has the original Title.

On a train, a killer snake breaks free of a chest...somehow (it apparently pushes open the lid via magic) and kills the two people on board.

We immediately saw how you do these Scenes in the late '70s- you put a snake behind a plate of glass.

Note the guy's reflection.

This is a Jaws Film in a new skin (which it doesn't shed).

As such, we have the corrupt Mayor who will ignore the problems due to opening a Dog Track.

This guy's name would have been a funnier joke a few years back.

Nobody told me life was going to be this way.

At a Party, this Psychic lady warns the Priest (Weaving) about a danger facing him.

The snake is looming, since it is way scarier as an ominous shadow.

Said woman is killed off camera for dramatic effect as the Mayor tries to hide the bodies from study.

Maybe we should take it seriously now.

A Snake Expert (a la Hooper) arrives and he does help out, but can only do so much.

Weaver's Mon Signor warns him of some sort of family danger involving Druids (no, really) and Satan.

The snake chases him, only fleeing when he presents a cross.

A Meeting where they get the Town together to deal with the threat.

It's not an official piece of Jaws Bingo, but it is a key one.

In my previous Review, I joked about this random guy attacking the Lady Scientist was random filler, but...actually, it's not.

The snake scares him off and then we see the Mayor complaining about how 'he' failed.
Imagine if the Mayor in Jaws hired a hitman to kill Brody!

The Film is more famous for being the Film debut of Christina Applegate.

She plays the Mayor's Daughter (and her Mom is her Mom here) and eventually ends up being bitten (but survives).

The Dog Track Plot ends with her attack, by the way, and that's it.

It all ends with the Lady, the Expert and the Priest (this Fall on CBS) in a cave with the Satan Snake.

Weaving says his prayers and the snake is lit aflame!

I was expecting it to explode or something else to happen, but...no.

Let's just leave, shall we?
Okay.  The End.

It's fun in a silly way and it works because it is treated so seriously.

The Films is kind of a glorious mess.  It is about Satan.  It is about Snakes.  It is clearly just a re-skinned version of Jaws.

Credit where credit is due, the Actors do as good of a job with this as you possibly can.  This is absolutely a candidate for private riffing or a Rifftrax Feature.

I didn't even mention how they used every angle to imply that you would see the Lady naked, but you never do.  It's so sleazy and hilarious.

The snake looks good in still form, but they always use the glass plate trick (as they should).  That said, the thing also doesn't appear to have fangs at all, so...huh?

It's all very silly and I don't hate it.  The 4.0 score on IMDB seems a bit low, if you ask me.
That said, Mr. Claver only did one Feature Film, so...

This might be a recurring thing, so, for now at least, enjoy how well this Film scores...

It 'explodes into flames,' so does that count?

Next up, a random Film from my recent collecting of out of print Films.  Which one is next?  Stay tuned...

Forgotten TV: 'The Outer Limits' and the Neighbors from Hell!

 Another look at the lowest rated Episodes of this Classic 1990s Series.

This time, it is a far less Sci-Fi Tale and more of a weird, Dark Comedy.

In 'What Will the Neighbors Think?,' a woman named Mona is a severe hypochondriac.

She's also a 'lifer' in her Apartment Building, seemingly being born there (according to her narration) and living with her Husband.

While lurking in the basement, she gets shocked when she backs into an open wire!

After this, she starts to hear noise everywhere!

She soon learns to focus this and now can hear everyone's thoughts!

For some artistic reason, this is presented by them making big, angry faces into the camera.

Weird choice, Helen Shaver!

Mona tries to make things right by helping her Neighbors out in their crazy lives, but it doesn't work out.

This on top of the fact that some mysterious company is trying to buy the building.

So, Plan B, is make them all try to kill each other.

This works, but not before she gets tazed by her angry Neighbor 2 pictures above.

This seems to silence the voices and she is happy to see her Husband- who has been oddly absent for much of the action- again.

However, she suddenly hears the voices yet again- much louder!

Her Husband reveals that he's the man trying to buy up the Building and he wants her dead.
She dives out the window and gets 'peace.'

The End.

An Episode that, yeah, I can see why people don't like it.

This one is...yeah, I can see what they were going for.
There's a whole lot of people that love Dark Comedies- like Very Bad Things, Jawbreaker and Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead- and I have nothing against that.

This one maybe swings too far, making all of the Characters hard to like- especially not helped by the crazy, angry close-ups.

A key issue here is that this one doesn't feel like a hard Sci-Fi Story, only having the Mind Reading as a key Plot Point. 
Does this feel a bit out of place?  Kind of.
If you only watched this Episode, would you go 'Oh, this is The Outer Limits?'  Not so much.

In summary, I don't hate this one...but I don't know if I need to see it again.
It has some moments, but it is just too, well, in your face.

And yes, that is Bruce Harwood.

Next time, I jump back to Season 2 for the 4th lowest rated Episode.  With many notable names, why is this one viewed so poorly?  See you then...