Forgotten TV: The Outer Limits- 'Double Helix' (with Ryan Reynolds)

 I still see no reason to hide the reason I'm covering this.

After all, the only picture from this Episode currently on its IMDB Page is of him.

This is not his first appearance on the '90s revival of 'The Outer Limits.'
This one just sounded more interesting and, as I learned later, it has a Sequel.

In Season 3's 'Double Helix,' a man (Ron Rifkin) is studying the Human Genome.

Since this is Science Fiction, they had it mapped by 1997.
It happened in 2003, so not far off.

He says that he has found a way to activate the hidden parts of our DNA.

To prove his case (and to give the Episode a big moment before the Opening Credits), he shows off a fish that he studied on.

Said fish now has legs and can walk (about 3 inches) onto land.

* A quick note on the Screen Caps.  The best source is not an option, so I got some from a SciFi Channel version and some from IMDB *

He has a contentious relationship with his son- Ryan Reynolds.

The kid (he's 19) wants to leave College to live life and thinks that his Dad worked too much.

The Scientist- it turns out- did the experiment on himself too, causing him to get weird growths on his body and his brain to grow.

He goes on to pick 8 Honor Students for a special Research Class.

He has a series of weird and highly specific requests for his Research Students.  He seems to want the most perfect and complete specimens.
That means a touch of Nudity (that was obviously cut for SciFi).

Among the group is.... Karen from Corner Gas?!?
Canada sure is a small Country!

The group ends up 2 people short (actually 3, but ignore that)...

...so he recruits his Son and his Girlfriend.  He doesn't tell them what they are doing, but they drive out deep into the Woods with him anyhow.

They just have the worst survival instincts.

To find out what all of the strange stuff relates to, stream it now on YouTube (it is the full Showtime Version).

A strong Episode altogether.

Is it most famous for Reynolds?  Yes.
Is there more to like about it?  Yes.

The Show builds up nicely with some good mysteries, a bit of light Body Horror, humor and an intriguing Plot.

There were lots more mysteries about the Genome back in 1997, so this one makes sense as a topic.

Does it cover some familiar ground?  Yes.
That doesn't make it bad per se.

As I said, the big draw is seeing Ryan Reynolds here, but there's actually a neat Story here that got a follow-up, which was rare for this Show.

For now, let's just enjoy the crazy Corner Gas-Reynolds connection that took 24 years to pay off.  Here's Karen on the live-action Show...

...and look who was on the final Episode of Corner Gas Animated.

He even gets his brain removed in this one too!

As a fan of the Show (only watching Sci-Fi Channel reruns, mind you), this was a neat look back.  Let's see how the Sequel Episode goes.

Misleading Cover Art: Wes Craven's Summer of Fear (1978)

 A week or so back, I covered a Film about the Summer, a Witch and a formerly-Exorcised Star.

While getting images on Google, I came across this more recent Cover made for those Multi-Horror Film Sets and off-brand DVD releases...

Look- you need to sell these things.

This wasn't a huge hit.

Hell, this was only a TV Movie.

Even so, this...doesn't related to anything at all.

There's probably a Film that this is appropriate for.  Use it for that, folks.

Is it Bad?: Green Lantern (2011)

 A Film that has been lambasted by Critics, Audiences and its Star.

The latter has not mixed words about this Film, although he has softened a bit on it in the last few years.

Let's check out the Film that is...

Pro: The Film begins by establishing the Characters, even if it is in melodramatic fashion.  Weirdly, this is the 2nd edition of 'Is it Bad?' to feature John Tenney in the Opening Scene.

He was a partner in BHC3 and the ill-fated Mr. Jordan here.

To note, I did watch the Extended Cut.  To be fair, this has been on the market for a Decade now, so...

Con: The Extended Cut restores the good Intro...but leaves in the repeat of said Scene via Flashbacks (which is how they only appeared in the Theatrical Cut).  It is a bit redundant.

Pro: When Hal gets the ring, the sense of wonder is really there.

When he ends up on Oa and meets the Corps, it feels like some good tease of world-building.

Con: Parallax looks neat, but is ultimately a big, angry cloud-squid-ink thing.  He/it was supposed to be more of a 3rd Act Reveal in earlier drafts, which is a better idea.

It does at least have more personality than the Galactus cloud from Fantastic Four 2.

Pro: Taika Waititi is in this?!?  Yes, he's playing 'Tom Kalmaku,' who's technically supposed to be Inuit.

Casting this way is probably better, as you avoid the unfortunate nickname the Character had for the first Decade or so of his existence.

Con: He's not in this enough though.

Pro: Hal's big hero debut is a good one.  He shows up and saves the day with his ring.

I kind of wish the crowd was more concerned/interested in the green stranger, but he does show up during a hectic situation.

IRL Pro: This is the Film where Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively met.  Even if it isn't Ryan's favorite Film of his, it should be his kids.

They literally wouldn't exist without it!

Pro and Con: The Suit.

I still kind of like it in 2024, but I can absolutely see why people don't.  The extra effects can be a bit much at times.

As a whole though, I'm happy that it is not just a plain green unitard with some glowing on it.

Let's see how people can make it look now.

Pro: Hector Hammond is ultimately not the final boss, but he's a good villain.

The body horror they get out of his transformation and how Skarsgard plays it is quite good.  Plus, the fact that they went to him here and not right to Sinestro is a plus.

I'm torn on his origin being tied to Parallax, but...it's not bad.

Con: He's ultimately just a lackey.  A good one, but still.

What is Good?

The Plot honestly has more depth than it gets credit for.  Hal has a whole Arc, as does everyone here.

The Special Effects hold up pretty well.  The CGI isn't always obvious to the eye and some shots on their own just look gorgeous.

It manages to tell a whole Story and set up future Films (that won't happen) at the same time.

While he's clearly a better fit for a Barry Allen/Wally West, Reynolds is pretty damn good here.

Him and Blake Lively have good chemistry, which real life sure has born out.

A nice use of A-List talent for voices, like Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clark Duncan.

What is Bad?

Parallax is a neat villain in concept, but not so much in execution.

Some of the Sequel Bait setup is a bit silly.  They make the Ring...and then don't use it, just so that Sinestro can grab it for Green Lantern 2.

There are certainly moments where the sheer amount of CGI is just too much.

So...

Is it Bad?

NO.

The Film has many faults- I'll grant you that.  For me, the good generally outweighs the bad and- if things had gone differently- I'm curious to see how this would have worked as the kickstart of the DCEU.

The Film can be an easy one to attack.
For me, the far worse Ryan Reynolds Film here is RIPD.

Tubi Thursday: Teen Monster with Ryan Reynolds (aka Boltneck)

 If I'm going to be shameless about this, why pretend otherwise?

Let's see what 1998 to 2000-era Ryan Reynolds was like in...

Young Frank (Matthew Lawernce) is convinced that he can revive the dead like in Frankenstein.

Since life is crazy (or lazy screenwriting is easy) his name is literally Frank Stein AND his Dad studies the brain.

Some Bullies pick on him and his Token Black Friend (this is a Film from 1998/2000) before picking on...

Is that Ryan Reynolds in his Goth Phase?

He attends a private party- it's literally the Bullies and their Girlfriends- and puts up a fight.

They accidentally brain him and get spotted by Frank.

Instead of calling the Cops, he gets them to help him prove his thesis.

He breaks into the Brain Lab and switches the damaged brain of Karl/Ryan with a new one.

With his scar covered, he's revived as a new man.

Now he's, well, Ashton Kutcher.

As Frank finds out, the brains are those of criminals who 'donated them to science.'

As such, new Karl (who randomly goes super deep voiced) is a manipulative criminal who is going to endanger everyone.

Oops.

To see how it all works out, stream it now.

It's honestly not terrible.  A glowing endorsement for sure!

This is just something that sounded pretty bad.  I was expecting the worst here.

The actual Film really only works due to the Acting here.  Once he's transformed, Reynolds gets closer to what you'd expect him to be.

This was made in 1998, the same year that Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place started.  He was nearly to, well, stock Ryan Reynolds.

To be fair, if it has brought you that much success, why change?!?

He definitely brings this Film up in his parts, because otherwise it is pretty dated.  Aside from the fun ways (like the fashion), things are definitely of the time.  The fact that 'Ha ha people think that you two are Gay' is a Plot Point says it all.

The Film is thankfully bolstered by a good Cast, even if many barely appear.  It also seems to have cast via Dart Board.

After all, how do you get a Lawrence Brother, Charles Fleischer, Judge Reinhold, Richard Moll and Shelly Duvall (RIP you two) in one Film together?!?

Moll appears 2x as Reynolds' Dad

***

Duvall plays Frank's Mom in a whopping 3 Scenes.

Also worth noting that Mr. Reynolds is not afraid to mock even this one.  He did so in 2018- Deadpool 2 | With Apologies to David Beckham - YouTube

A decent enough Film that most people will watch for Reynolds alone.  It is no 'classic,' but you could do far worse with 80 minutes.

'80s Class?: 48 Hours (1982)

 Time to see how this whole Career got started!

In 1982, Eddie Murphy was Cast as the Co-Lead in 48 Hours.  It had big people behind it- like Walter Hill, Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver.

He wasn't the first- or 2nd- choice, but was he the best?  Yes.

The Film made him a Star and got him more roles like that of Axl Foley.  He even got a Golden Globe Nomination (albeit for a strange New Star of the Year Category that they abandoned in 1983)!

The Plot involves a Cop tracking down a pair of criminals that killed some cops.  The only lead- a former cohort of theirs that he must let out of Prison (under his watch) for 48 Hours.

This one is so chock full of Character Actors and Stars, so let's just drive right in...

A man- James Remar- breaks out of a Prison Chain Gang thanks to his cohort- Sonny Landham aka 'Billy' from Predator.

He goes to San Francisco for some reason.

It turns out that another member of his gang- he killed the last one in the previous Scene- knows where a stash of money they stole is.

He's played by David Patrick Kelly, Remar's Co-Star in The Warriors (also by Hill).  He's the 'Warriors...Come Out to Play-ee-ay' guy.

The Cops track him down and partnerless Nolte backs them up.

A shoot-out ensues and both Cops get killed.

One of them is Jonathan Banks, who would break big on Breaking Bad and is actually the guy who kills Eddie Murphy's friend in Beverly Hills Cop, setting the Plot in motion. 

Nolte has to work with Murphy here, giving him a 48 Hour window to bring the guy in.

The duo don't get along, which makes this Film being considered 'the first Buddy Cop Film' pretty laughable.  I mean, he's not even a Cop either.

They have a couple of near misses with the bad guys and a fun bit with Murphy acts like the Cop to harass the people in a Honky Tonk Bar.

When things keep not working out, tensions escalate and the two guys(' stunt doubles) have a fight.

They let the other member get the money that Murphy had stashed (to go pick up in 6 months) and meet with the bad guys.

They don't get there in time and he's killed, with the duo escaping yet again.

It is worth mentioning again that there are lots of 'hey look- it's that person' moments here.

For instance, Tasha Yar (aka Denise Crosby) is roommates with Remar's Girlfriend and hits Murphy with a bat. 

The duo are initially ready to give up, as they have only hours left on Murphy's release.

They reunite and come up with a new plan.
One last shot!

They go back to the Apartment and find the duo there.

They have a shoot-out in the place and then in the alley nearby.

The bad guys are dead and Murphy goes back to Prison a better man...until the Sequel, I guess.

A fun Film, even if many lines feel really awkward in 2024.

Simply put, arguments between Nolte and Murphy (in character, to be clear) lead to the former saying lots of words that don't fly now.

Mind you, Murphy wasn't much better in his stand up (which he has since apologized for, of course).

The Plot is a good one.  The duo can't work together, but also must.  Two bad guys.  Two good guys.

It is simple and effective.  It works.

The duo have good chemistry.  The Supporting Cast is great too.  Besides those mentioned, you also get Brion James, regular John Carpenter player Peter Jason, James Thibeau (who, ironically starred in Escape from Alcatraz- a Film that attracted Clint Eastwood after he couldn't play the Criminal when this was pitched to him in 1978).

 

The Film's Cast is so iconic that its angry Police Captain was parodied *by the same Actor* in both National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 and Last Action Hero).

The Film is a great example of a grittier Action Comedy (much less than BHC, mind you) and has overall aged well.

Speaking of iconic, Sonny Landham seemingly recreated his final moments in this Film in Predator.  He's killed while shirtless and holding a knife both times!

Sonny in 1982....

***

...and Sonny in 1987.

Next up in the reviewing proper, I might as well cover the Sequel.  I accidentally ended up with 2 copies of it, so I doubly-need to cover it.  Stay tuned...

Shudder Day: The Lamp (aka The Outing) {1987}

 Let's move up a whole Decade and then go down a whole lot in quality.

My original plan was to do Vacation of Terror II, but it is a Halloween Film (one of those famous Halloween Birthday Parties?).

Plan B- this silly thing about an evil Genie that is NOT a Wishmaster.

The Film begins with a prolonged bit on an old Ship.  It's pretty boring.

It next jumps to the Present (of 1987) and sees a trio of people (two guys and a lady) break into an old lady's House.

Thanks to the unconvincing make-up, she looks more like a Wizard!

They don't find cash, but they do find a fancy chest.

After killing her for making noise, they break it open and find...a Lamp.

I thought for sure that they were going to find an Outing!

The lamp soon works its magic again they all meet violent deaths.

We next meet a young Couple who are super happy and in love.

They are so f***ed!

Her Dad is called to investigate the origins of the Lamp (since it was found at a Crime Scene) and he's confused.

The Daughter shows up and they argue.

She makes a comment about wishing he wasn't around anymore (in less nice terms).
She immediately apologizes and they make up though.

Left alone, she toys with the lamp...which is not a good idea.

The middle of the Film features two very murder-happy bullies (even by '80s standards) and the lamp (I think) possesses the lady.

She brings all of her friends to the Museum (for an Outing) and they get picked off one by one.

Can Dad and new Mom help?

To find out, stream it now. 

It's a Film that had potential and could honestly deliver in some parts.

The opening bit was kind of drawn out.  The next part- much better!

The middle part is kind of strange as we get the lore built up, the murder happy bullies and then basically setup for the Third Act (aka the Outing).

That part is not what I would call great.  It still has cheesy production and Acting.  That said, all of the energy was being saved for this part.

All of the big kills and moments happen around/after the one-hour mark.  They are quite fun and over the top too.

If they could have somehow spread things out and made the middle part more engaging, the Film could have been a Bonafide Cult Classic.  
As it is, the Film is still a Cult Film, but has taken far longer to find an audience.
Hell, I'd never even heard of it before Shudder.  No, really.

It's the Title, right?

A Film with so much potential for mayhem and creativity.  Like many Films, however, they crammed it all in at the end though.

Tubi Thursday: Wes Craven's Summer of Fear (1978)

 Summer Lovin' had me a blast.
Summer Lovin' had me so...never mind, there's a Witch in Town.

The heat is on!

Linda Blair is a young lady who's living a great life.

She has rich Parents, lives in the California Valley and has a horse.
She didn't in the Book this is based on, but Blair loved Horses, so...

In the Cold Open, a car crashed and we find out that her Aunt died.

The Parents fly to the funeral and return with her Cousin, who will stay for the summer.

What could go wrong?

Fun Fact: Blair's Nurse Friend is Fran Drescher.

Who watched this in 1978 and guessed she'd be in charge of the Screen Actors Guild?

Blair has big plans- a Dance with her Boyfriend and a Horse Riding Show the next day.

She suddenly comes down with hives and the Cousin goes with her boyfriend.

Her Brother is upset that they spend the whole time together and...I'm sorry, but I need to see a Family Tree.

Her Brother wants to date her Cousin?  What is he, a Roosevelt?

More things start to go wrong, including her Horse going rogue and having to be put down.
She even takes Blair's dress...and looks good in it.  The bitch!

She sees evidence that the girl might be a Witch, including a drawing with her covered in hives (via markers) and other occult paraphernalia.

She tries to learn more about Witches from a Professor friend...who almost immediately has a stroke and nearly dies.

As you can probably guess, she's 100% right.

Can she turn the family against Blair?
Will this '70s film have a happy ending?

To find out, stream this hidden piece of Craven's filmography now.

A decent Film- just set appropriate expectations for it.

This is a TV Movie.  It has a TV Movie Budget.
It has a TV Movie Scale.

The most our Witch does is off-camera magic and wear contact lenses.
I've seen lots of Films about Witches and the Occult- I think that this is the first one to have a Car Chase as the Climax.

Now I have to think that the unseen villain from Duel was some kind of Warlock!

The Film is fine.  It doesn't deviate too much from what you'd expect.  It is pretty low stakes and not exactly big budget.

Blair and company do fine.  Just don't expect anything amazing and you'll enjoy it.

Now, if everything truly is getting a Remake at some point, I know who needs to the play the evil Cousin... 

A fairly by-the-numbers TV Movie that doesn't have much Craven flair.  That said, it is breezy, enjoyable and just fine.