Forgotten TV: The Outer Limits - 'The Light Brigade'

 A rare Sequel in this otherwise self-contained Series.

We return to the World of Humans vs. Aliens in this Episode.

In deep space, a human warship is traveling towards the alien home planet when it comes under attack!

There are only a few survivors, specifically Will Wheaton, Robert Parrick and another guy in the Engine Room.

They keep the ship going, as they plan to drop a big-ass bomb on the alien home world!

The group is joined by Graham Greene, who also survived.  

They work towards the front to keep the ship going and arm the bomb.
They lose the wounded guy along the way.

They are dealing with radiation sickness (from the damaged generators), but they must keep going.

Intrigue builds as well, as they talk about the aliens using spies.
Patrick notes that he was freed from a Prison Camp.

As it turns out, Patrick is an alien spy!  He was replaced after the events of Quality of Mercy.
He is trying to arm the bomb, but Wheaton tries to escape with the key.

He manages to kill 'Patrick' and releases the bomb.

Someone cuts open the shaft and Will realizes that he's dropping the bomb on Earth (as Patrick turned the ship around while the others were unconscious).

Whoops.  The End.

An upgraded version of a classic Bottle Episode of the Series.

This one builds upon that concept and raises the stakes.
It's about as bad as of an Ending- at least as far as Earth is concerned.

This one is done with zero aliens (save for a tease of a reveal near the end) in this one.
In their place, we get some nice, CGI shots of the ship and other digital effects.

They aren't mind-blowing, but they are good for their time and not distractingly bad.

The Ending is a point of contention, as some people love the bleak nature of it.
It is clever- no question.
Should Wheaton have figured out that something was off when he dropped the bomb after trying to stop Patrick from dropping it?  Probably.

I think the point is that the blind pursuit of heroism is a bad thing and that's what he does.

No matter how you feel, don't fight about it.

Next time, we get to the final Episode in the Top 10.  A man seeks a cure and it goes horribly wrong.  See you then.

Tubi Thursday: Predator - Wastelands

 It's Mockbuster Month over on Tubi Thursdays this September.
Heaven help the idiot who came up with this idea!

To start us off, here's The Asylum's...

I guess you can't copyright 'Predator,' eh Mr. Hansen.

A Not Predator (called Alien Predator in Subtitles) lands on a strange Planet.

It's definitely not just the California Desert.

A maligned group of people- all 4 of them- live under the thumb of a bad guy.

The NP kills two bad guys, but is wounded.

The villain- Baywatch's David Chokachi- is mining gems that, you'll never guess this, also power the NP's weapons/gear.

He's a bad guy and spends as much time as possible in the singular Cave Set.

The NP eventually steps into action once again to save them, as the crystals revive/heal him.

And so begins his gradual journey to help them...sometimes.

Unlike the Film they copy, this creature never talks until the very end, so we have zero connection to this mute giant in foam rubber.

Big finale time and the NP takes off it's helmet/mask for what I can only assume is the Trailer's money shot.

It defeats the bad guys and decides that it has found a new Home.

Also, this is Earth.  It's not important to anything, but yeah, it's Earth.

The End.

A Film that definitely tries to be something bigger than it really can be.

I have a theory that The Asylum makes a Script in 3 Parts.

1) Write Script
2) Realize it is too expensive to Film
3) Cut every corner and hope it still delivers

All of this is on display as we get copy-paste minions for group shots, some possibly AI imagery, talk of a Resistance Uprising...that turns out to be 2 people.

Hell, we never see any of the Villages that 'dot the land' until one random shot of (seemingly) AI people for like 2 seconds.

They do have a decent Story, Chokachi is fun to watch as he often overacts Nic Cage-style and they have some good effects.

If they could just make them all come together at some point, I'd be happy.
Unlike this guy, who just realized that you ripped of his Trailer Shot for your own...

A Film that is not truly terrible, but it kind of drags.  There are decent ideas and people behind the Scenes...that just can't make it more than a so-so affair.

5,500th Post Celebration: Zodiac (2007)

 Alright, Internet- you win.

At long last, I've given in and watched David Fincher's 2007 Film known simply as Zodiac.
It's not about Astrology- sorry.

It's actually about the Zodiac Killer, who plagued California for a while and still remains an unsolved case- at least officially.  Everyone is 99% sure who did it, but he's dead and was never formally convicted.

This Film tells the entire tale and is based on Robert Graysmith's Book.  Coincidentally, he's also the young, handsome Lead Character in the Film.

Alongside a Reporter and countless Cops, he (eventually) works to try and solve the unsolvable case.
Where is the mystery when you know the case is unsolved?

That's a question surely asked by Fincher and company.
Maybe that's why he pivoted to Mindhunter- they were already in jail!

Is this Film a masterpiece of details or an example of cinematic excess?
To find out, read on...

In 1969, a Couple pulls off alone on July 4th.

A car pulls up and a flash blinds them until he walks up and shoots them, killing her and nearly the guy too.

A letter is sent to a bunch of newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle.  It contains a confession and a cipher message.

The Cartoonist- Graysmith- unofficially works with the lead Reporter- Paul Avery- to figure out what is going on.

Is this legit?

In September, another Couple is targeted.

This time, Zodiac is wearing a full Supervillain outfit and stabs the duo, killing the woman.

Later still, he kills a Cab Driver- Paul Stine- and the Cops miss him leaving the crime scene.

This brings in our 3rd Lead....

A Detective- Paul Toschi- who learns that this case is connected to the other killings.

It becomes his life for the next few years.

All of a sudden, this is about Robert again, as his date with Chloe Sevigny is interrupted by having to call Avery, who they suspect is in danger.

He all but taunted Zodiac and is seeking out an anonymous Lead.

The Cops eventually get enough partial leads to bring them to see a man named Arthur Leigh Allen, who fits the bill in so many ways.

John Carrol Lynch would go on to play a Killer Clown on American Horror Stories and then the most famous one not created by Stephen King.

Did this set him up for that?

Here's where the trouble really picks up...

A bunch of time passes now and the Zodiac remains silent for some reason.
Avery leaves the Paper and the case eventually becomes the obsession of Graysmith.

He's now our Lead again as he tries to connect old clues and find new ones.

Other than making him get weird phone calls and a book deal, this goes nowhere.
He goes to see Allen...and does nothing.

In 1991 (8 years after the last Graysmith Scene), the Book comes out and the survivor of the Opening Scene reappears.
He picks Allen out of a lineup...

...and the Film cuts to black now.  We get text telling us that Allen died before questioning and this didn't go anywhere.
What an unsatisfying conclusion.

A Film whose appeal is 100% clear to me...but I didn't love it.

Objectively, the Film is well-made.  It's shot well, directed well and has a good Score.

So, what's my issue exactly?
The format.  To me, it is all wrong.

The Film tells the tale chronologically and leaves out almost no details.
That's why it is so damn long and requires SO (pause) MANY (pause) TIME JUMPS.

A simple way is to tell the Story entirely from Graysmith's point of view.  Have it start when this one really makes him the Lead and you can still have the big reenactments of the murders.

Instead of happening and then being litigated an hour or so later, they happen when he covers the case for the Book.

Make him the focus and make the format of the Story- which covers from 1969 to 1983- work FOR you and not AGAINST you.

I'm sure that it is blasphemy to some people to say 'Remake this Film by Fincher,' but I'm all for it.

Speaking of things I'm all for, here's the return of James LeGros after I literally just covered his Episode of The Outer Limits!

Next time, let's resume our normal, non-anniversary activities.  In a complete tonal shift, it's time to revisit the Scary Movie franchise (since I paid $3.18 for a DVD).  Stay tuned...