DVR Theater: 'The Time Tunnel' Has a Biblical Adventure

 In a world of Streaming and accessibility is everything.  For instance, I can watch Tenet on my Phone just to piss off Christopher Nolan.

Big fan.

A somewhat forgotten way to do this is via DVR, which is essentially the 21st Century version of a VCR (even when similar-looking acronyms).

I DVR many things, but mostly old Shows that air way too late at night to watch normally.

Here in DVR Theater, I highlight those Episodes/Films.

To start, here's the original Quantum Leap from the '60s...

The premise is simple enough- these 2 guys went into the device and were shot through time.

They travel from place to place through time and always get into trouble.

In this case, they end up right before the biblical Battle of Jericho.

They straight up tell Joshua that they are from the future and he has, well, zero questions.  
How does he even understand the concept of Time Travel?!?

They tell him that they know what will happen and he's cool with that.

In fact, he makes THEM the 2 Spies that go into Jericho.

We never see the King here, but we do get this High Priest guy.

And yes, just accept that these people are all Caucasian- it was the '60s.

He's, of course, befuddled by the Israeli Army marching around his gates and doing nothing else.

Despite being told that they are Spies, our Heroes save a girl from being sacrificed to the 'God' of the City.

While this gets one of them caught and tortured, it is according to plan as the girl is the Sister of the Biblical character.

They go through a few fist fights, some intrigue and a whole B-Plot where Lee Meriweather is the only one who doesn't just believe the Bible Story.

As a bonus, the main Villain is played by Michael Pate, a big time Character Actor.

They, of course, save the day and got blipped out to the next Episode.

A fun Episode, even if you may or may not believe in the biblical Story.  The Writers clearly do, as everything happens according to the Bible.  There's also an unseen force that makes sure that the duo aren't pulled out earlier.

Putting that aside, it is a pretty good Episode.  Our Heroes aren't exactly nuanced or anything.  There's no character conflict or Arc here.

Shows like this were fun to watch, didn't make you think too hard and then you moved on with your life.  Leave the allegories to Star Trek!

You can definitely see the budget constraints here- for instance, we never actually see the Israelites' Army- but, again, just go with it.

There's an antiquated charm for older viewers who remember the Show and a real curiosity factor for people like me who weren't born yet.  There are crazier Episodes- including one with Robert Duvall!- but this one is still a stand out.

Now go buy the Leggo Toy Set for the Show already!

Next up, it is a strange time out in the Old West.  Bad guys, shoot-outs and...pocket dimensions?!?  See you then...

'80s Class: The Outsiders (1983)

There are some Films that define the people that watched it when it came out.

In my case, however, I was born the year this came out...so not so much.

The Outsiders is a 1983 Drama from Francis Ford Coppola, which is most famous for its Cast.  At the time, it was the successful adaptation of a popular Book.  Now it is the 'Did you know that XXX XXX was in this?!?' Film.

Is there more to it than that?  Is it still a Classic?

The Story is a classic Coming of Age Story set in the Past.  There were quite a few from that time- see American Graffiti- and I can probably think of a few recent ones as well.  To see how it all plays out, read on...

It is 1965 and the youth are broken up into two groups- Greasers and Socs (the rich kids).

We meet a number of the former.

Notable Cast Members include C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe (not pictured) and Tom Cruise (also not pictured).

Things take a turn when the group get involved with a Soc (Diane Lane's Cheri/Cherry).

She befriends Howell and Macchio, but the group are confronted by her very-recently-ex-Boyfriend (Leif Garrett, who's mocking is why they are all smiling on the Cover)

Nobody is smiling later.

After another fight with his brother (Swayze), Howell stays out for the night with Macchio.

They are confronted by the drunk Boyfriend and his friends, who try to DROWN Howell.

Macchio kills him in (relative) self-defense!

The duo go into hiding with the help of Dillon, disappearing in a nearby Town.

The duo get all philosophical during their absence and Coppola really leans into it with shots like this.

Before they head back, they see a Church on fire and go to help.

They manage to get the kids out, but get varying degrees of injury.

Macchio gets it the worst here.

The Film builds up to the Rumble- not to be confused with the Rumble Fish- between the two groups.

It's a short, but violent fight for everyone involved...but Howell, who is knocked out in one punch at the start.

Macchio, it seems, is paralyzed from his burns and injuries.

He keeps encouraging Howell to 'stay golden' (is that where that phrase comes from?!?)

...and he's dead.  Ouch.

To make things worse, Dillon's Character freaks out and robs a store, getting wounded in the process.

He commits suicide by cop as the guys are too late to stop him.

In the aftermath, Howell has to think about what he's learned in the last few months and we are now back to him writing, well, this Film, I guess.  The End.

A good Film- no question.  I suppose there are a few caveats to put out there...

1) If you aren't a young man and/or didn't spend much time around them, it might not be super-relatable.

2) It's Setting and Location are pretty precise, so it may not match your own.

That said, there's plenty of legitimate, human drama.  It comes from a good source material, has Coppola behind the Camera and a Cast of young, hungry Actors in front of it.

Whether you personally connect with the Characters and their plight is not the be all end all here.  You can still observe it as, well, an outsider.  I should also note that I watched the 'Complete Novel' Version and not the original Cut.  Like other Cuts, I'm pretty sure that this replaced the regular one when it came out some 20 years ago.

If you're into stuff like Stand By Me, American Graffiti or a more recent Film like, say, Licorice Pizza, give this one a look.  If nothing else, it will make you a bit scared of the Coach from The Mighty Ducks!

Next up, another dive into the (yes still growing) DVD pile.  I should bring out some more straight Horror that I'm not saving for October.  Stay tuned...

Tubi Thursday: Escape Plan 3- The Extractors (2019)

 I recently wrapped up the Ong Bak Trilogy with Tubi Thursday.

Why not do that with the Escape Plan Series too?

As a reminder, Sly called Part 2 ''TRULY THE MOST HORRIBLY PRODUCED FILM I ever had the misfortune to be in?!?'

I have high hopes!

A Chinese Businesswoman is kidnapped by some bad guys.  Why?

Well, the original Escape Plan Film made about 5x as much in China as it did in the U.S.

Oh, you mean why did they kidnap her?

Well, the bad guy- Devon Sawa- wants revenge on Stallone for killing his Dad (Vincent D'onofrio in Archival Footage).

I hope you like the color yellow, by the way.

The Crew is called in to save her.

Well, not most of them...and 50 Cent doesn't go with them.  In fact, we never see him after his 2nd Scene.

A man representing the Company her Father owned is there, along with her failed bodyguard.

Guess what- one of them is Chinese.  Shocking.

Jamie King has moved up from Lady Who Works at the Computers to Lady Who Wants to Go on the Mission.

Also she's Stallone's Girlfriend.  She's only 33 years younger.

Oh right- she's his Girlfriend, so she's kidnapped by the bad guy.

Shocking.

Taking bets on if she makes it to the end.  Any takers?  Who wants to support a longshot?!?

Can our Heroes rescues the innocent lady?

Can they make you forget that they are breaking into Shawshank (seriously, it is the same Prison for the exterior)?

More importantly, can they make the Film not feel cheap when it has 16% of the Budget of the last one?

To find out, stream the Film.

I guess I knew what to expect, didn't I?

So here's the thing: this is a Sequel to the Stallone-Schwarzenegger Film.  The latter is not in this.  The Plot is barely the same.  It exists to build Chinese Action Stars, since it was funded by Chinese Investment Companies.

Here's a thought: don't make it an Escape Plan Film.  Just make an Action Film with Stallone doing 2 fight Scenes and build it around other people.

When you make it a Sequel, you invite all of the comparisons.

For what its worth, ES 2 felt like a similar Film at points.  This one does not.

For starters, nobody breaks OUT of a Prison.  Everyone is just breaking INTO a Prison.

Also it's not a super Prison (a la Fortress 2) this time- it's just a rusty, old one in Ohio.

On the positive side, there are a few good Fight Scenes in this one, including one with Daniel Bernhardt and Batista fights a guy who's real las name is (de) Groot.

Other than that, it is pretty nothing.  Sorry, Umbrella Man.

A Film that, for me, was worse than the 2nd one.  At least that one had a Super Prison and wasn't so forgettable.

Streaming Standard: Marvel's Secret Invasion- Episodes 1 - 3

 A very popular, if uneven Marvel Comics Event is coming to Film...er, TV.
It's Disney +, so it is kind of a blurry line, to be fair.

Without the big Stars and a $300 million budget to make the Event happen, can an in-name only inspiration match up?

Let's look at Part 1 to see...

Nick Fury is back, after being dusted/blipped and then disappearing for an unknown reason.

His return is sparked by a new threat...from a long-time resident of Earth.

He's joined by Talos (aka Ben Mendelson finally getting to play a good guy twice), a fellow Skrull and long-time (as we learn later) ally.

Why is family brought into this?

A new Skrull is taking the lead and he plans to turn the whole world against itself.

Can he succeed?

Via flashbacks we learn a bit about why he is the way he is.

Does that redeem him?  No.
Does it make you understand him?  Yes.

Will Don Cheadle get another Emmy Nomination?

Well, he's in this, so probably.  He's also in it for more than one Scene, so he's got this in the bag!

With a hidden threat revealed, it must grow stronger.

Can it be stopped?

Talos and Nick must put their past behind them and work together if they want to keep us from blowing each other up.

Can they or will the bodies pile up?

To find out, stream the Show (which now has Episode 4 out) now.

A strong Show, even if it is quite different from recent fare.  It's a bit of a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation sometimes, isn't it?

If Marvel makes everything to similar, they get criticized.
If Marvel makes everything different, they are bound to make certain people unhappy and want 'the usual stuff.'

The key thing to understand is that this is Nick Fury's Marvel Show.  You're not going to get a big battle with a CGI Army anytime soon.  You aren't going to get lots of explosions all of the time.  You aren't going to get the massive battle that the Comics gave us.

Hell, many of the key players- like Norman Osborn, The Wasp and Iron Man- are either not introduced yet, not the same or not available.

While I don't necessarily agree with every choice made, I'm also willing to see how things play out.  They have 3 more Episodes to change things for better or worse.  With this roll-out, we just need to be patient.  There are only 6 Episodes, so just enjoy yourself like she seems to be.

A very different Marvel project in many ways.  I'm not asking you to love or hate anything- just watch it and decide for yourself.

Streaming Standard: Hidden Marvel Gems on Disney + for MCU Viewers

 Whether or not you like recent Marvel Films and Shows, there are good points.

To add to those points, check out some Animated Content on Disney's Streaming Platform to see other Versions and/or Adaptations.

I'll break them down into Sections...

Secret Invasion

In the first Season of Hulk and the Agents of SMASH, they do battle with Deathlok.

He seems to be the bad guy, but he's actually here to stop a Skrull attack!

On Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, we got a full version of Secret Invasion (a recent Marvel event).

It is built up from the end of Season 1 to an episode fittingly titled 'Secret Invasion'

Moon Knight

In Ultimate Spider-Man, there's a Holiday Episode featuring Moon Knight.

This one is quite different, but still fun.  It is his only Animated appearance that I can find.

Ms. Marvel

Before she got a Show or a part in The Marvels, she got to be on Avengers Assemble, the Show designed to more match the MCU.

She actually joins the team after an event leaves the original Avengers missing, along with new MCU Heroes like Vision, Black Panther, Ant-Man and The Wasp.

As if that isn't enough, she was also on Marvel Future Avengers, an Anime (Episode 15, to be exact).

Her origin is different, but she matches her comic counterpart.  I need to do a deeper look at the Show in the future.

Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

Lastly, we go back to the classic 1990s Spider-Man Cartoon to see the debut of The Spot.

He proves to be more than a joke Character in this one (like the Film), but his Arc is otherwise quite different.

Neat.

That's obviously just a few examples.  

I've already talked about Blade (who's Whistler is based on the Cartoon Version), Morbius and others in the past.

Check out more and discover your own to share.

Remake This Movie: Down (aka The Shaft) (2001)

 Movie Reviewing is really a game of patience.  Sometimes you have to wait for an obscure movie to be available to watch.
Once it is on Disc and/or Streaming, you have to pounce!

That's the case with today's Film- Down (aka The Shaft) from 2001.  It's a Remake of The Lift from 1983 by Dick Maas. 
Who Directed this one?  Dick Maas- again.

Yep, English-language Remakes with the same Director/Writer isn't just for Japanese Horror Movies (and Michael Haneke).  Let's get Dick involved too!

The Lift was about a killer Elevator.  Down is still about a killer Elevator.
Does Maas- who also Wrote this one- bring anything new to the Story nearly 20 years later?  To find out, read on...

The Film is still about a killer Elevator, although its first victims are actually...pregnant women who give birth in it due to the heat while stuck in it.

Do babies being born in the Elevator affect the Plot?  No, no they don't.

It does get our Elevator Techs into things though.

A young reporter covers the story.  It's...Naomi Watts?!?

It's one thing to do that Children of the Corn Film before you made it big.
It's another thing to do those Ring Films- Sam Raimi's company made them.

To be in the American Remake of 'The Killer Elevator Film' though?  Hmm...

It does eventually kill some people, most notably one of the 2 Horny Security Guards.

It sure was important to show them spying on a Hooker earlier so that their death would be...ironic?

It also kills a blind guy, but it is okay because he's a lecherous jerk.
It also kills his dog by proxy, which is NOT okay.

They also do the 'will it kill the little girl' bit from the original and it still doesn't.

Our Lead- the less responsible and often drunk Repair Tech- takes full duties when his buddy is killed by the Elevator and is then subsequently blamed for the other killings.

How?
Why?

Shut up, that's why!

A thing to note is that a bunch of really talented Character Actors are in this one.  They aren't 'too good for this,' since it is, after all, a Movie and they are Movie Stars.

That said, it is a bit sad for me to see people like Edward Herrman, Dan Hedaya, Jackie Hoffman, Michael Ironisde and Ron Perlman in this.

They are all actually good and stand out when, you know, the Plot involves a killer elevator powered by 'bio-organic computer chips.'

The Film peaks with a big Scene where an Elevator launches itself so fast towards the roof that the floor breaks and everyone- including children!- fall to their deaths.

When it breaches the ceiling, the Film abruptly cuts to...the White House as it is called a 'terror attack.'

This is set in NYC and was meant to be released in 2001.  Can you see why it was shelved until 2003?

Random fact for you- Comedian Ike Barinholtz is in this because he was actually living in the Netherlands when they shot this. 
So, to be clear, the Film was shot mostly not in New York City (basically just the exteriors are NYC) and with Maas' Dutch Crew.  How 'American' is this American Remake again?

Watts teams up with the Tech as more deaths occur, including a Roller Blader launched through a window!  She shows him a tape and... you fool, don't watch that tape!

You'll die in 7 days!!!  It's even blue!!!

They uncover the whole thing with the 'bio-organic chips' and Ironside takes Watts hostage.

He's killed by his own Elevator (aka petard) and they blow it up.

In the aftermath, our Heroes are now a couple.  Joy.  The End.

It's...mostly the same.  This version features Watts' Character, which is an improvement though.  She's a plucky, Lois Lane-type Reporter that does help out.

This is still a Film about a killer Elevator.  The reason is still dumb.

I wish there was more to say here, but it is mostly the same and still silly.  The stuff with the good Actors helps this feel less silly than the last one, but then suddenly more silly.  Should I explain?

So, for instance, we get a well-acted Scene where Perlman- in his last appearance- tells Ironside that things have gone too far and he can't support him.  A slow, serious silence follows.
After that, all of the stuff about 'bio-organic chips' is explained.

What's funny about the delay in this being released is that it came out AFTER 2002's The Ring is that it was then marketed as a Horror Film like that one.  Joy.

Next up, we get back on track to cover more Films from my still-ever-growing DVD pile.  It's likely more Sci-Fi though.  Stay tuned...