George-Miller Movie Reviews

All right, so this isn't really a happy ending either. (the show wasn't really a 'happy ending' kind of series) The problem with Blake's 7, after this volume, is that it becomes ever darker and darker and more reliant upon needless violence to flesh out many of the stories to the required time. This is a pity, too, because Blake's 7 (up to this point) always seemed to me how the BBC would have done Star Trek, had they been asked to produce it. While it is fun, in a series, to see all your favorite characters 'doing it all again, one more time', watching the way that season 4 destroys the characters and everything that they've worked for almost makes one wish that the BBC hadn't extended the show the extra season. On the other hand, perhaps I am just being morbid. Watch the remaining episodes if you wish, but mark my words: it will all just end in tears.

A welcome "return" (?) of a missing central character in Terminal in a well written episode. Should the series have ended with this episode? No. There are darker sides to come in series 4 ...

The next vol. of Blake's 7 entitled TERMINAL and RESCUE

In the epsidoe entitled TERMINAL
Avon has been avoding the crew. The few times Avon has been corned by any of the crew he has threaten to kill them. The only clue they have is the heading for the planet called Terminal. What little to know of the planet is that it was man made and it seems that Avon is going alone. Avon goes down and finds a Federation base and there he finds....Blake. The others begin to worry so Tarrant and Cally head down as well. But Dayna and Villa are being attacked by some kind of space leech that is killing Liberator. Avon soon finds out it is a trap by Servalan she wants nothing more then the Liberator. Avon not knowing what is happening to the Liberator begins a deadly bargin that may or may not work out. This marks a truly sad point in the series with the loss of the Liberator and marking a darker turn in the universe of Blake's 7 that no one would ever thought of.
In the next epsidoe entitled RESCUE
The Liberator is destoyed even worse the base that Avon and the others were in has just exploded with Cally still in it. Avon, Villa, Tarrant,Dayna and Orac have nothing, no weapons and very little chance to live. The life on Terminal is dangerous but all seems not lost a ship lands and a salvage operator named Dorian comes to the rescue. Soon on board the ship Scorpio they head to where Dorian lives and works. But all seems not to be as Dorain has a vast complex and seems to be getting older by the second. Even his compaion the trigger happy Soolin seems to wonder what is going on. Have Avon and the others found themselves in a trap that not even the federation could have come up with. If so then who is springing the trap?

... we all wondered when watching the final moments of "Orac", a masterly episode. "redemption" is a very disappointing follow up but "orac" paves the way for risky catastrophic series finales. Keep watching

The next thrilling volume of Blake's 7 contains epsidoes entitled
ORAC and Redempton
In the epsidoe entitled ORAC
Blake unable to help the pilot or the doctor who crashed landed goes to the planet they were heading for the planet Aristo where the pilot dying words were "Federation willing to pay any price for....ORAC". Blake wants to know who or what is ORAC and why the federation will go to such lengeths to aquire it. Unknown to Blake and the others Servalan and Travis have already landed on Aristo and are searching the near water planet for ORAC. Blake enroute notices that Avon, Villa, Gan and Jenna all have radiation sickness and no medical supplies to help them. Blake gambles with his crew to find ORAC, save them all and somehow escape from the clutches of Servalan and Travis.
In the next epsidoe entitled Redemption
Blake has a new weapon in his fight against the Federation and his name is ORAC. However ORAC is being difficult and doesn't seem to be very helpful to Blake and the others. ORAC shows the crew an image of the Liberator then exploding. Blake is horrified to see the ship he is on explode. Blake doesn't know what to do. Just then an unknown ship comes right at them they try to our run it but it matches speed for speed. Blake and the others figure it is not the Federation but they also wonder who can create a ship like the Liberator? Soon Zen can not speak to the crew they are attacked and taken prisoner. Blake trying to figuyre out who this new threat is and can he avoid his future?

Volume 7 of "Blake's 7" on video contains two more episodes of this engrossing British sci-fi TV series. The first of the pair, "Orac," introduces a new character--the artificial intelligence named Orac--to the crew. The second episode, "Redemption," delves into the mystery behind the space ship Liberator.

"Orac" is a suspenseful continuation of the previous episode, "Deliverance" (on tape 6). As the episode begins, Blake's crew is sick with radiation poisoning, and are racing to the planet Aristo--where they hope to find medicine for their sickness, and also to deliver a life-saving device to a dying scientist. But the crew has some surprises in store for them. This episode is rich in irony and intrigue.

"Redemption" contains an element of mystery as the crew tries to figure out an ominous prediction from supercomputer Orac. The episode opens with a battle in space, and the crew's odyssey continues as they encounter a strange, but highly advanced, alien civilization. These episodes are essential chapters in the B7 saga. If you like sci-fi with compelling characters and memorable dialogue, check out these and other episodes of this great series.

Oh those nasty, inbred, brain-dead, rural neo-Nazis. The only thing worse than their hateful dipshit ideology, is their auto-pilot propensity for brutally carrying out their agenda. The swastika-huggers in THIS film don't seem to be able to spell AGENDA very well, though.

From the "grand old man" George Lincoln Rockwell to today's wanna-be Stormtroopers, the militant fringe is exposed in their own words. Seething with hate, and ready for an excuse to launch a "rahowa" (Racial Holy War). This film is as disturbing as it is necessary to watch. If you can find it, watch the even earlier documentary "California Reich" to see this madness in it's incubation.

instead of having commentary on what to think about the aryan nations, klan, etc., we are presenting with the facts and to make our OWN minds up as to what to think of them. I could not help but go back to the part where the lady says (and to paraphrase) that if we took away G.L.R.s right to speak we would be doing much the same to ourselves. This documentary was fantasticly laid out and presented to us and this should be viewed by all, especially those who don't like being told what to think.

Isn't Mr Guy receiving more than his fair share of attention these days ? This is a fine sample of what a young director can do with a copy of Adobe Premiere and a good PC ! Don't get me wrong, the music is TERRIFIC, sound is above average (it's recorded live at Legends, Guy's Club), the band is first class... Picture quality is OK, I guess, with 3-4 cameras buzzing around the place (a lot of angles, good thing) and a mediocre sepia-toning thing over the whole video, except -here comes! - the TERRIBLE cutscenes where your good frined Buddy Guy gets all-down-home-homey and warm, and starts telling stories of the past, his first cigar-box-guitar, the first time he met the blues, and, guess what ? ALL CUTSCENES are over solos! First song, first solo, Buddy breaks a string, everybody's laughing, oops.. a cutscene, solo in the back, picture comes back to the club after solo ends ! Poor editing? Buddy's tendency for overexposure ? Buy this tape for the music, and JUST LISTEN to it, no need to watch it (that is, if you're not fed up with his Royal Bluesness already)

Buddy Guy plays very good on this video, as well the Saturday Night Live Band. What stands out in this film is the footage of the old Chicago Blues Clubs that have been closed down and their present day look. Buddy gives informative background on the old days, his perspective on the Blues and the role he's had. Playing in a small club you get limited camera angles, so I saw better footage of Buddy Guy at the Muddy Waters tribute on PBS. It's still worth the purchase though because he's playing more straight Blues, keeping the "Hendrix Style" to a minimum.

I have been to Buddy Guy's Legends nightclub in Chicago and this video captures Buddy at his best jammin with GE Smith and the SNL band in Legend's itself...excellent direction with interviews with Buddy telling about the early days of the Chicago Blues scene...sound is excellent and I truly enjoyed watching Buddy and GE trade blues guitars licks...a must see video...

I didn't like this movie at all. No movie made of any books of Danielle Steel is good, well it's rare that a movie is as good as the book is, the book is always better. I had like reading the book but the movie who was made out of it was so bad and boring!

I saw this movie twice on TV and loved it both times; I've been looking for it to buy so I can add it to my "Classic" collection, along with Dr. Zhivago. Very worth seeing, buying. Robert Urich's performance is fantastic; as usual he pulls the audience in and allows it to feel what he is feeling whether it's laughing or crying. His eyes are so incredible, his look so deep; he easily enters your heart. He did mine... and will remain there.

This is a rich drams with some nice twists and turns. Best of all is the opportunity to see Robert Urich in a role that allows him to express the sensitivity and caring that he had in real life. The story is sweet -- definitely captivating -- but it's especially dear to me now that Robert Urich is no longer with us. A special man and fine actor, he is superb in this film. Many of us will miss him and recall his courage and good humor as he dealt with his illness. As good as this film is, Robert Urich's performance is worth the price of admission! It's also safe to say that any Danielle Steel fan will *love* this movie!

The next exciting vol. of Blake's 7 entitled VOICE FROM THE PAST and GAMBIT
Ex-Arbiter General Ven Glynd is trying to make contact with Blake and the others. He and he alone has information regarding Servalan and her motives to take control of the Federation. Blake thinks this maybe the key to stopping the Federation. Avon wonders why Blake is acting so strange around Ven Glynd and his group. Can Blake figure out who is telling the truth or is this another cunning trap laid out by the Federation for him?
In the next epsidoe entitled GAMBIT
Blake gotten word that a medical officer named Docholli may know where control is. Blake heads for Freedom City a place where gamblers can win and loose fortunes in a mere moment. What Blake doesn't know is that Servalan is already there finding Docholli so she can find control. What both Blake and Servalan don't know is that Travis has found Docholli and seems to be protecting him. All the while Avon and Villa get a rather good idea to use ORAC to get some money while Blake tries to find his man.

Volume 12 of the "Blake's 7" video series contains two more episodes of this British sci-fi series. These episodes continue the saga of interplanetary rebel Blake, his starship Liberator, and his ongoing campaign against the tyrannical Federation.

In "Voice from the Past," Blake is suffering aftereffects of the brainwashing he had suffered at the hands of Federation thugs. He and the crew of the Liberator become entangled in Federation leader Servalan's latest plot. Although there are some good aspects to this episode, I found it to be less than effective. The show struck me as rather stiffly directed and acted in parts.

But "Gambit," the second episode on the tape, is marvelous. In this story Blake and the crew infiltrate Freedom City, a "wild west"-type outpost that is independent of the Federation. Freedom City is an incredibly decadent and baroque place, with a profitable gambling industry. Servalan refers to the place as a "pestilential rat-hole"--ironically, she seems to fit in perfectly! This episodes features some of the series' most outrageous costumes and characters (in particular, Freedom City's foppish leader), and some great guest performances. And as a bonus, the artificial intelligence Orac reveals a surprising new ability. There are some great Avon-Vila moments, and the plot helps build up to the explosive second-season finale (on the next video).

B7 has inspired quite a cult following over the years, and these episodes demonstrate some of the qualities that make the series a classic of sci-fi TV. Check this video out.

"Voice from the Past" takes what was given in the first episode and turns into a great sequel, turning originally two-dimensional one-off characters into 3D masterpieces. It's great to see Blake's prosecutor defect and turn against the Federation! The whole episode deals with Blake, trechery, deception, and more... and perfectly done.

"Gambit" is odd for a Robert Holmes story as he usually writes top-notch stuff. Making ORAC inexplicably shrink for a while is obviously what ruins the story, but the rest of it is not bad by any means. But it is a thorn which sticks in the side of an otherwise typical story with the usual Robert Holmes' gift of making cool characters.

Definitely worth owning, though!

The next vol. of Blake's 7 with epsidoes CHILDREN OF AURON and RUMORS OF DEATH
In the episode entitled CHILDREN OF AURON
Avon is tracking a famed Federation torturer called the Shrinker. Avon found out that he was the one who killed his belvoed Anna. The others trying to stay out of Avon way as he begins his plans for revenge. Meanwhile Servalan is once again taking the Federation reconstruction to the next planet..the planet of Auron. There Servalan will take the peace loving people and make them part of the Federation by any means. Cally sister sends out a mental plea to her begging for help. A strange epidemic has erupted. Cally needs to go but Avon plans seems to be getting in they way. Will Avon get his rvenge or will Cally be the last of her people?
In the next epsidoe entitled RUMORS OF DEATH
Servalan has finally settled into the role of Federation president. She is about to host the most powerful people of the Federation but before the festivities begin an uprising on Earth begins. Servalan finds herself a prisoner and facing death very soon. Meanwhile Avon finding out that Shrinker was not the one who killed Anna but a Federation agent called "Bartolomew". Now Avon has set a course for Earth and is going to find his revenge of die trying.

These episodes get the series back on track following the disastrous "City at the Edge of the World." "Children of Auron" is an interesting premise whose ending doesn't quite deliver. Servalan hatches a plan which will destroy most or all of the population of Auron, Cally's home world. (It is interesting to note that many of the third season's episodes revolve around Cally and her telepathic abilities, almost to the series' detriment.) Servalan's plan is ultimately revealed to be creating offspring in her own image and capturing the Liberator. This episode starts off well, but has a weak ending. "Rumours of Death" is one of the most unique episodes in the entire Blake's 7 series. Servalan is put in very real danger and removed from her usually glamorous settings. It is great to see her character in a such a different situation. The plot revolves around Avon seeking revenge for the murder of a woman he greatly loved in the past. There are several twists and turns and the episode moves along briskly. It is a five star episode in and of itself and is one of best episodes in the entire Blake's series.

Children of Auron sees another, not too credible, side of Servalan and the deaths of numerous hench men.

Rumours of death is an excellent well plotted conspiracy story. Shot on location in a large country house, the plot centres around Servalan's address to the federation and the conspiracies to kill her.

Avon's (Paul Darrow) exchanges with Shrinker open the episode and makes extremely entertaining viewing. One of the best Blake's 7 episodes I have been fortunate enough to see.

"Power" continues the story from "Terminal", the crew are trapped on the planet Xenon with no way to get to their newly acquired ship Scorpio, watch Avon---cold and ruthless as ever, kill men and women in a battle of the sexes for Scorpio.

"Traitor" Tarrant beams down on a planet to learn about the Federation's new secret weapon and joins the planet's resistance fighters; he also sees an old friend, he had hoped was dead.

The next vol. of Blake's 7 entitled POWER and TRAITOR

In the episode entitled POWER
Avon and the others escaping from Dorians trap now have run of his base. However they can not get to the ship Scorpio in the silo. Avon, Tarrant and Dayna explore the planet and find primative warriors living in what looks to be an old military base. Villa is trying to crack open the door but instead finds a dangerous trap a nuclear compression charge. Now time is running close Avon and the others have to figure out how the warriors play into the twisted plans of Dorian and Villa must defuse the charge before the whole planet goes.
In the next epsidoe entitled TRAITOR
The Federation has been rebuilding faster then ever and the latest planet is Helotrix. Helotrix is famed for having the most savage and brutal warriors in the universe so how did they surrender so easily? Avon and the others decide to find out. There the Federation have settled in and are fighting off the last of rebels of the planet. Trying to figure out what is going on they also find out some news Servalan is no longer president. Something strange is going on Helotrix but both mystries have the same answer. Will Avon figure it out soon?

first I would like to say These episodes do NOT have Garth Thomas in them. They are exelent episodes among my favorites of Blakes 7. I did always like the later ones best though. Other then the last episode Garth is only in the first 2 seasons I believe.

Thanks to the censors, Mae West's final film for Paramount is a tame little farce that trades heavily on the star's (fairly lame) impersonation of a brunette Frenchwoman. Dressed by Schiaparelli, she looks great, but it's a dull affair.

In her final picture for Paramount, Mae stars as a confidence woman named Peaches O'Day, who sells the Brooklyn Bridge and is run out of New York City; she comes back disguised (in a black wig) as French singer Fifi and exposes some crooked cops! The Hays office again came down heavily on Mae's suggestive behaviour, and this left her with little to work with. Mae's rather restricted range of expression and movement was, by 1937, beginning to pall on the public. Purity Leaguers still kept a corset on her screen dialogue, but she had just outraged both the church and press with a bawdy version of the Adam and Eve tale on the radio. This Emanuel Cohen production was actually one of her better vehicles, colourfully set in New York City of the 1890's. Mae sells the Brooklyn Bridge to easy mark Herman Bing, who's run out of town by cop Edmund Lowe and is brought back to trap a corrupt police chief (Lloyd Nolan). The lively Jo Swerling plot was scripted by West as usual, and director Edward Sutherland got laughs via pros like Charles Winninger, Chester Conklin, Charles Butterworth and Louis Armstrong. West's curves were adorned - for the only time - by the famed designer Schiaparelli. Mae made four more pictures and many stage tours before she died in 1980 at 87.

Celebrate New Year's Eve 1999 with this classic comedy set on New Year's Eve 1899! Legendary sexpot Mae West, super sexy at age 44 here, plays a bad girl who climbs into politics wrong by wrong (don't they all! ) She promotes husky hunk Edmund Lowe - no doubt she loves his platform. Mae is the only woman in the picture except for a few bit part character actresses - needlessly to say it was HER favorite of her own films.

I've never followed the history of Henry Kissinger until recently. Now I'm determined to learn as much as I can. Perhaps that's because he's so much in the news these days. Perhaps its because I just saw a documentary film about him that painted him as an evil war criminal. And perhaps its just because I just want to know everything.

This 1995 Turner Classic video focuses on the Paris peace talks in 1972 and the roles of Kissinger and Nixon to try to bring the Vietnam war to a conclusion. It stars Ron Silver as Kissinger and Beau Bridges as Nixon. Both look ridiculous in their mask-like makeup. And both try hard, and sometimes succeed, in stepping into the shoes of the characters they represent.

The Richard Nixon represented here is arrogant, rather stupid and yet politically savvy - his only feelings about the Vietnam War being how it affects his upcoming election. He's surrounded by his Wasp cronies with whom he drinks bourbon and makes secret plans, which are targeted to make Kissinger come out as the bad guy. The Henry Kissinger represented here noticeably winces at Nixon's constant anti-Semitic remarks, eats pastries instead of drinking hard liquor, and is lonely despite his dates with Hollywood actresses. He's the stereotyped Jewish intellectual who is left out of the real power decisions.

As in other made-for-TV movies, the script is over-acted, over-simplified and one-dimensional. They even depict the leaders of North and South Vietnam as speaking English with their own over-simplified political agendas. It did, however, teach me a bit about history and about the hard choices that had to be made which include the fact that everyone knew that when the Americans pulled out, there would be a bloodbath in South Vietnam. The script did hold my interest however. Also, as far it went, it was a small introduction about the hatred between Kissinger and Nixon and the complexity of politics.

What is the truth, however? A lot of questions surface in my mind. Nixon comes across as the villain in this film. But Kissinger is currently being vilified in the press. What really happened at the Paris peace talks? Surely, the answer lies somewhere outside the realm of these films. I plan on learning more, but sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do it all.

Yes. I recommend this film. I recommend them all. Especially if you're interest has been raised in seeking the truth.

I'm probably not alone here, but I must confess that I often use politically themed movies as a bit of a history lesson. There are always going to be certain caveats that one must keep in mind--political bias, dramatic license, etc. But if one remembers that what one is viewing is indeed a fiction, usually some essential truths are revealed. In this case it would be the level of animosity that existed between Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger. The Amazon critic above describes it as a "love/hate relationship with emphasis on the hate." I'd go further than that. In this film, there is little evidence of ANY love (lost or otherwise) between these two powerful men.

It's hardly surprising that as paranoid a politician as Richard Nixon mistrusted Kissinger. And his privately referring to him as "my Jewboy" has been reported before. But this film makes clear that Nixon was ready and eager to rid himself of his superstar advisor as soon as the war was over. Beneath all the politicking and conspiring is an undercurrent of jealousy which characterized Nixon throughout his entire political career.

Director Daniel Petrie, who had previously won an Emmy for "Eleanor and Franklin," steers his actors beyond caricaturization (so easy a trap to fall into with figures like Nixon and Kissinger) and moves gracefully through a somewhat formulaic script. Scenes of backrooom politicking in Washington ring true, although those between Asian politicos (both in North and South Viet Nam) do not. The scriptwriters seem to understand the dynamics of Washington politics quite well, but end up portraying their Asian counterparts as being alternately inscutable or just American-style politicos with an accent.

The film is very well cast. Ron Silver is impressive as Kissinger, and Beau Bridges is surprisingly effective as Nixon (who would ever have thought?). The other actors, who play less well known figures in the Nixon adminstration, have an easier time of it, although Matt Frewer's Alexander Haig doesn't quite jibe with the image we came to have of the general during the Reagan yers. As portrayed, he's almost, well, sensitive, and certainly conflicted over his "double agent" status within the administration. Now that's where I need a further history lesson. The Haig I thought I knew seemed as Machiavellian as the next guy. Maybe Turner Broadcasting will tackle him someday.

I liked this film because because it was the first film to explore Henry Kissinger's life in the Nixon White House. It also depicted Kissinger's attempts to end the war in Vietnam and the frequent disagreements between Nixon and Kissinger. The performances in this film were convincing and realistic. I really enjoyed this film. I hope it comes out on DVD.