George-Miller Movie Reviews

This has to be one of teh best SNL videos by far. It is just hilarious. YOu can watch it over and over adn still laugh like it was the first tiem you've seen it. I would defently recomend anyone who wants a good laugh to buy this video!

1988 was a great year for SNL, and it really shows in this great collection!

"Headhunter" Tarrant and Vila are trap in space with somethings so dangerous, even the supercomputer orca is afraid and goes into hiding. Watch and wonder if Avon will leaves them in space to die.

"Assassin" learning, his love/hate archenemy Servalan is hiring a hitman to get him, Avon goes all-out to kill Servalan first.

The next vol. of Blake's 7 entitled STARDRIVE and ANIMALS

In the epsidoe entitled STARDRIVE
The main engine drive of Scorpio is destroyed beyond repair. Orac finds Avon an engineer for him. Her name is Dr. Plaxton famed for creating some of the universe fastest sapce crafts. Avon and the others set out in the crippled Scorpio in search for her. What they find are the dreaded Space Rats. A group of speed loving maniacs who live for nothing but speed and brutality. Avon knowing the risks goes to try and rescue the good Doctor to give Scorpio the needed boost to keep themselves one step ahead of the Federation.
In the next epsidoe entitled ANIMALS
Avon now trying to fight the Federation pacification program seeks out experts to save the universe. The first stop is Bucol 2 a planet in which a former lover of Dayna lives. Tarrant goes along with her to meet the great Justin former Federation genetic engineer. Soon on the planet Dayna finds the creatures that Justin has worked on so long monsters that can witstand even radiation itself. Dayna is thrilled to be with Justin again but before long the Federation has found her and the others. Tarrant forced to leave with Scorpio heads off hoping to have them follow but with no such luck. On borad the Federation ship is Servalan or under her new name Commisar Sil. Thought dead she has taken a new identiy to once again become president of the Federation.

The next vol. of Blake's 7 entitled VOLCANO and DAWN OF THE GODS

In the episode entitled VOLCANO
Avon is taking full advantage of the Federation in disarray over the war with the alien armada. His first stop is the planet Obsidian. The planet somehow managed to stay out of the war and away from the Federation. Dayna and Tarrant go to investiagte why. Meanwhile Servalan takes the reminatns of the fleet and begins to clean up the Federation but she just happens to spot the Liberator near the planet Obsidian. Servalan wants the Liberator and wants to know why the planet is so important to those on the Liberator. Will Servalan win could this be the end of it all?
In the next episode entitled DAWN OF THE GODS
Liberator is heading for a black hole but what Avon and the others can't figure out is why it wasn't there a few seconds ago? Soon they are hurled into the black hole excpeting never to return but then Cally begins to get a metnal command from the Thaarn an ancient tale told to children of Cally people. Could the Thaarn created the black hole? Could Cally be the first to see if the Thaarn is nothing more then a story of something far worse?

These shorts show some of D.W.Griffith's early films from 1909 thru 1913. In these films you can also see Griffith's directing improve over the 4 years. While a couple of the shorts were rather weak and slow paced. (Corner in Wheat and The Unchanging Sea) Others were fast paced and showed Griffith' exceptional style. The included short HIS TRUST (1911) showed Civil War action much like his later BIRTH OF A NATION. Gish fans will enjoy the early performances of Lillian and Dorothy. The Score was quite good also. I am greatful to have this video available and in my small collection.

"Over The Hill" is good. I watched it on the Independent Film Channel. What I liked most about the film: 1)The main character. 2)The engaging road story. 3)What HAPPENS in the road story. 4)The action. What I didn't exactly like about the film: 1)The ending. Way too fast of an ending. 2)The main character's downward slope into depression and anger. It's a George Miller film. It seems as though he can make anything interesting. Whether it be about driving on mindless roads or cooking fish, it's all just too entertaining. Rent first.

Pat O'Brien plays a weary but slick detective in Panama, cutting through deception and dodging death while he tries to locate a map of rich oil fields. That's as much story as there is, and if left in Monogram's hands, this film may have been nothing special. But this was made by RKO and directed by Ted Tetzlaff, who brings a grand eye to the proceedings.

Tetzlaff lensed Hitchcock's Notorious, and this is a similarly crafted piece, with good, conspicuous, yet never intrusive direction. Tetzlaff employs well-designed scene transitions, compositions, tracking shots, and the like. In fact, I found the famed silent opening to be the *least* interesting part of the movie.

As with most RKO products of this era, some nifty dialogue is dispersed throughout, although the movie as a whole perks up considerably when the delightful and beautiful Jeffreys is on screen, especially in the wisecracking department. I had not discovered her before this, but she has a grabbing presence, in the type of role more often played by Jane Greer or Ann Sheridan.

O'Brien as our hero is not exactly possessed of a superhero's build, mind or morals, but that works in the context of the story. He's a very human character who is supremely comfortable in these limited surroundings and perhaps nowhere else, although the movie doesn't reveal much background about his Dan Hammer persona. BTW, you've gotta love that hackneyed (Dan Turner, Mike Hammer) PI name! Although I do not think any other self-respecting hard-boiled PI would be caught dead in the fuzzy fedora Pat wears here.

For comic relief there is nice old coot Percy Kilbride as Pat's driver/ sidekick/ boss/ pal/father figure. And if all those words seem to contradict each other, you're right. They do. One funny scene has him entertain Jeffreys in his broken-down cab, which he says also functions as Hammer's waiting room.
Walter Slezak is effective as a wannabe Greenstreet. His part starts out bland but gets more interesting later in the film, benefiting from some framing devices designed to portray him as a cinema grotesque, and as his methods become more brutal.
Handsome but weaselly RKO regular Jerome Cowan is fine in what is basically a throwaway role.

This movie is hurt slightly by the fact that the map everyone seeks was hidden where it was, a place I will not reveal here. But the audience finds out early on, and it lends a slight air of "Oh, come on!" to the whole affair. I know, hiding the great whatsit in plain sight is the best place sometimes, but from its location this particular mcguffin practically tweaked everyone seeking it right on the smeller. There's a good fight over the map near the end, though, so I'm mostly forgiving.

Digressions and miniscule complaints aside, I recommend this along with just about any other RKO movie from the 40's that you can find (which ain't always easy, friend).

A great special for a great show...BUT DON'T BUY THIS VHS! I bought it for 14.95 and i spent 9.95 too much. It is recorded in EP mode, so it doen't come in very well. If you want an SNL special worth every penny, get the 25th Annaversary Special.

the show was in a bad spot when crystal and short were recruited to save it and that's exactly what they did and that is the higlight of these videos and that is why this is essential if you are a fan of either of these comedians or a fan of the show. The swimming sketch when short can't swim gets me every time.