Martin-Landau Movie Reviews

In summary, I recommend purchasing this tape for the FDR piece if you really want a good idea of what this former writer and cast member of Late Night with David Letterman can do.

That's the plot focus but it's really the milieu of the British boxing world and Caine's outstanding performance that drive this baby home. Shiner not only has a violent temper; he's also convinced everyone's out to get him. Invoking the same gritty Cockney accent and gangster manner of the lead in the great 1971 Mike Hodges film Get Carter, Caine goes all out. You can see his whole face contort when he's in a rage (often). Compare this to his performance in The Cider House Rules and you can see the terrific range he has.

The supporting cast is very strong with excellent performances by Kenneth Cranham (from the notorious Hellraiser 2), Frances Barber, and many others. This is a great follow-up to Get Carter and an excellent addition to the director's (John Irvin) body of work. Check out his City of Industry with Harvey Keitel, another terrific tough crime film.

Billy is on top of the world on the day of the fight--everything he has worked for culminates in this night--in this fight. And when things begin to unravel, Shiner does anything and everything to keep the fight and his vision of life on track.

Michael Caine plays this role as only he can. He is amusing and slightly sleazy one moment and deadly the next. Is he just a proud father who pushes his son, or is his ruthless ambition completely out-of-control? Michael Caine is the master of the "ice-cold glance," (notice how his eyelids actually shift shape)and this film showcases Caine's remarkable talent for moving seamlessly from a jocular role to instant evil.

If you are a Michael Caine fan, you may also enjoy "Get Carter." The original "Get Carter"--not the Stallone remake.

That's the plot focus but it's really the milieu of the British boxing world and Caine's outstanding performance that drive this baby home. Shiner not only has a violent temper; he's also convinced everyone's out to get him. Invoking the same gritty Cockney accent and gangster manner of the lead in the great 1971 Mike Hodges film Get Carter, Caine goes all out. You can see his whole face contort when he's in a rage (often). Compare this to his performance in The Cider House Rules and you can see the terrific range he has.

The supporting cast is very strong with excellent performances by Kenneth Cranham (from the notorious Hellraiser 2), Frances Barber, and many others. This is a great follow-up to Get Carter and an excellent addition to the director's (John Irvin) body of work. Check out his City of Industry with Harvey Keitel, another terrific tough crime film.

Billy is on top of the world on the day of the fight--everything he has worked for culminates in this night--in this fight. And when things begin to unravel, Shiner does anything and everything to keep the fight and his vision of life on track.

Michael Caine plays this role as only he can. He is amusing and slightly sleazy one moment and deadly the next. Is he just a proud father who pushes his son, or is his ruthless ambition completely out-of-control? Michael Caine is the master of the "ice-cold glance," (notice how his eyelids actually shift shape)and this film showcases Caine's remarkable talent for moving seamlessly from a jocular role to instant evil.

If you are a Michael Caine fan, you may also enjoy "Get Carter." The original "Get Carter"--not the Stallone remake.

SERIES BACKGROUND: The show follows the adventures of the Alphans, unlucky inhabitants of a human base on the moon. In "Breakaway", nuclear waste stored on the moon spontaneously explodes, blasting the moon out of orbit and into a wider cosmos.

On This tape:
In "Alpha Child", the Alphan's worries are briefly allayed by the birth of the first native lunar-born human. Joy is tempered when the child begins exhibiting strange signs....of something. This started as one of the serious episodes though with Julian Glover running around the base in what looks like a toga, it looks more like a season-2 episode. The mystery and resolution are way too pat and unsatisfying, and this is the low point of the tape.

"Last Sunset" is a more sensitive episode, briefly liberating the Alphans from the confines of their base. When Alpha appears to near orbit of another alien world, the planet sends a fleet of small probes to give the moon an atmosphere. The effects on our heroes of their new-found freedom seem poignant, especially when you know it won't last - even the closing shots seem wonderfully fleshed out, as the sun sets on the moon one last time.

"Voyager's Return" has the Alphan's sharing an unwelcome reunion with the Queller probe, a huge, unmanned spaceship powered by a revolutionary engine that destroys anything it comes in contact with. Getting past the implausibility of the premise (the dangers of the engine were realized before it was launched; you'd think that with the research and money spent, they would have realized its destructive potential before it was given a chance to endanger anybody), this was a pretty compelling idea. Confronting the despised Professor Queller (who, luckily enough, was staying on Alpha at "Breakaway" under an assumed name), the Alphans learn to forgive him for the destruction he unwittingly caused with his engine, and narrowly avert extinction when the probe nears the moon. Unfortunately for our heroes, theirs is not the only cross Queller has to bear, and the probe itself is not alone when it passes near the moon.

Despite this, I went to see "X-Files: Fight the Futre" and I became an immediate fan. The movie is a great starting point for people unfamiliar with the series. The movie, through some clever dialogue and settings, gives a brief back history of the characters and events that have led up to the film, which served as a bridge between seasons 5 and 6 of the televison program. Fans of the series criticized the film, stating that the movie simplifed the immense conspiracy that had been developed by the series, but I found that, having no background with the X-files, it was just the catalyst I needed to launch my interest and give me the foundation for following the series.

The story introduces us to Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovney) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), members of a classified agency within the heart of the F.B.I. that investigates paranormal and extra-terrestrial activities. It is established early in the film that Mulder and Scully have been removed from the X-files, for reasons which were established in the television series. Despite this fact, they stumble across an "incident" that occurs in Texas, where a cover-up has been put into motion that will lead them to some extraordinary discoveries that nearly costs them their lives.

My synopsis of the film is deliberately vague, and for those of you reading this for understanding, I can say only that it is better that you come into this film with an open mind about it, as I did when I first saw it. The reason I give for this is that the story is not merely an independent film, but part of a much larger storyline that encompasses a generational television series, with this film serving as one of the high point in the series plot. You need to approach it without a pre-conceived notion as to what the film is about, because, as I experienced with my inital viewing of the film, the movie left me with as many questions as it answered, and because of my interest in the film, I went in search of a greater understanding of the stories and characters found within the X-files.

The film was obviously produced on a much larger production budget than that of the television show, but, to its credit, the movie does not spend a lot of time using special effects to create tension. Instead, the tension of the film is built in the same way it is done in the television show-by providing paranoia that stems from shadowy agents within the Federal Government who act in the interest of their private agendas. The resulting effect is a movie that works well on creating paranoia and leaves you anticipating, but never really knowing, whats going to happen next.

The film features much of the production talent of the series, including direction for Carter, as well as a great soundtrack by Mark Snow, who had the aid of an orchestra to amplify his classic television scoring. In addition, all of the principles of the series are present.

This movie, in this reviewers opinion, arrived at a time when the X-files was at the prime of its success and popularity, and it is definitely a strong installment in the X-files franchise. Since my initial viewing of this film, I have become an avid fan, a "philer" if you will, and I still find the film to be a great installment in a series which implored that the audience "TRUST NO ONE". Well make an exception and trust me when I say that "X-Files: Fight the Future" is a worthwhile film, and a great adventure for fans of the series, or for those who have never before experienced the adventures and investigations of Mulder and Scully.

Scott Kolecki

Despite this, I went to see "X-Files: Fight the Futre" and I became an immediate fan. The movie is a great starting point for people unfamiliar with the series. The movie, through some clever dialogue and settings, gives a brief back history of the characters and events that have led up to the film, which served as a bridge between seasons 5 and 6 of the televison program. Fans of the series criticized the film, stating that the movie simplifed the immense conspiracy that had been developed by the series, but I found that, having no background with the X-files, it was just the catalyst I needed to launch my interest and give me the foundation for following the series.

The story introduces us to Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovney) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), members of a classified agency within the heart of the F.B.I. that investigates paranormal and extra-terrestrial activities. It is established early in the film that Mulder and Scully have been removed from the X-files, for reasons which were established in the television series. Despite this fact, they stumble across an "incident" that occurs in Texas, where a cover-up has been put into motion that will lead them to some extraordinary discoveries that nearly costs them their lives.

My synopsis of the film is deliberately vague, and for those of you reading this for understanding, I can say only that it is better that you come into this film with an open mind about it, as I did when I first saw it. The reason I give for this is that the story is not merely an independent film, but part of a much larger storyline that encompasses a generational television series, with this film serving as one of the high point in the series plot. You need to approach it without a pre-conceived notion as to what the film is about, because, as I experienced with my inital viewing of the film, the movie left me with as many questions as it answered, and because of my interest in the film, I went in search of a greater understanding of the stories and characters found within the X-files.

The film was obviously produced on a much larger production budget than that of the television show, but, to its credit, the movie does not spend a lot of time using special effects to create tension. Instead, the tension of the film is built in the same way it is done in the television show-by providing paranoia that stems from shadowy agents within the Federal Government who act in the interest of their private agendas. The resulting effect is a movie that works well on creating paranoia and leaves you anticipating, but never really knowing, whats going to happen next.

The film features much of the production talent of the series, including direction for Carter, as well as a great soundtrack by Mark Snow, who had the aid of an orchestra to amplify his classic television scoring. In addition, all of the principles of the series are present.

This movie, in this reviewers opinion, arrived at a time when the X-files was at the prime of its success and popularity, and it is definitely a strong installment in the X-files franchise. Since my initial viewing of this film, I have become an avid fan, a "philer" if you will, and I still find the film to be a great installment in a series which implored that the audience "TRUST NO ONE". Well make an exception and trust me when I say that "X-Files: Fight the Future" is a worthwhile film, and a great adventure for fans of the series, or for those who have never before experienced the adventures and investigations of Mulder and Scully.

Scott Kolecki