The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) Review

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(More customer reviews)Because this film lacked real star power, not many people have caught this as they should have. Even non sci-fi fans will enjoy this one. No need for me to reiterate the plot. The story is tightly crafted, well acted, and beautifully executed. Everything is explained nicely and nothing left to confuse the viewer. What is truly refreshing is the use of actual older actors playing the characters at later ages. No latex for a change!
Word of warning: If you order this used, be sure the version you are getting is produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment. It's wide-screen and contains the trailer as an additional feature. There is another version out there which is advertised as containing no features. This one is put out by an independent distributor, is Pan & Scan, the picture quality is dark, very grainy, and sound poor.

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The experiment that should never have happened 41yearsago...is still going on. Philadelphia, 1943: A top-secret experiment isunderwayto make U.S. Navy ships invisible to enemy radar, butsomething goes horribly wrong, and the BattleshipEldridge disappears.Two sailors jump overboard...andare mysteriously transported 41 years into thefuture. On the run and trapped by the past, can they stop theexperiment that has torn a hole in time? Michael Pare (Eddie and the Cruisers) and Nancy Allen(Carrie, Dressed to Kill) star in this provocativesci-fi action hit, executive produced by Halloweencreator John Carpenter!

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The Time Machine (1960) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review refers to the Warner Bros. DVD edition of "The Time Machine"(1960)......
I am so impressed with how this 43 year old classic Sci-Fi film looks and sounds on the DVD, that I am going to start with that this time. I wasn't expecting it to look as great as it did because the editorial review here gives it 3 out of 5 stars on both the picture and the sound. If you are a big fan of this film, or thinking of buying it as a gift for someone who is, you will not be disappointed with this transfer. The picture is presented in the original widescreen format,so you won't miss a bit of the action. To watch it you would think you went back in the time machine to 1960 and were viewing it for the first time. It is clear and sharp with vibrant color.The soundtrack is remastered in Dolby Dig 5.1 and is a welcome enhancement.The DVD also includes a terrific Behind The Scenes documentary called "Time Machine...The Journey Back". The film's star Rod Taylor hosts and fans will love this informative feature. You'll get a good look at how the actual machine was made and the journey that it has taken in the last 40 years as well as other interesting tid bits. This feature has it's own scene selections to choose from or you can just watch it straight through. The film may be viewed in French and has subtitles in English and French.(my only teeny complaint would be that the black bar area is not used for these subtitles, they are at the bottom of the film).
The story based on the novel by H.G. Wells is as captivating today as it ever was. You know the tale.....
George(Rod Taylor)has all the time in the world. He tells his friends an incredible story of his adventures traveling through the ages in a time machine that he has built. As his story begins, he starts out slowly traveling through the 20th century. He doesn't like what he sees. War and destruction seem to be the fate of civilaztion.He pushes foward, quickly, and the years fly by. Finally stopping in the year 802701,he comes across what seems to be a paradise on earth. Clean air,fruit growing in abundance, and a society of young beautiful people, the Eloi, who don't seem to have a care in the world. But even in this Utopian like civilazation there's trouble amiss.The Morlocks are running things from underground and they are just as scary today as they ever were.So it's up to our guy George to save this future civilazation from the evil Morlocks,and try to get back home to the year 1900 for an 8pm dinner appointment..whew,what a great story!
Directed brillantly by George Pal("7 Faces of Dr. Lao"/"Atlantis the Lost Continent"), the film also boasts the great talents of Alan Young, Sebastian Cabot, and the lovely Yvette Mimieux, as "Weena", who adds a little romantic interest to the story. The film was awarded a well deserved Oscar for it's special effects(also discussed in the featurette) for Gene Warren and Tim Barr.The movie is rated G, although the scenes with the Morlocks might be a little scary for very young children.
A great story, fabulous film and an outstanding DVD. So go back in time, with your old friend "The Time Machine"..enjoy...Laurie

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A time travel inventor travels to the future where the passive Eloi are in danger of becoming prey to subterranean mutants called Morlocks.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: GRelease Date: 13-MAR-2001Media Type: DVD

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Sliders - The First and Second Seasons (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)Though the first two seasons are the best, I enjoyed them
all. And it's about time this set is coming out.
Here are my personal grades and info on the episodes from
the first two seasons.
Here is what you get with the first two seasons.
1. The Pilot Part 1 ( still the best episode) Quinn first discovers that his sliding technology works. Then he tells the proffesor who at first does not believe him. But later comes around. Along with Wade Wells the three of them test out sliding. But when doing so they accidentaly pull in soul singer
Rembrant Brown.( Episode Grade A+ )
2. Pilot Part 2 ( The sliders find San Fran. under an ice age,
and The U.S under Soviet Communist rule. ( Episode Grade A+ )
3.Fever ( The sliders travel to a world that has never developed Antibiotics.Evereyone around them is sick so they must do something before time runs out.(Episode Grade A-)
4.Last Days ( Sliders find a world where an asteroid is about to destroy the earth. The professor saves the day by showing
a fellow scientist how to build a nuke.( Episode grade A+ )
5.Prince of Wails ( In this world America is still under England's Colonial rule.( Episode Grade B )
6. Summer Of Love ( Sliders find alternate world where We are
at war with Austraila and Remy replaces his dead alternate self
as husband to a old high school crush. ( Episode grade C+ )
7.Eggheads ( In this world intellectuals are treated like athletes, and Quinn competes in A weird sport that tests your intellect. ( Episode grade B- )
8. The Weaker Sex ( Sliders enter a world where women are the dominant sex. Arturo makes men believe that they are equals when he runs for office. (ep grade A- )
9.The King Is Back ( Sliders find a world where Rembrant is treated like Elvis. ( Ep grade B- )
10.Luck Of The Draw- (Sliders find a world where money is free if you play the lottery. But the catch is you must give your life in a form of population control.(Ep Grade A+ )
Season 2
11. Into The Mystic ( Sliders enter a world of witchcraft.
Quinn is sick and gets healed by a witchdoctor. Quinn refuses
to pay and the Grim Reaper himself serves Quinn a subpeona.
ep.( Grade A+ )
12.Love Gods ( Quinn,Arturo,Rembrant are in a world with a shortage of men. They are being used as studs to repopulate.
( grade B+
13.Gillian Of The Spirits (Quinn is stuck on an astral plane,
and only a psyhcic girl can see him. ( grade B-
14.The Good The Bad And the Wealthy ( Sliders enter a world not unlike the wild west. Where stocks are exchanged through gunfights. ( grade A- )
15. El Sid ( Sliders find a world where the city of San Francisco is a prison. ( grade A+ )
16.Time and Again World ( Sliders enter world where there is no
U.S. Constitution to be found except on one little floppy disk.
( grade A+ )
17. In Dino Veritas ( Sliders enter a dinosaur wild life reserve) ( grade A- )
18. Post-Traumatic Slide Syndrome ( The sliders think they are home. Rembrant then goes to a psyhciatrist and discovers they are not. ( grade B+ )
19. Obsession ( Sliders find world where everyone can read minds.
( grade B- )
20. Greatfellas ( Sliders find world where the mob controls evereything. ( grade C+ )
21. The Young and The Relentless ( Sliders slide into the backyard of an alternate Quinn and Wade. In this world the young
rule and at a certain age you lose your rights.
( grade B- )
22. Invasion ( Sliders first encounter with the Kromags and unfortunatley not the last. Though this is a quality episode.
The writers seemed to use it too much in later episodes.
( grade B- )
23.As time goes by ( On this episode thse sliders slide 3 times.
Quinn tries to prevent a murder. And the Sliders find time is moving backwards. ( grade A- )
Overall This is a great package with or without extras. We
will have to wait and see what Universal adds.
Finally I can get rid of those tapes.

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SLIDERS:SEASONS 1 & 2 - DVD Movie

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The Love Letter (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)This wonderful Hallmark Hall of Fame television film was adapted from a short story from the master of time travel novels, Jack Finney ("Time and Again", "Time After Time", "About Time", "From Time to Time", just to name a few). This story by Finney delves once again with time, in that a modern-day young man named Scott (played by Campbell Scott) discovers a letter hidden in a secret compartment of an antique desk that he had just purchased. The letter (as well as the antique desk) belonged to a woman named Elizabeth (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) who (at the time of her writings) is living during the civil war.
Scott becomes so enchanted by the letter that he ends writing to her, and after some obsession, and on a lark, actually decides to mail his response at a post office with historical significance using an authentic-period one-cent stamp. Shortly thereafter, and to his utter astonishment, he discovers a second letter in the hidden compartment. This letter turns out to be her reply to his letter...and thus begins a fascinating relationship of two people falling in love, but separated not by distance, but by 130 some odd years of time.
Although this may seem to be a "You've Got Mail" with a time twist, it is really more similar to "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" and "Somewhere in Time". Believe me, if you liked either one of those films, you'll love "The Love Letter". This fantasy/drama pulls you in and keeps you pleasantly entranced all the way to the end. While this film does suffer a bit from situations handled too simplistically, I'm such a sucker for this type of film that I quickly forgave these missteps.
Both Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh were pretty good in this film, but the standout performance (and the one most believable) was Daphne Ashbrook who played Scott's fiancée.
While this small film may pale in comparison to the typical big budget Hollywood films, it is, nonetheless, a film I think you will be delighted to have in your collection. My main concern, however, is the quality of the dvd. I've had difficulty with dvd's by Artisan Entertainment before, and so I did with this one (blurry on certain scenes and pretty jumpy). If you've had good luck with them (could be my player), by all means go get it (or maybe it might be wise to get the VHS instead). Between 1 and 10, "The Love Letter" (which feels like a breath of fresh air) deserves a solid 8.

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Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy (+ Digital Copy) Review

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(More customer reviews)If there's only one thing DVD's should be applauded for, it's for giving old classics a new lease of life, and this particular title was destined for digital before anyone even knew what digital was. The Back to the Future Trilogy will, in most of us, invoke the same feeling of overwhelming nostalgia as when veiwing the original Star Wars trilogy.
It's been such a long time since I've viewed the original and wow, why did I wait so long before re-stepping back into the familiar DeLorean and riding through one of the most cleverly scripted and tightly paced films in history. I was blown away all over again by what the makers achieved in terms of, pretty much, everything. The performances are every bit as convincing and funny as you will remember and the sight of the DeLorean taking hair spin turns and breaking the time barrier only serve to ingrain this film deeply in your subconscious. It's simply what it set out to be, a thrill ride of honest intensity and adrenaline populated by sincere and truthful human characters that you generally care about.
The second part is, in more ways, even more successful. The plot is so tightly woven and controlled that you can't help but gasp at how much detail is included, from the Mc Fly family history to the correct way to turn on lights in the future. And for visual candy, you cannot beat the beauty of the flying DeLorean.
How much you enjoy the third will ultimately depend on how much you like westerns. While obviously retaining the style, wit and bravado of the BTTF legacy, it is alot more digestable in terms of plot and even set pieces. Though as a film by itself, it is a wonderful achievement in entertainment, viewing the installments in order may lead you to feeling ever so slightly let down by a conclusion to the one of the most twisted and brilliant trilogies ever to take place outside of a galaxy far, far away.
Keeping in tradition to the BTTF stamp of excellence, the extras on the DVD hit eighty eight miles per hour from the get go and rarely let up. Embarrassing other lesser DVD boxsets with it's desire to leave no stone unturned, we get 'on location' and retrospective documentaries examining the aspects and realities that the film makers endured in order to bring this adventurous tale to the silver screen. Cast and crew remincese fondly about how everyone involved was so excited about the potential of the script and the freshness that Michael J. Fox brought to the production. The star himself even sits in for a few interviews, giving himself wholeheartedly to talk about the movies that made him a household name.
While a frankly shocking reason is given to explaining Crispin Glover's absence in BTTF part 2 and therefore, all the extras thereafter, it is the absence of Doc Emmett Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd, that resonates most of all. Why he was not included in this celebration of the trilogy goes unexplained and therefore, unforgiven.
This minor gripe aside, this box set is for everyone who managed to hop onboard the DeLorean first time around. For others, this is the perfect medium and compliation to catch up with the time travelling duo as they were meant to be seen. It's astonishing how well the films have aged, and how much better than recent films they remain to be. A knockout!!!

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Experience one of the most popular movie series of all time like never before with the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy! Join Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and a time traveling DeLorean for the adventure of a lifetime as they travel to the past, present and future, setting off a time-shattering chain reaction that disrupts the space time continuum! From filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, these timeless films feature all-new 25th Anniversary restorations for enhanced picture and sound plus hours of exciting bonus features.

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The Five Star Stories Review

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(More customer reviews)THE FIVE STAR STORIES (1989) is just over an hour long and is so far the only animated OAV volume yet made from Mamoru Nagano's long-running manga about war, politics, ritual and romance amidst the four solar systems of the Joker Galaxy in the year 2988. (The planet on which this volume takes place, Delta Belune, looks and sounds an awful lot like Earth of past centuries.) Those anime fans who are only concerned with how a storyline plays out and how it ends may not be pleased with the way numerous details of the backstory are glimpsed but never fully explained and the way the ending leaves room for sequels which never come. If, however, you're enamored of the look and feel of 1980s anime and you appreciate beautiful artwork, a dreamlike mood and imaginative imagery, then FIVE STAR STORIES just might enthrall you as much as it did me.
There is just enough of a comprehensible storyline to keep one's interest. It has to do with the impending debut of two new "Fatimas," beautiful young female androids who are to choose masters for whom they will pilot giant mecha fighting machines called Mortar Heads. They are expected to choose from among assorted noblemen and a class of fighters called "Headliners." The handful of major characters include the two Fatimas, Clotho and Lachesis; a roving Headliner named Voards Viewlard; and Ladios Sopp, a handsome long-haired young man in the "bishonen" mode who knew Lachesis as a little girl and has plenty of flashbacks to those days. The gluttonous, hard-drinking mini-tyrant Duke Juba has designs on both Fatimas and takes custody of them from their father/creator Dr. Chrome Ballanche. Other characters flit in and out as needed.
There's not much suspense or dramatic tension since the good guys seem to outnumber the bad and have various allies, such as the Mirage Knights, popping up frequently to lend a hand (or chop one off, thanks to their lethal light-sabers). We see some mecha action and occasional bursts of blood-spouting violence as the blades of light slice through opponents' heads, arms and bodies quite effortlessly. But overall, it's a piece that's more character- and dialogue-driven. A lot of thought went into the art direction, the backgrounds and the design of the characters, costumes and mecha. It's a breathtakingly beautiful hour of animation. As long as you can get past the occasional narrative confusion and plot omissions. And the weird names (Voards Viewlard?!).
There are detailed liner notes, including a timeline, accompanying the DVD, although you may want to read them after viewing because of spoilers and then view it again armed with all the extra info you may need to understand it all.


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Within the five star systems known as the Joker System, the struggle for power has spanned centuries. Under the guidance of the Emperor Amaterasu, the brave Headliner knights, along with their Fatima counterparts, pilot powerful battle robots to ensure the safety and stability of the empire.

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