TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980)

BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980)

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Never one to pass up an opportunity to make a buck on a trend, Roger Corman put this space opera into production with the hopes of capturing a little of the Star Wars lightening in New World Pictures’ bottle. The story finds the inhabitants of the peaceful planet of Akir, under siege from Sador of the Malmori (John Saxon), a ruthless warlord who conquers worlds and uses spare body parts to keep himself young and tyrannical. Not able to defend themselves, village elder Zed (Jeff Corey) sends the rebellious young Shad (Richard Thomas) out to hire mercenaries to defend their planet against the invading army. Can Shad find warriors bad and brave enough to take on Sador and his planet-destroying Hammerhead starship?

As you can tell by the story description, this is more a take on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai than a retread of George Lucas’ box office titan, though Star Wars rip-off it shamelessly still is. No more obvious than the planet name Akir, which is a tribute to the legendary Japanese director, whose story is being appropriated here. The fun script is by John Sayles (Piranha, The Howling) and it’s directed with a comic book flare by Jimmy T. Murakami, who previously had experience in animation. The film never makes a joke out of the proceedings, but is loaded with humor and plenty of innovative SPFX on a small budget, as designed by James (Terminator, Aliens, Avatar) Cameron. The action is fast and furious, there is a variety of ships to go along with the motley group of mercenaries and it’s all a good time as intended. Sure it’s only got about a fifth of Star Wars’ budget, but the film has loads of heart and the hard work and imagination of everyone that worked on it shows through. The FX can be cheesy and there are a few spots where things slow down a bit, but otherwise it is a cult classic in it’s own right and how can you not like a movie that has a spaceship with a set of boobs…only in a Roger Corman flick, folks!

The cast really make this work especially well. All the actors get the tone and none of them treat the material like a joke, yet still have a good time with their roles. Richard Thomas makes a noble hero as Shad. A young man willing to risk all to save his world and people. Darlanne Fluegel is pretty and resilient as Nanelia, who joins Shad on his quest and becomes his first love interest. John Saxon is simply on target with his portrayal of Sador. He gives him a sense of malice and villainy, yet is careful to never carry him too far into over-the-top territory, so he stays threatening. As our warriors, we have George Peppard as “Space Cowboy” a space trucker caught up in the fight, Robert Vaughn as Gelt, an outlaw on the run, Sybil Danning as the beautiful but arrogant warrior woman Saint-Exmin, Morgan Woodward as the reptilian Cayman, who has a personal grudge against Sador, as well as, a heat communicating duo called The Kelvin and a group of five clones, who act and think as one, called The Nestor. And let’s not forget Sador’s army of patchwork mutants, too. A colorful and diverse group of characters if there ever was.

A cult classic in itself, this is a fun low budget space epic with loads of heart. Sure, the sets are cheesy, as are some of the SPFX, the dialogue corny and the pacing a little erratic, but this movie is a lot of fun. The cast all get the material and give it their all. The imagination of James Cameron and his FX crew is up on screen and it has one of James Horner’s best scores. A Roger Corman cult classic that may have been inspired by George Lucas’ surprise blockbuster, but has earned an identity and place in B-movie history all it’s own.

-MonsterZero NJ

Rated 3 (out of 4) Sadors.

 

 

 

 

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LEGENDARY ACTOR ROBERT VAUGHN PASSES AWAY AT 83!

Robert Francis Vaughn 1932-2016

Yet more sad news for the entertainment industry as versatile actor Robert Vaughn has passed away at the age of 83. Vaughn came to fame playing T.V. super spy Napoleon Solo in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and went on to star in numerous classics like The Magnificent Seven, Bullitt with Steve McQueen and The Towering Inferno. He also graced the screen in more genre related fare such as Demon Seed, Starship Invasions, Roger Corman’s Battle Beyond The Stars and Superman III. He could play hero or villain and did so countless times during his lengthy career that lasted until his sad passing earlier today. Farewell and RIP Robert Vaughn!

-MonsterZero NJ

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974)

THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974)

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Another Irwin Allen production, The Towering Inferno is one of the all-time great 70s disaster epics that I was privileged to see in a theater…the now long gone Park Lane…as a kid. The flick follows the formula of an all-star cast of characters embroiled in their own personal melodrama until a disaster brings them together…or tears them apart. Here,  the setting is the world’s tallest skyscraper in San Franscico. While the building is enjoying it’s dedication ceremony with a massive party, the shortcuts taken by owner James Duncan (William Holden) and his jerk son-in-law Roger (Richard Chamberlain), catch up with them when an electrical fire breaks out on the 81st floor and quickly spreads. Now it’s up to angry architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and Fire Chief Mike O’Halloran (Steve McQueen) to figure out a way to stop the blaze before it reaches the 300 guests at the penthouse floor party, who are now trapped.

Another movie that is well-written by Stirling Silliphant based on two books, The Tower by Richard Martin Stern and The Glass Inferno by Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson. As with his Poseidon Adventure script, he keeps the melodrama to a minimum and maintains a claustrophobic setting inside the building for most of the film. While John Guillermin directs the film fairly by-the-numbers, the script affords him plenty of opportunity for suspenseful action, daring escapes and some nail-biting rescues. The fact that we also have some well-written characters and the dialog stays remotely grounded, makes for a more realistic and relatable drama. The fire scenes are really intense and well orchestrated, as are some of the sequences outside the building, such as one involving a teetering glass elevator. The action is solid and while the film is moderately paced, it is never dull. If the film has any main flaw, it’s that at 165 minutes it is about 30 minutes too long and thus there is some repetition in the action and subplots that really don’t further the story. For example…Robert Wagner’s entire character and scenes with his secretary (Susan Flannery) could have been removed without effecting the film and trimming it by a good 15 minutes. There is also some weak model work during the climax, but it’s brief and not enough to tarnish a first rate thriller. Back on the plus side, there is yet another effective score from master composer John Williams and Fred J. Koenekamp provides the vibrant cinematography.

There are a lot of characters in this flick With Newman, McQueen and Holden being the top three spots. Newman is a legendary performer and is solid here as the architect who finds out his specs were changed to cut costs and now it has caused a disaster. He dives right in saving lives and assisting McQueen’s fire chief and is a memorable hero. Same said for McQueen. His fire chief is tough, but remains cool under pressure and he is put through the ringer with this out of control blaze in the worst possible place. He and Paul Newman work well as a team and the flick smartly gives them numerous scenes together. Holden’s Duncan is interesting as he is not an outright villain, a role reserved for Chamberlain. He admits he made mistakes and shows remorse and sorrow over the death and destruction it has caused, so we don’t readily hate him like we do his son-in-law. Supporting them are Faye Dunaway, Robert Vaughn, Susan Blakely, Fred Astaire and the infamous O.J. Simpson as the head of security.

Definitely one of the best of this type of flick due to a toning down of the cheesy melodrama and some very intense action and suspense sequences. It maintains a large cast well and presents a very straightforward depiction of what a disaster like this might be like. If it has any flaws worth mentioning, it’s that it could have lost about a half hour and still been a solid action thriller. The leads are legendary performers who give it their all and the support is generally strong too. There are the usual disaster clichés, but that’s why we watch these flicks! Another 70s disaster movie classic!

-MonsterZero NJ

3 and 1/2 towering infernos.

 

 

 

 

TOMB OF NOSTALGIA: STARSHIP INVASIONS (1977)

STARSHIP INVASIONS (1977)

Starship Invasions was Canada’s answer to Star Wars and Close Encounters all in one shot as a group of aliens called The Legion Of The Winged Serpent…and we can tell as they all wear black leotards with winged serpents on them…decide to invade Earth as their own planet is dying. Instead of dirtying their own hands, this sinister group lead by Captain Rameses (Christopher Lee) is using an orbiting ship to transmit a signal which causes humans to kill themselves or each other. Only good aliens The Intergalactic League Of Races and Earth Ufologist Allan Duncan (Robert Vaughn) can possibly stop Rameses. Of course, as with a lot of science fiction flicks in the late 70s, early 80s, the film ends with a climactic duel between flying saucer fleets in space above Earth.

Filmed for a tenth of Star Wars’ budget, Starship Invasions uses models on wires to portray the alien craft which are designed based on traditional flying saucer shapes as the film’s robots are based on some allegedly actual alien sightings…though you’d think that aliens of advanced intelligence would built their robots with fingers…The FX are cheesy when compared to it’s bigger budgeted brethren, but to be honest, are well executed for what they are and how little they must have cost. The sets are definitely on a 70s sci-fi TV show level, as well as, are the spandex costumes. Writer/director Ed Hunt takes his UFO invasion flick very seriously, so all the laughs are sadly unintentional as the dialog can get quite silly at times and in certain situations the dead seriousness works against it, such as a little girl effected by the alien ray gleefully smashing a tomato that has fallen on a supermarket floor. There is also the plain laugh-ability of a scene where Rameses’ smoking hot second in-command Sagnac (Sherri Ross) seduces an old farmer in his flannel shirt and overalls…and his subsequent report to a local cop. For a less then 90 minute flick Invasions is slow moving and has a very low key mood despite the urgency of the story. The film has a good share of unintentional laughs and some 70s nostalgia, but would have been far more entertaining if Hunt didn’t take things so seriously. It does feature Christopher Lee as an invading alien in a leotard after all. By the time the spaceships meet in Earth’s orbit to duke it out, we could use a little real action, but like the rest of the film, Hunt directs this very by the numbers too, so there’s little real excitement or suspense to the conflict despite the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance…though the sight of all these hubcap shaped saucers zipping around space is kind of amusing. Gil Melle’s Jazzy hip score doesn’t help much either and at times seems out of place with what’s going on on-screen.

The acting is fairly wooden too with all the aliens communicating telepathically, so their voices are all dubbed in in post. Christopher Lee does add a bit of dignity to the proceedings…he always does even in his worst film…but veteran Vaughn seems to be constantly on the verge of breaking character and looking at the camera to proclaim ‘What the hell am I doing in this movie?’.

Overall there is some amusement from how seriously this silly movie takes itself and the dead pan delivery of some ridiculous dialog. The 70s nostalgia factor and low budget effects can provide some giggles too, but the film would be far more entertaining if Hunt had just relaxed and had a little fun with it’s aliens v.s. aliens with Earth caught in the middle story.

Worth a look if you love cheesy sci-fi or are a die hard Christopher Lee fan. On a ‘so bad it’s good’ level Starship Invasions does provide some laughs and friends and I did have some MST3K style fun with it upon viewing it at the Showboat Theater in Edgewater N.J. in 1977, but not quite as fun as it should be all things considered. It’s not very good, but maybe not quite bad enough either. Watching with friends and the appropriate beverages would definitely help.

2 and 1/2 space siren seduced farmers!