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Reviews
Space: 1999: Space Brain (1976)
This episode had a lot of potential
Everybody (esp. TV Guide) dumps on this episode because the alien goo was nothing more than fireman's foam. If you look beyond that, though, it was impressive. The alien is in the same boat as the Alphans: it's about to get a bullet to the brain. For the first time in the series the two parties have to work together. What really works here is the soundtrack. Mars, the Bringer of War by Holst - one of the greatest pieces of music ever. At the end of the episode the Alphans wonder what damaging that brain was going to do to the worlds it was providing for. That would have been a much better storyline for the second season than the drek that got produced.
Jidou Hanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyuu wo Samayou (2023)
Japanese Absurdism at Its Finest!
I think I first caught wind of this imgur, and the idea was so stupid I had to check it out. It really is about a guy reincarnated as a vending machine! The why is absurd, as I said, but putting him (it) in a D&D world is even more absurd.
The most absurd thing is that there's a love story (kind of).
Boxxo (as he's called) can magically change the items he vends, and if you know what Japanese vending machines are capable of, it's another level of bizarre humor.
This is also a parody of D&D role-playing games and their various tropes.
In short, I recommend this if you're in the mood for a dorky comedy or an RPG parody.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Exactly what you expect, but still fun.
There are two things I like about this movie: the initial premise and the characters.
First, the premise: giant, intelligent sharks. Why would anyone create such a thing? Well, the researchers are after a chemical in the shark's brain that can be used to fight Alzheimer's, so bigger sharks means bigger brains, means more lifesaving chemical. (Yeah, it's dumb science, but better than most in such movies.)
Second, each of the characters gets a little moment to shine and show a bit of character.
Salvage 1 (1979)
Great little under-rated movie.
This was one of those great little things you'd find on TV at that time: a movie that should have been a laugh-filled schlock-fest - but they actually tried to take it seriously. Surprisingly (and thanks largely to Griffith), they manage to pull it off. There was even a short-lived TV Series - but the writers went with the weird storylines rather than the more A-Team adventurey that it was clearly meant to be.
Phase IV (1974)
Trippy, Trippy, Trippy
This is one of those great little "wtf is going on here" movies that you'd find on Cinemax on a Sunday afternoon in the 80's. Weird, hallucinatory, and a dark?, twisted ending that you're not expecting.
Paper Girls (2022)
Fantastic Adaptation of the Graphic Novel
First of all, the only real similarity to Stranger Things is that in the beginning the girls are on bikes. (The graphic novel actually predates ST by a year.)
A much better comparison is Peggy Sue Got Married - in that a large part of it is dealing with seeming inevitability.
At this point in the TV series, the really weird stuff hasn't happened yet. It's about mood and budding friendships.
My friends want to avoid this because (with four female leads) it's obviously woke. I never got that feel from the story though, it's a coming of age story - in the old (pre-Risky Buisness) sense of the term.
Highly Recommended.