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Fail Safe, a review by Jon

Fail Safe
3 out of 5

First shown live on television, this remake of the 1964 film is a serious spin on Dr. Strangelove. American bombers heading for Russia with a nuclear payload have just passed the "fail safe" point and can't be recalled as they are trained to ignore all radio communication in case the enemy are trying to fool them. A malfunction means they have orders to bomb Moscow. The President and his generals work desperately to rectify the mistake, going so far as to help the Russians shoot them down. Should all else fail, the President has a terrible price to pay to prove it was a mistake and avert war.

This is an oddity. I haven't seen the original, but of course I am very familiar with Kubrick's wonderfully black comedy. The story is just about strong enough to take serious in a genuine "What if?" scenario, except I really hope our leaders have better contingency plans than this. I found the ending a little too contrived and noble to take seriously, but up until that point, it was a well played exercise in how paranoia will undo us all. Overall Kubrick highlighting the absurdity makes a stronger impression, but this is still worth seeing.

Being shown live means it can't escape being stagey and frequently dull, but the cast is fantastic and mostly from film and TV so their unusual one-take chance gives the whole thing an edge. So it both succeeds and fails by the same decision to go live. All the actors do well, especially Harvey Keitel, Sam Shepard, Brian Dennehy, Noah Wyle and Hank Azaria, but I think George Clooney as the bomber pilot and in particular Richard Dreyfuss as the President excel in arguably harder roles.

It's short at 85 minutes so if you enjoy Strangelove, give it a chance.

That's "enjoy Strangelove", by the way, as in "Dr.". Not "enjoy strange love" as in... something else...

(From Jon's Random Reviews on January 28th, 2009)

Peter Pan, a review by Danae Cassandra

Peter Pan
Year of Release: 1953
Directed By: Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson
Starring: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Musical, Animation

Overview:
Think of the happiest things as Peter PanMy Thoughts:
This is still a fun little film, even if Peter's egocentrism doesn't come off as cool now like it does when you're a kid, and "What Makes the Red Man Red?" makes one cringe. The animation is top notch, and I've always liked the Crocodile. He's still my favorite, especially in his sly expressions and how happy he looks at the chance to eat Hook.

Still don't know why this is on blu-ray and we'll likely never see even a DVD release of Song of the South.

Bechdel Test: Fail
Mako Mori Test: Pass

Overall: 3/5

(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on July 27th, 2016)

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The gang is ordered to participate in the annual talent show while Giles is in charge of the organization. But then a student is murdered and the killer cuts out his heart. And the worst thing is: This was most likely a Human and not a demon. And all points to the weird guy and his ventriloquy dummy. But which one controls the other?

My Opinion: While I liked the whole dummy part and his sacrifice I didn't like that they showed no pointers whatsoever to the real killer. Sure, they laid a lot of false trails (e.g. to the new principal) but they didn't hide some to the real one. I also liked that they had to consider that this could be very well a "normal murder", that not everything bad in this world is the fault of a demon. And I like the new evil yet human principal Snyder (Armin Shimerman, Quark in DS9) - he will become a real PITA for Buffy.

Synopsis: Buffy has regular nightmares at night now but that's nothing compared to what happens next: Some people's nightmares become reality at day and suddenly spiders are crawling through the school and a perplexed Xander stands in front of the class - naked. And a mysterious child and a monster appear every time at the school when something like this happens. But this boy is in a coma, how can he be seen in the school?

My Opinion: Does everyone have that nudity nightmare? It is a common theme on TV shows but I can't remember having such a dream. But I can relate to the clown thingy. I can't remember it but I must have had a bad experience because I also had a number of bad clown dreams when I was young (and no, it was not It ). I also liked what was done to Cordelia.  And I am with Xander: Buffy still looks good as a Vampire.

Synopsis: Strange accidents seem to be happening to the people around Cordelia. First her boyfriend gets clubbed down in the locker rooms. Then Harmony gets thrown down the stairs - by an invisible girl. Cordelia is scared and seeks refuge and help in the library. But Giles has another problem: He needs a lost book that contains prophecies regarding the Slayer. But luckily for him there's an undead guy that can help him.

My Opinion: It was an OK episode but I would have liked to see Clea DuVall more onscreen - but that would have defeated the purpose of this episode. I've known her from The Faculty and later from Heroes before I've seen her here in this episode. I also liked that Cordelia becomes more involved in the group even though she offends them at the same time she's asking for help. Something along the lines of "I need help and I thought you were in a gang or something" She may not be three-dimensional yet, but she's managed to reach 2.1 dimensions.
I thought that it was an interesting twist to let the government being involved in this case. Wolfram & Hart might have been interested, too (if they had been invented at this point).

Synopsis: Xander finally finds the courage to ask Buffy out but she turns him down. And then his rebound girl - Willow, - also turns him down. But from there the day turns from bad to worse - for everyone. Giles and Angel have discovered a prophecy that without a doubt heralds Buffy's death. She will face the Master and he will kill her. That makes it easy for her: She quits. She stops being the Slayer. But every choice has consequences: Vampires have entered the school and killed several students. For a hero there's actually no choice. She has to face him, even if it means that she dies. But what are friends for?

My Opinion: Up until now Angel might have jumped in on a street fight but when it became really dangerous he was nowhere to be seen (The Harvest, Prophecy Girl). It's ironic that it's Xander of all people who forces him to stand up and fight a real fight. From one moment to the next the size of the gang has nearly doubled. From now on Ms. Calendar, Cordelia and Angel will have a much greater role in the fight between good and evil - on one side or the other. I also liked how Buffy reacted to her prophesied death - it makes the character more human. But in the end she accepts her fate, as she will always do in the coming years and she will do what's right, no matter the cost.

The Season - My Opinion: A good first season, although not the best Buffy season. The basics are established (regular Monsters-of-the-Week with an overall season arc and a "Big Bad") and the universe is pretty much set. Luckily they will loosen the corset of prophecies and rituals and they will portray Vampires much more "normal".

(From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Marathon on March 22nd, 2009)