DVD Collectors Online

SpaceCamp, a review by Danae Cassandra

SpaceCamp
Year of Release: 1986
Directed By:  Harry Winer
Starring: Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Joaquin Phoenix, Tate Donovan, Tom Skerritt
Genre: Adventure, Science-Fiction, Disaster

Overview:
Zero gravity meets zero fear in this cosmic comedy-adventure about a summer camp where regular kids check in...and real astronauts check out! Starring Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Leaf Phoenix and Tate Donovan, SpaceCamp is a wild and wonderful thrill-ride packed with "special effects...spectacular moments" (Film Journal) and a "gripping climax" (Time Out Film Guide) that's out of this world!

For five typical teens, NASA's space camp promises to be a fun way to blow off the summer. But when a space shuttle exercise misfires, they find themselves launched into orbit, facing the adventure of a lifetime. Now, the only way back to Earth is to take command of the ship and control of their destinies, before time – and oxygen – runs out!

My Thoughts:
I'd forgotten how enjoyable this film is.  I have fond memories of it from childhood, and it's still an entertaining watch.  I still get a warm fuzzy from "Jinx and Max best friends forever." Part of me cringes at the message being sent with the overachiever girl being wrong about a crucial thing and then freezing in decision making though.  Try to imagine the roles of Kevin & Kathryn gender reversed and you see the problem.  I did like the other girl, though, the one who appears to be a bubblehead but is really super-smart.  That quibble aside, it's still a whole-hearted recommendation from me for a fun, kid-friendly movie.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 3/5

(From SpaceCamp on January 10th, 2014)

The Flesh and Blood Show, a review by Jimmy

Title: The Flesh and Blood Show
Year: 1972
Director: Pete Walker
Rating: Unrated
Length: 1h36
Video:  Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio:  English mono
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Ray Brooks - Mike
Jenny Hanley - Julia
Luan Peters - Carol
Robin Askwith - Simon
Candace Glendenning - Sarah
Plot:
A group of young actors take a job with a mysterious repertory company to improvise "The Flesh and Blood Show". Their rehearsal space is an abandoned pier where they will live and breathe the theater. But in between impromptu outbursts of acting, some of the cast turns up missing while others turn up dead. There's a maniac on the loose who's out for flesh and blood!
Extras:
Original Trailer
Photo Gallery
Pete Walker Trailers
Interview with Pete Walker
First, I'm a fan of Pete Walker since I've seen "Die Screaming, Marianne" some years ago and "Cool It Carol!" is one of my favourite exploitation movie. Secondly, the plot description of this movie make me think of "Theatre of blood", a movie starring Vincent Price that I strongly recommand if you're a fan of mr. Price. So it looks like a winner for me, a good horror film with an exploitation taste.

It seems that everytime a movie sound great the result is always the same ... it don't work. The movie consist of 80 minutes of talking and nothing really happen. Everybody talk and talk and talk and talk, someone is kill but we don't see it, the others talk and talk and talk (I think that you understand what I want to say). Something finally happen near the end when the killer is reveal and we see in a flasback what is the motivation for is action, but after 80 minutes of nothing I was not interested anymore.

Like any other movie by Pete Walker they are a lot of beautifull British girls (Luan Peters is the best looking here) and honestly this is the only good thing in this movie.

This movie is one of my bigger DVD deception, a bad script and as much action than a polish black and white movie made 60 years ago. Not recommanded at all.

Rating : 2/5

(From My review - unseen and unwatched january marathon on January 17th, 2008)

Firefly Marathon, a review by Tom

05. Safe
Writer: Drew Z. Greenberg (Writer)
Director: Michael Grossman
Cast: Nathan Fillion (Mal), Gina Torres (Zoe), Alan Tudyk (Wash), Morena Baccarin (Inara), Adam Baldwin (Jayne), Jewel Staite (Kaylee), Sean Maher (Simon), Summer Glau (River), Ron Glass (Shepherd Book), Isabella Hofmann (Regan Tam), William Converse-Roberts (Gabriel Tam), John Thaddeus (Stark), Gary Werntz (Patron), Andrew A. Rolfes (Older Grange), Mathew C. Ferreira (Younger Grange), Joel Steingold (Head Cop), Erica N. Tazel (Doralee), Ron Ostrow (Commander), Morina Pierce (Ruby), Skylar Roberge (Young River), Zac Efron (Young Simon)

Nice to see more of River. Also some other great scenes. Like Kaylee's confronting Simon because he says bad things about Serenity's crew lifestyle.
And we get a hint that Shepherd Book has an interesting past which sadly they never had the chance to explore.

Rating:

(From Firefly Marathon on February 27th, 2010)