Reviews (2)

Kevin Bacon Rocks!
I am amazed that I had never heard of this film before - it is really exceptional! I picked it up because it won a Sundance prize, and now I know why - the acting is fantastic and the story is really interesting, with a good twist at the end. Definitely worth checking out.

Excellent--Worth the 16 year wait!!
I was afraid this production was obscure enough it would never make it to video or DVD. The sets, staging and props are fantastic and capture the feeling of late 1950's southern California perfectly but that's minor compared to the talented casts' performance which is beyond 5 stars. It all comes together to create an amazing film that most are probably not aware of.

The DVD with its extras offers great insight into the making of this film. "The Making of Lemon Sky" with director Jan Egleson takes you through the creative process from start to finish and lets you in on why the finished product is so captivating and moving.

This is Kevin Bacon at his best. But the entire cast is riveting without exception. If you haven't seen or heard of "Lemon Sky" treat yourself to a unique film experience. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This so-so romance is patently predictable. Will the good girl end up with the bad boy or the nice guy?The premise would have us believe that a sleazy, none-too-bright sportscaster (David Schwimmer) has fallen madly in love with a classy, intelligent book editor (Mili Avital). To test her loyalty, Schwimmer asks his best buddy (Jason Lee) to romance Avital.

The likable aspects of this tired triangle concern the wraparound narration, featuring the ever-humorous Bonnie Hunt.She relates this complicated romance to rapt guests at a wedding. The marriage in question is between Avital and a supposed mystery man. The problem is that there is never much of a mystery. Or much of a romance. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (24)

How Did This Movie Get Bad Reviews?!!
I have no idea how this movie got panned. While I saw it on a whim at a friend's house (i.e., I probably wouldn't have rented it on my own), it was HYSTERICAL. Like "Swingers," mentioned by the other reviewer, it's a "quote" flick--meaning that you'll be spewing the best lines at unsuspecting friends/family for months to come. Sure, Schwimmer is Schwimmer--no great stretch--but Avital is gorgeous and Lee is hysterical.

Trust me: after you see this, you'll know what these lines mean: -"That's good, 'cause you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccked!" -"Whatup, Chicago?"

Granted, the premise is somewhat preposterous, but who cares! Pay attention to the opening scene, where Schwimmer/Avital tell conflicting stories about their first date--good payoff!

Good core romantic comedy core dvd holding
This movie, hands down, is worth owning. You have a breakout performance by Jason Lee and an always solid second lead by Friends' David Schwimmer. Most importantly, this movie has very clever and well written dialogue regarding a circle of late 20 somethings in 1990's Chicago who are living the ups and downs of single dating life. You have humor, wit, unexpected lover drama and all around good cinema. This movie keeps your attention from the getgo, does not let go--based on its story telling style. I'm in my early 30's and love this film, my girlfriend is mid-20's and loves this film. And yes, even my 63 year old parents thought this film was particularly captivating over a recent family holiday weekend. Buy it. Watch it once a year. It gets better with each viewing.

boo to the critics
What's with the bl***dy critics?! They obviously don't know a good movie when they see one. "Kissing A Fool" is an excellent film. One of the best comedies I've seen in years. David Schwimmer, Jason Lee and Mili Avital play their roles well - they have very good chemistry. I never miss a Jason Lee film - even if it's something as lousy as "Heartbreakers". Because he never let's you down. I rented "Kissing A Fool" a couple of years ago and recently bought it on DVD so I could watch it a million times more.

ok
this movie is ok i wish david swimmer would play someone who was not i jurk but very well.

A little Cheesy...but more like Brie
Classic story of two best friends falling for the same girl with little twists of circumstance. Jason Lee (Jay) sets David Schwimmer (Max) into a fast pace relationship with Mili Avital (Samantha)...and things turn for the worst when Schwimmer's character makes a "test" which will be the ultimate decision for marriage or not.

Why the film doesn't churn your stomach is because of the mark of honesty that comes up in critical moments. The characters are admittedly fickle, sappy, emotionally crippled at times, unfaithful, inconsiderate, or drunk. This is what makes the movie interesting as it follows the familiar plot line into romantic comedy. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

"Let's Do It The Hard Way !"
"The Spoilers" is an excellent western, released in 1942, that just misses being a classic. I suppose with the setting in Nome, Alaska, it should be called a "northern" ! The film boasts a potent starring trio of John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott, and has remained famous over the years for its climactic, no-holds-barred fistfight between those two icons of western cinema, Wayne and Scott.

Clocking in at just under an hour and a half, "The Spoilers" does not have a complcated plot. The gold rush is on, but ruthless government agents, led by a swaggering crook named McNamara ( an atypically villainous Randolph Scott ), are trying to chisel miners out of their property. Cherry Malotte, the local casino operator ( smouldering Marlene Dietrich ) may seem like a tough woman on the outside, but she has supported a number of the miners and is pleased when her old flame, Glennister ( formidable John Wayne ), is back in town. Cherry's relationship with Glennister is about as calm and centred as that of two Siamese fighting fish ! At the same time, McNamara's pursuit of Cherry is only slightly less energetic than his efforts to steal gold mines, so when the showdown comes, the "Duke" has a lot at stake.

In addition to the three stars, there are many supporting performances of note, with faces familiar to fans of old "A" and "B" westerns--Harry Carey, George Cleveland, Russell Simpson, William Farnum, Ray Bennett and Forrest Taylor to name a few. The movie is directed with a lot of energy by Ray Enright. The sets are impressive--check those streets--thick mud--I suspect that Nome around 1900 was like this--plenty of booze, mud, fortunes won and lost, and a busy undertaker !

The DVD exhibits a black and white picture with reasonable quality. When a movie is 62 years old, I tend to be less critical about technical matters than some reviewers. There are no extras whatsoever. Surely there are some noted film critics out there who could have provided some interesting background comments ? Hey--Leonard Maltin--hey Roger Ebert--how about a little help here ?

"The Spoilers", even with the legendary fisticuffs, is not--for me, at least--in the top echelon of classic westerns. At the same time, Wayne, Dietrich and Scott are so watchable that this disc still deserves a place in the collection of any serious fan.

Format of DVD
I would like to know whether the DVD format is COLOUR or Black & White . Amazon.conm shows it as Colour but Movies Unlimited
info. is B&W !! I am confused. Please clarify before I decide to purchase

Ashoke P. Mahtani/ Calcutta/ India

SPURS & SADDLES: SUBLIME SPOILERS - YE-HAW!
"The Spoilers" is an unabashed adventure flick brimming with romance, humor and spectacular action. The plot, such as it is, is simple but compelling. When government agents arrive in Alaska and 'steal' a gold miner's claim, the miners decide to retaliate. Both Randolph Scott and John Wayne cut dashing figures of masculinity across the stark but beautiful Alaskan backdrops while Marlene Dietrich - as the lusty, husky madam, is at her most provocatively sensual best. The climactic fistfight, between Wayne and Scott is defiantly brutal to say the least.
TRANSFER: Exemplary. The B&W picture can be nicely balanced. Blacks are sometimes unstable. There's a limited amount of film grain and age related artifacts that enhances the performances. Digital anomalies are generally not an issue, though some edge enhancement is present. The audio is mono but nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: Forget it! Universal generally doesn't think much of its classic film library and this disc is no exception.
BOTTOM LINE: "The Spoilers" is recommended as a movie - not as a reference quality DVD.

Wayne and Scott Brawl Highlights Classic!
'The Spoilers' may be the most often-filmed western, ever, yet it has been largely forgotten by today's moviegoers, which is a shame! This is a riproaring adventure yarn with claimjumpers, a sexy romantic triangle, loads of humor, and, to cap things off, the most spectacular fistfight in screen history!

The second of three Marlene Dietrich/John Wayne teamings (and Duke is third-billed, behind Dietrich and Randolph Scott!), the plot is simple; evil government 'agents' arrive in Alaska, steal goldminers' claims, until the miners finally take matters into their own hands!

The climactic fistfight, between Wayne and Randolph Scott, is the stuff of legends! You can hold up 'The Quiet Man', or 'Hard Times', or 'Any Which Way But Loose' as having epic brawls, but this one tops them all! We're talking shirts ripped to shreds, broken furniture and windows, rolling under horses and through the mud mayhem, here! If this were pro football, both Scott and Wayne would make the All-Madden Team, for sure!

This film may never make a 'Classic Westerns' list (other than mine!), but it is a VERY enjoyable tale that shouldn't be forgotten! If you love a good Western, particularly if you're a John Wayne fan, 'The Spoilers' is a MUST! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

A Classic Star Trek Episode
"The Menagerie" has consistently scored as one of the top ten most popular episodes of the original series. Both the flashback and wraparound plotlines are among the best Star Trek had to offer. Spock is willing to sacrifice his career--and perhaps his life--to ensure that Christopher Pike, his former Captain--horribly disfigured by a recent space disaster--can spend his remaining years in comfort and happiness. If that is not an act of love, I don't know what is.

Paramount has simply outdone itself in the remastering of this episode. The flashback elements date back to 1964, yet they look so fresh they could have been filmed yesterday. It is also interesting to see the great care the original cinematographer took with lighting--most of the compositions are simply beautiful--and far superior to today's more flatly lit approach. The sound has been remarkably enhanced, with both the sound effects and score in stereo.

It is interesting to compare "The Cage" with the original series. Although it is very impressive as science fiction, there is very little chemistry between the characters (similar to "The Next Generation"). Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and the consistently underrated William Shater made a far more effective team in that respect.

This is a must for all Star Trek fans.

The Menagerie hasn't been Caged
The only two part episode of the original series. Takes place on Talos IV, recounts the mission of Captain Christopher Pike . 13 years later, Spock kidnaps the now crippled Pike and returns him to Talos IV. Spock is court martialed for his actions and faces the death penalty. (This episode is a remake of the original pilot "The Cage")

Illusions and Perceptions - two words that summarize this episdoe. When is a cage a cage? When is prision no longer prision?

These questions not only won the episdoe a Hugo Award, but put the show ahead of schedule and budget by reusing used footage. A great episdoe showing how creative Roddenberry was and how well the current TOS crew interacted vs. Pike.

Just Too Much Perry Mason
I'd give this episode(s) 5 stars except for the reason the main story (The Cage) got incorperated into it, the Trial of Spock. Not only was it a sad excuse to re-view Capt. Pike's adventure but uses something a more perfect future should be done with - lawyers!

I realize that the story needed a context for the present Enterprise crew to contemplate Pike's story but Spock could have kidnapped Pike and explained the back story to audience in flashbacks during the trip (as an example). Even a battle scene where Kirk has to stop Spock from landing on Talos IV would have been great (oops! sorry, no decent special effects then).

Only the confrontation between Kirk and Spock should have been left alone.

p.s. ST:TOS also played the lawyer card in Court-Martial, a lame excuse for a story. ST:TNG had at least four court-cases, played out to predictable endings.

Among them:
1) Data is saved from a scientist who wants to dis-assemble him.

2) Riker is falsely accused of murder.

3) In The Drumhead an out of control witch hunt is stopped when the lawyer looses it!

4) A Society is freed from an alien posing as "their god".

Each case (no pun intended) was a better excuse than in "The Menagerie".

I would recommend watching The Cage first
The Menagerie-This two part episode based on pilot #1, in which Spock is in the hot seat, is difficult to evaluate separately from 'The Cage.' Overall, the team did a good job of generating an episode 'without' another episode. On the other hand, the main thing going for the episode is The Cage. And it is better just to watch The Cage as it was intended, without all the artificial breaks. As noted by another reviewer, it isn't just the breaks in The Cage that are awkward; the need for breaks in The Menagerie also made for some awkward moments. So ultimately this episode was a clever way of presenting 'The Cage', and not a lot more. The two exceptions: 1) it is interesting to see the extent of Spock's loyalty, and 2) the return of Pike to Talos IV was a nice touch. (2.5 stars for the Menagerie components alone, 3.5 overall)

Spock on trial
The only two part episode of TOS in which Spock goes on trial for kidnapping his old captain Christopher Pike to take him to the forbidden world of Talos IV. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

"not just friends ~ they're blood brothers"
This tale penned by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, with director Ulrich Edel, starring Jonathan Lipnicki (Stuart Little~Jerry Maguire) befriends a young vampire boy whose family needs an ancient amulet to become mortal again. They're not just best friends ~ they're blood brothers ~ as together they embark on a grand adventure.

Warner Home Video, presents an inoffensive kiddie movie ~ has enough special effects, magic and cheeky humor to keep the "Big Kids" (Mom/Dad/Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles) from squirming too much in their seats.

The soundtrack ~ "The Little Vampire: Music From & Inspired by (2000 Film)" ~ inclusive are 12 tracks of fun-filled-non-stop music, sure to satisfy the most finicky blood-sucker for all the evening festivities...check out my music review ~ see "Amazon.Com/Music" and look for me ~ both reviews will give you something to sink your teeth into!

Special Features: Cast/Crew Bios ~ DVD/ROM Features ~ Filmographies ~ Theatrical Trailer ~ Interactive Games/Menus ~ Scene Access ~ Web Access

Total Time: 94 Minutes...New Line Cinema...(2000)

NOT just for kids....
Although this movie will definitely appeal to children because the hero is only eight years old and has some great adventures, it has enough wit to keep older kids and adults entertained as well.

The Thompson family (mom, dad and son, Tony) is living in Scotland while dad designs a golf course for Lord McAshton. Tony is having a hard time fitting in and making new friends and begins having really vivid bad dreams about vampires. Then one night, the dreams turn to reality when a small vampire invades Tony's room, trying to hide from a Vampire hunter, intent on ridding the countryside of all it's 'undead' inhabitants.

Fortunately, these 'undead' are not really interested in munching on the human population all that much. They are all members of the clan of Sackville-Bagg who have found that there is a way in which they can become human, if they can only locate and recover a lost medallion by the time of the full moon.

With lots of help from Tony, they try to stay one step ahead of the Vampire hunter and complete the quest for freedom from vampirism.

Without doubt, Jonathan Lipnicki is one of the most charming and natural actors around. I have loved every role of his that I have seen and "Tony" is no exception. Whether he is 'vamping it up' with fake vampire fangs and a cape or joyfully flying through the air with his new friend Rudolph, he is a treat to watch.

The younger actors, Rollo Weeks, Anna Popplewell and Dean Cook as a rebellous teenager are also excellent and likable as the vampire kids. Other favorite characters are Richard E Grant and Alice Krige as loving parents to their little brood of vampirettes and the scene when they meet Tony's parents and charm them into a trip to the bluff is hilarious.

This is a really good, wholesome family movie that will entertain all the members of the family from the youngsters all the way up to Grandma. It's not saccharin sweet and has a little bit of an edge but is gentle enough that it won't give even the little kids nightmares.

I've viewed this movie several times and still enjoy it every time! This one is a 'keeper' and earns five stars from me.

Not a children's movie
I took my little nine year old brother to see this dud. What a terrible movie.

I was expecting a light hearted children's film and instead what I got was a mean-spirited adventure in Christian bashing with scenes that have no place whatsoever in a film aimed at a young audience.

The producer's bigotry against Christians is evident right from the start in its depiction of the so-called "vampire hunter".

He is easily the most disturbing character in the film. For starters his oversized crucifix looks like it was produced at a Las Vegas neon sign factory and his vehicle is a nightmarish cross between a mac truck and a steel mill. If this was meant to be funny, believe me, it wasn't.

The worst scene that I saw is when the boy at the center of the film gets trapped in a crypt and a rather large black rat begins crawling towards him.

I am flabbergasted that someone would think of this as legitimate children's entertainment. Graves and rats! Are you kidding me?! Absolutely despicable.

Throw in more nightmarish images of flying cows and children being given dead mice as gifts and you've got yourself one horrendously bad/disturbing movie that doesn't belong anywhere near impressionable youngsters.

I took my little brother and walked out of the theater rather than subject to him to any more of this garbage.

Shame on the people who made this.

the little vampire
I like the little vampire because i like Tony that plays the little vampire just because he hot,cute and i wan't to move to hallwood when i get older and i hope tony goes out with me.

adorable movie!
Yes, it is about vampires and adorable!
There are some cute scenes and phrases that adults appreciate, too.
My kids love it and so do I. ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Videophile Bonus
All 3 episodes on DVD are actually high resolution, anamorphic/ 16:9 widescreen enhanced - the preferred format for High Definition TV sets. This was a special treat, as the storage case does not even list this! (the "technical info" notes here at Amazon incorrectly lists it as 4:3 aspect ratio).

The films themselves are a "must-have" for any Stargate or SG1 fan, & are a good way to introduce non-fans to the series.

The Jack O'Neil & Daniel Jackson characters are portrayed especially well, & are far more satisfying than their counterparts in the original 1994 movie. Richard Dean Anderson in particular brings a welcome bit of humour to the role - O'Neil isn't the one dimensional semi-suicidal tough guy of the 94 movie.

StarGate is right up there w/ X-Files!
I also have to admit that I haven't bought the video, but I have seen this 2 hr. episode. It was such a turn in Sci-Fi television for Showtime, that I haven't missed an episode since it's air date on June 27th, 1997! If you enjoy this movie, be sure to check out the rest of the series!! Their ideas are fantastic. Great add-on to the movie, with a stellar cast of WONDERFUL people, including Mr. Anderson, Michael Shanks, Chris Judge and Amanda Tapping. The only reason I haven't bought this video is the price. Mind knocking it down about $20?! What's the big deal w/ it?!? Is it imported?

A decent movie is turned into a pretty good TV series
I have stumbled across "Stargate SG-1" on cable television from time to time and so it was a real treat to go back to the beginning and see how Showtime was able to turn a moderately successful science fiction film into a very good science fiction television series. There is a special edition version of the 1995 theatrical film starring Kurt Russell and James Spader so even if you have seen it before you can refresh your memory as to what happened and get some added scenes as well.

The pilot movie, "Children of the Gods" (Written by Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright, Aired July 1997) has General Hammond (Don S. Davis from "Twin Peaks") dragging Colonel Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson in the Russell role) back for one "last" mission through the Stargate. Since the huge, shimmering ring of glowing matter that allows instant transportation between different worlds could be used by the evil Egyptian-like aliens to use to Earth, it was supposedly destroyed. But there is now evidence that Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks in the Spader role) might still be alive (a great use of Kleenex by the way). The pilot takes O'Neill and his team back to Abydos, where they have a confrontation with the Goa'ulds, who are now led by Apophis (Peter Williams), a Ra-wannabee. What makes this a good pilot is that not only does it assemble what will be the SG-1 team, adding Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), a theoretical astrophysicist, and Teal'c (Christopher Judge), a high-ranking Jaffa for Apophis who defects to the humans, but it establishes several elements for the series that can be exploited down the line. 5 Stargates.

Consequently, the first season of "Stargate SG-1" offers a blend of episodes that have the quartet visiting new worlds through the Stargate and those that deal with the continuing evil efforts of Apophis and the Goa'ulds. Many times, even if the Jaffa are not running around, the have had an impact on the planet being visited.

Episode 1, "The Enemy Within" (Written by Brad Wright, Aired August 1, 1997) is basically a continuation of the pilot with one of O'Neill's officers and friends, Major Charles Kawalksy (Jay Acavone), the host of one of the Goa'uld larvae. The contrast here is between a friend being turned into a traitor against his will by one parasite while Teal'c has to prove his loyalty. The attempt to get the larvae out of Kawalsky continues the theme in the pilot of making the conflict with the Goa'uld extremely personal for O'Neill. 5 Stargates.

Episode 2, "Emancipation" (Written by Kathryn Powers, Aired August 8, 1997) sends the SG-1 crew back out through the Stargate and makes it clear that each trip to a new planet is usually going to confront them with a people who are not as technologically advanced (there are a couple of key exceptions in season one). This episode also establishes that most of the people they are going to encounter come form Earth stock, such as the Shavadai, a tribe related to the Mongols, on the planet Simarka. The Shavadai consider women to be inferior, which means Carter is in for a series of rude shocks. The plot is rather predictable, but the episode does have its comic aspects and shows that Carter can hold her own with the boys both in terms of cracking jokes and fighting her way out of duel to the death. 4 Stargates.

Even if you never saw or were not overly enamored of the original "Stargate" film, if you make it through these first three episodes (keeping in mind the pilot is basically a movie) you will be impressed enough to move on to the next volume. I would encourage you to keep going because you should get seriously hooked on this series by the time you get to the fourth volume, let along the season-ending cliffhanger in volume five.

Let me put it to you this way. The first season of "Stargate SG-1" is a lot better than the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and you know how good that series got. It is also helping me avoiding suffering serious withdrawl from the end of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

a must
If you love stargate, you must own this DVD with the pilot. What more is there to say?

A Must See for Late Comers
Not everyone who loves Star Gate has watched it from the begining. If you're one of those late comers then this DVD is a must-see. It answers numerous questions of the who-how-whys behind the characters and especially the ever-mysterious Te'alc. While none of these episodes are ones you'll want to see more than once, everyone needs to see them at least once.
1) Children of the Gods, the made for TV pilot, brings back Daniel's wife Shar-rae and O'Neill's (with 2 L's) friend Scara, and sets the stage for the Daniel's constant search in later episodes for his lost wife.
2) The Enemy Within, answers more questions about the symbiote/host relationship.
3) Emancipation, a typical shallow 1st season episode, assumeably meant to build up Capt(Maj) Carter's character. Good casual watching & one of the rare episodes that is safe for younger viewers. Bonus points if you can identify the actor in this episode who later played a major voice character in a Disney animated classic. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Not as good as I remembered
I saw this on cable a few years back and I really enjoyed it. I like Michael Caine in about anything. I couldn't wait for it to be released on DVD and I was a bit disappointed on second viewing. I think there is something to be said about expectations. It wasn't bad on second viewing, but I loved it the first time.

Punchy stinging black comedy of the workplace
Here's where Michael Caine shines, as a corporate exec who gets passed over for the promotion he's so feverishly expecting he'll get in favor of a young Turk--well played by Peter Reigert--who lords it over Caine's character in subtle (and not so subtle) ways. Caine's wife, also well played by Swoosie Kurtz, one of the great unknown American stage and film actresses, is a serious [problem] to him. So he has two people in his life who are supremely annoying.

What does he do? Well, let's just say that his solution to these two problems ends in the population of the world changing, shall we?

The dialogue in this very smart blackly comic thriller is sharp as a razor; it's a lot of fun to watch Mr. Caine give us his best as a put upon exec who's more than capable of flying into a rage at the drop of a hat and of executing his very sneaky and well thought out plans for revenge. Also on hand is Elizabeth Perkins, an equally intelligent office colleague who attracts Caine in more ways than one, but does not suspect him of any wrongdoing at all. That is, until...

One of the best office comedies around, A Shock to the System is a stinging portrait of greed and selfishness in America--for my money, far better than the somewhat overblown Wall Street. This is a movie that gives you a great evening's entertainment and part of the reason for that may be to secretly exact vengeance upon those corporate bigwigs who've prevented you from getting a job for so long, given this miserable economy.

Great job. Highly recommended.

Play Naughty; Win Big
Michael Caine is marvelous when playing a happy villain. He was impossibly beautiful as a young man, but middle aged Michael with serious bags under his eyes and a slight weight problem has an air of wounded vanity, as if he can't quite understand how things went wrong.

Caine, as Graham Marshall, is a fairly successful marketing director with an expensive home, an expensive and slightly boring wife, and is desperately anticipating a promotion for his many years of diligence. He is stunned when he is passed over for a young, brash associate. Graham has an epiphany when a particularly smarmy panhandler enrages him, and Graham impulsively shoves him off the subway platform in the path of an oncoming train. No one has seen him and Graham muses on his "magical" powers. He quickly and cleverly dispatches the wife and the business rival, gets rid of his white elephant of a house in the suburbs, boards the pets and gets a tasteful apartment in Manhattan. Though homicide Lt. Laker (Will Patton with a splendid Long Island accent) is suspicious, nothing can be proved. Graham not only gets the promotion, he has his eye on taking over the company, dispatching his rivals on his upward climb.

What keeps the tension intact is the victims are not cartoon-like villains. The wife is irritating, but not evil. The youngster who beat him out for the promotion is vulgar, but it is clear he is clever and competent. We just cannot help but cheer Graham on his nefarious way. Michael Caine's glee and satisfaction are catching.

There is more than a whiff of Alec Guinness's "Kind Hearts and Coronets" in Caine's performance, but Michael Caine has a knack for villainy all his own. "Shock to the System" may be a trifle of a movie, but it is a highly enjoyable trifle. ....

Michael Caine is brilliant in this black comedy.
You're here so you're probably a Michael Caine fan. So, the crux of the issue is; Is this a performance you need to see? The answer is yes. If you're a fan of Michael Caine's you HAVE to buy this film. He is absolutely brilliant in it. No other actor could have pulled this off. The wicked, sly, dark humor, the subtlety, killing people and making you believe it, laugh
about it, and actually root for him. Caine nails it. If you're a Caine fan, you're not looking for some big obvious slap-stick comedy, you're looking for something a little more off-beat and
original. You found it. Enjoy.

Defines black humor
This is a witty, morbidly funny movie. It's weak in spots, andthe occult "magician" comments in Michael Caine's voice-over narration is perhaps a little misplaced. But it is an original movie, and entertaining, and as Michael Caine said when making it, "The thing is, this guy is murdering people, BUT YOU ARE ON HIS SIDE." After seeing this movie, you might find yourself looking at conniving rats in your life and thinking back to this movie! Even though Michael Caine plays an Englishman, it takes place in New York, and is a VERY American piece, in that it shows the absolute subtext of all American life is that you MUST be a success. I've seen this movie a number of times. The humor is twisted. But good... ... Read more

Description

Episode 57 - Elaan of Troyius - Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise are assigned to deliver Elaan, the beautiful Dohlman of Elas, to her rival planet Troyius. But her unruly behavior threatens to cost Kirk his ship.
Episode 58 - The Paradise Syndrome - The Enterprise's mission: to deflect an asteroid from colliding with a planet. But shortly after Kirk, Spock and McCoy beam down to survey the planet, Kirk vanishes. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

One standard action episode, one off-beat love story
Elaan of Troyius, which loosely follows the plot of Taming of the Shrew, is boosted by a strong acting performance from Frances Nguyen. She also brings out the best in Shatner; their scenes together, which run the gamut of emotions, are fairly convincing. The episode also features more action than average, including a dramatic ending, and there are no huge holes in the storyline (although at times it's tough to know exactly what Elaan's motivations are.) The episode is also boosted by a strong score and good costumes for the Dohlman (if not her guards!) One negative aspect is the implicit sexism behind 'the taming'. Overall, a slightly above average episode (3.5 stars.)

Tidbits: This episode, the second of the season to be produced, was the 13th to be aired. This ties Bread and Circuses for the longest lag of the entire series, and is probably mostly due to the 'high tech' scenes involving the 'Klingon' ship making rapid passes while firing on the Enterprise.

The Paradise Syndrome-While I agree that several 3rd season shows revisited plots from prior seasons, it's also true that the final season produced some unique offerings stylistically and substantially. The Paradise Syndrome, in which Kirk lives with an indigenous tribe, is one example. Two aspects in particular make this episode unusual. First, I can't think of an episode which spans a longer period of time (months). Second we have extensive cultural immersion, involving just one crew member who can't even remember he belongs on a starship. Other peculiar aspects are the funky score and some disturbing scenes such as the final violence which ultimately excuses Kirk's to return to his ship.

While the tragedy here is not as effectively conveyed as in say, The City on the Edge of Forever, the final, extreme events are emotionally involving. This is one of Shatner's richer performances, even as he ultimately remains wed to his ship. A less sappy romance, without the hackneyed 'spurned rival' subplot, and better acting from the beautiful Miramanee could have made this a truly exceptional episode. Also annoying are the gratuitous 'meanwhile, aboard the Enterprise' scenes so common in the 3rd season, where we usually see feckless and out-of-character bickering about zero-hours and the like. Still, a slighly above average episode, for its novelty primarily (3.5 stars).

Tidbits: This is the episode which should have closed with Spock
saying'forget.' Several aspects of the asteroid subplot, including
plot constraints that it introduces, fail to meet even the low
plausibility standards of Star Trek.

Proper etiquette and false godhood
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 29: Elaan of Troyius © / The Paradise Syndrome ©

ELAAN OF TROYIUS © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: The advantages of proper etiquette; love versus duty

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: one dead

REVIEW/COMMENTARY:
Well, it ain't like you've seen this particular plot on the show before: Kirk falls for the babe-of-the-week, in this instance Elaan, an arrogant and ill-mannered alien princess who is betrothed to the ruler of a world that her people are at war with. Kirk falls for the babe, with the help of Elaan's pheromone-laden tears that the good captain wipes away. The babe attempts to take advantage of the situation by attempting to use Kirk to destroy her foes. Kirk becomes torn between his new romantic interest-who wasn't supposed to be his in the first place-- and his duty to his ship and crew. As expected, his devotion to his command wins out, though not without a little agonizing over what he'd given up. Spock and McCoy have a brief exchange of words over the proceedings right before the closing credits roll. Fade to black-or rather, black with white spots. Yep, just another day at the classic 'Trek script recyclery-whoops, I mean Gene Roddenberry's office at Paramount studios...
---
THE PARADISE SYNDROME © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into The Ground: friendship versus duty; a complex man's desire to live a more simple life

Notable Gaffe/Special Defect: After uttering "I am Kirok!", Kirk pounds on the stone obelisk, causing one of the raised-relief hieroglyphics on the monument to fall off.

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: None

REVIEW/COMMENTARY: Keeping with this particular volume's theme, Jimmers once again falls for the hottie-of-the-week, a woman from a tribe of primitive American Indians apparently placed on some far-off globe by an advanced alien race. Throw in a bit of amnesia on the part of Kirk (with the help of a strange monument-like device), and a jealous medicine chief who is forced to give up the hand of the lovely lady to Kirk, and you have a somewhat different twist on the hackneyed 'James-Kirk's-Ill-Fated-Romance' formula. Not particularly original, to be sure, but at least you get to see a few memorable moments of sniping between Spock and McCoy as the former assumes command following Kirk's mysterious disappearance, and attempts to deflect an asteroid that is hurtling inexorably towards the planet. Will the Enterprise save the day again? Will 'Kirok' become Kirk once again? Well, apparently the answers are 'yes' and 'yes'-- if I recall correctly, this intrepid trio did do a couple eppies and half a dozen theatrical flicks after this adventure. Sorry if I ruined it for ya there. But hey, I gotta give it to ya straight up, ya know?

'Late

ONE GREAT LOVE STORY WITH ONE TERRIBLE!!!
Volume 29 of The Star Trek DVD Series features two of the show's early episodes from it's haphazard third and final season.

Although it is not necessarily a terrible episode of Star Trek, to be honest I have never been to fond of ELAAN OF TROYIUS. The story is rather weak as is the totally unconvincing love story between Kirk and Elaan The Dohlman Of Elaas. The story basically has Kirk and the crew trying to get the two planets (who have been at war for many years) Troyius and Elaas to be at peace with one another by wedding the royal members. However of course the ship turns into a battelfield between Elaan and Petri the Troyan negotiator. Elaan and her guards act completely barbaric and Krik tries to teach her some disipline. Of course Kirk falls in love with Elaan after he touches her tears and they make him her love slave. It's pretty far fetched if you ask me and thats why this episode suffers. The love story is simply not realistic and in the end Kirk acts if he lost true love to the Troyan leader. Uhh? he was seduced and became a tool! There was no love! I'm sorry but I just think this episode was just downright lame besides Elaan isn't that attractive in my opinion. Still this episode is worth one view, you never know you may like it?
There is a good scene with The Klingon battle cruiser but other then that this episode is a dud to me.

On the otherhand THE PARADISE SYNDROME is one of the third seasons finest episodes. Kirk and the crew beam down to a planet that is being threatened by a collision by an asteroid. They find Natives American inhabitants as well as a strange Alien Obelisk. Kirk accidently gets trapped inside the Obelisk and triggers a device that gives him amnesia. Found by the natives Kirk states he is Kurok (from his damaged memory) and the natives believe he is a god from the Obelisk. He seems to settle in fine with the natives as he becomes the new tribe medicine chief and marries the priestess Miramanee. Meanwhile on the Enterprise Spock and the crew attempt to figure out how to stop the asteroid from colliding with the planet. This episode was extremely well written and the casting was superb. Some nice acting scenes between McCoy and Spock, and Kirk and Miramanee make THE PARADISE SYNDROME one of the best episodes from Star Trek's final season. The ending has a nice tragic effect to it as well. Superb!

Overall Volume 29 has some good and some bad in my opinion but it's all classic Trek so it is worth getting regardless. Besides PARADISE SYNDROME is a lcassic Star Trek episode that is well made especiallt for the third seasons stabdards. Recommended.

Two of my favorite episodes
My only problem is that with today's technology, noone from Paramount is going to go back to all of the previous Klingon episodes and digitally insert the Klingon Battle cruiser (like in Errand of Mercy, Friday's Child, A Private Little War, etc.). They've re-done all the Star Wars movies, why? Because the way they look now is what they originally wanted to do, but didn't have the technology back in the 70's.
Paramount has already altered the sound effects on the Star Trek DVD's (I have them all), I don't think re-releasing all the Klingon episodes before Elaan of Troyius with digital footage of the Klingon Battle Cruiser would be a big deal...

Romance is Dead.
The lower budget and often rushed through production deadlines plauged Star Trek in it's Thrid season as seen in these two episodes, Elaan of Troyuis was a mess of a show with a boring love story and predictable outcome while The Paradise Syndrome was Star Trek's nod to the Monolith in 2001; A Space Odyssey, which was relased the year this episode was made. It was poorly written and directed, like almost all the shows of the thrid season were. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Blind Dated
This is one 80's movie! Which is fine considering that particular decade gave us so much nostalgia. I just feel weird giving Blind Dare 4 stars because, even though it's great, it does contain a highly distressing 'disco' scene that will make you cringe.

Walter Davis (Bruce Willis in his first movie) is a stressed workaholic who must bring a date to a business dinner to impress a Japanese client. In desperation his brings his sister-in-laws cousin Nadia (a brunette, and prettier Kim Basinger) who is very cute, but has a drink problem. Despite warnings not to get her drunk, Walter buys her champagne and, like some sort of human mogwai, she transforms into a crazed party animal. Things go very bad for Walter as Nadia proceeds to wreck his life. Not only that, but her totally mad ex-boyfriend David (John Larroquette) is stalking them at every turn. William Daniels (the voice of KITT from Knight Boat) even has a funny role as a disgruntled judge and the late (great) Phil Hartman plays Walter's brother.

Filmmaking legend Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany's) is the man behind the camera. He brings a lot of class and experience to what could have been a generic romantic comedy. His widescreen compositions and long, moving camera takes add a touch of sophistication, it's a shame it just had to end up being so 80's.

There are loads of hilarious moments and I suggest you pick it up whenever you see it. Just use 80's block factor 1000.

The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with average Dolby 2.0 sound. A trailer is included.

Highly underated comedy!
This is one of my favorite comedies. Bruce Willis is very funny, but the one who really cracked me up was John Larroquette. He was hilarious as a psychotic ex-boyfriend of Kim Basinger. Phil Hartman adds a lot as Bruce Willis's untrustworthy brother. Yes the ending is so predictable, but this movie has some great scenes: Willis puking in Hartman's new car; the business dinner; and of course, the funny scenes with Larroquette and Willis. The film drags a little towards the (CHEESY!!!) ending, but this is still a great comedy.

Did I hear the mambo?
I think I must be immune to 80s films now, I've seen them that many times. I really didn't find this movie 80s at all, apart from the clothes. Bruce Willis stars alongside Kim Basinger, in his first movie, and not one I can say that would have really made his name! I don't know what it was, I normally find Bruce Willis quite nice looking, but in this he didn't do anything for me. I think it was the hair! He looks great with shorter hair (and normally I hate guys with skinheads etc), I just didn't like his hair in this.

Apart from that, this film is hilarious! Kim Basinger plays the outrageous drunk quite well, and Bruce Willis plays up an almost comedic role brilliantly! There is a fantastic scene in a courtroom, which I was in fits over, and Bruce doing an extremely fake fall over some golf balls!

The movie's also quite sad, at the same time, as you watch Bruce struggle as Kim's character gets the more worse for wear with the drink, and then he tries to get drunk, and embarrass her when she's sober. And then he deliberately gets her drunk just to win her back - that bit is so sweet!

When you've finished watching this, you'll probably never want to go on a blind date again - or, on the other hand, be nearly married to a guy who sleeps with teddy bears, and worse of all, TALKS to them! All in a all a terrific, if not a little slow to get started.

Superbly hilarious!
And still one of the best date movies around.

A boyish Bruce Willis coming off his emergence in "Moonlighting" fights off insanely obsessed ex-boyfriend John Laroquette while dealing with stunning Kim Basssinger's "alcohol allergy" with hysterical results. The business meeting with the Japanese patron is classic Blake Edwards. I found myself laughing out loud throughout this kooky farce. Very funny.

The DVD has both widescreen and standard, the transfer is pretty good, but the 2 channel dolby is semi-hollow. Who cares, this movie is just pure fun! 5 Magnums

Worst movie ever
I have only walked out of a handful of movies, and this was one of them. Everything about this movie was contrived and stilted. While Blake Edwards has produced some classic movies, this simply is not one of them. I recommend S.O.B if you're looking for a truly excellent Edwards film ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Overall, enjoyable episodes
Even though the series was going in a new direction during Season 3, it did have some great moments. Now that season 4 has passed and the show is distinctly different, we can say season 3 was the last of the Robert Hewitt Wolfe Era.

The Right Horse. In this episode, a man is being held on Veritas for stealing DNA secrets from TechnoCorps. Abel Ladrone was a man Beka had a crush on for years and given the direction of season 3, this was explored too much. The show set up Beka's friends against her (as she was leading with her hormones and not her brain) and the people of Veritas against the Andromeda and TechnoCorps against them all. This episode is a B level ep.

What Happens To A Rev Deferred. This show was done in response to all the fans who missed Rev after Brent Strait left the show in Ouroborus (Season 2). Essentially the crew receives a message from Rev Bem on a doomed world and they go and find them. It's a clip show with some new material. In the end, Rev is changed by some entity and we never hear about it much again. This is a C level episode. But still enjoyable.

Point of the Spear. This show was actually pretty good. The planet of Samsara (likely named after Sorbo's wife. Sam is his wife's name, Sara was her Andromeda character's name) is being threatened by the Pyrians who are wanting to pyroform (as opposed to terraform) the planet. But they are being led by someone suspiciously like Trance. In the end, Dylan faces a difficult choice of how to deal with an unsolvable problem. His choice would send a message. I give this one an A.

Vault 0f The Heavens. This episode was written by Harper. Well, the actor of course. It's very much a fantasy story, not quite in the mold of Andromeda. Dylan hears a voice directing him to a planet where the queen must mate in order to spread her energy to re-energize her people. I give this one a C.

Deeep Midnight's Voice. Here the Drago Kazov are looking for a slip scout that had been traveling slipstream from before the fall. The information it has would allow someone to predict slipstream and allow AIs to navigate cleanly. Very valuable. It was found on an Earth like planet that has limited technology. The B story has the beginning of intrigue regarding Tyr and the fulfillment of his plans which are explored by the end of the season. Unfortunately, the series never kept with this theme. I'd also give this an A.

Collection 3-4
The Right Horse - Beka endangers the crew of Andromeda and even an entire planet by protecting Able Ladrone, a part love accused of stealing secret DNA. Interesting story with insight into Beka's character with a surprise twist at the end.
What Happens To A Rev Deferred - Dylan and the crew receive a cry from a long lost friend - Rev Bem. Excellent episode dealing with the return of Rev Bem, a tranformation and a hint of Trance's true nature.
Point of the Spear - Dylan and the crew battle the Pyrians to save the planet Samsarra and avoid a galactic war. Excellent action episode with the ebb and flow of battle. Again, a hint of Trance's true nature and the battle to come.
Vault 0f The Heavens - Dylan is beckoned by the voice of a mysterious woman to an icy moon orbiting a giant, fiery planet. Dylan saves an entire race. Strong episode with some interesting science (I'm an armchair reader of physics) behind it.
Deeep Midnight's Voice - Dylan and the crew search for a Nietzchean slip-scout carrying a probe that can map the slipstream - a power that could change the universe. Excellent episode where we see a planet unaware of what is our there and the first hints of Tyr's plans.

Andromeda Fanatic
As usual fairly vague pre-release description. But it's a quick heads up that they've sent the disc gold. Usually more specific info at www.advfilms.com, but be forewarned ADV's interface is really bad. But once you are able to locate the "correct" page at the site it'll at least give you episode numbers and trailer blurbs. Counting down.

I know
I agree with John Keitz, there is not enough information about this DVD. However if you click on the picture you can see that it is Season 3 Collection 4 (well atleast according to the picture).

Who Knows?
I wanted to review this DVD. I really wanted to pre-order this DVD, but there is not enough information in the description. Andromeda Season 3, Volume WHAT? If this is volume 3.4, I would really like to order it. Unfortunately, I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING! What's the deal with this description? Just a bit vague, don't you think? ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Star Trek on its last legs
The Savage Curtain-Another real tanker, this one is a sort of celebrity death match in which Lincoln and the good guys throw down with Genghis and the bad company. Everything about this episode feels dark and pessimistic, including the lighting. Even
the scenes with Lincoln are oddly cold and foreboding. Once on the planet, things become even more frightful. The rock aliens are some of the creepier and crueler of Star Trek creatures, particularly given their specious reasons for wanting to watch a battle between good and evil. The episode's dream-like feel makes the threats seem real, even though the plot is laughably simple. The episode is classic 3rd season in never even attempting to reach a firm conclusion about the philosophical question it poses as well.

Tidbit: Another gaffe occurs here. Not only is the negative reversed in one shot of Kirk and Spock during the fight sequence, but there seems to be an unintentional speed change of some sort. Very bizarre. (2 stars)

All Our Yesterdays-This Salem witch trial/ ice age time travel episode fares pretty well in comparison with its neighbors (although not its projenitor, City on the Edge of Forever). Which is to say, there is some drama and some semblance of a plot. In that inimitable 3rd season way, even the first minute of the teaser is somehow menacing. We sense that something is a little off, and that the Triumvirate is in for trouble, even before we meet the extra librarians. Part of it is the dramatic music played at the very start of all these late 3rd season shows. Part of it is that they were relying almost exclusively on early introduction of the "Kirk/ Enterprise in danger" crutch at this point in the show's run. In any event, Kirk, like a curious and courageous dog, bolts off into the great unknown, triggering a cascade of misfortune. By this point in the show, the stars were often no wiser than the guest characters; why did they ignore Mr. Atoz in the first place? As the Triumverate grows colder, less idealistic, dumber, and less faithful to their characters, we care less about their fates (see That Which Survives, Whom Gods Destroy, The Way to Eden, and Requiem for Methuselah for nearby examples).

But back to the episode. While the library idea is interesting, much more could have been done with it. Both time travels end up being pretty banal. And the rationale for Spock's personality change is weak at best. On the other hand, its an interesting change from his normal behavior. The conclusion of this episode, with the enterprise outpacing the fireball, has the now characteristic rushed feel, as though the bags were packed for the next flight even before the director said, 'that's a wrap'. Gone are the short little wrap-ups on the bridge; oh well, they were often hokey anyway.

Tid bit: The librarian's name is Mr. Atoz (A to Z) (3 stars)

STAR TREK THE ORIGINAL SERIES' LAST GASPING BREATH!
We must be reaching the end, because Volume 39 of The Star Trek DVD series contians two of the last great episodes producedin the series three season run.

At first look THE SAVAGE CURTAIN may be considered a ridiculously silly episode. This is the infamous episode where 'Abraham Lincoln' makes an appearance. True that this episodes plot is way too far out to ever actually occur but still you have to give the writers credit for their creativity even if this is too cheesy. Basically the story goes that the Enterprise crew are abducted by a friendly alien entity who takes the form of Lincoln. Lincoln insists he is who he actually is and requests that Kirk and Spock accompany him to the molten planet where (unbeknowst to our heroes) the rock like aliens, the Excalbians have organized a battle between good and evil. Pitting (good) Kirk, Spock, Lincoln and the greatest Vulcan philosopher Surak against (evil) Genghis Khan, Kahless the Unforgettable (founder of the Klingon Empire), Col.Green (someone who supposedly is a Tyrant in our future) and Zora (some fairly forgettable experimental witch tyrant here). The story has essentially an anti-war message. Some people consider this to be one of the worst episodes. I actually greatly disagee with that thought on this show. Of course it's nowhere near the best but it's effective and creative, especially considering that (by this time) the Star Trek series was on life support. Not the best but good for third season standards. Hey, at least they didn't credit Abraham Lincoln played by himself!

ALL OF OUR YESTERDAYS was the last great Star Trek episode to ever make it into production. Being only an episode away from the end of the series' three year run, in retrospect they should have ended with this one. The story essentially deals with time travel. The Enterprise journeys to Sarpeidon and Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet a peculiar old librarian (played by Ian Wolfe). It's a really effective time travle episode since this story has three settings: Present day Sarpeidon, Kirk in Sarpeidon's Victorian age, Spock and McCoy in Sarpeidon's ice age. The last setting really steals this episode. Partly because we see Spock's barbaric nature take him over. There is no doubt why Nimoy is on the front of the DVD case. He even gets an effective love interest in this story (played by Mariette Hartley). An interesting plot, great acting and a somewhat tragic ending make tihs episode one of the more memrable episodes from the tail end of the Star Trek series.

Overall this is another must. One of the better pair of episodes from the end Star Trek's wildly uneven third season. Highly recommended.

Ying And Yang
The Savage Curtain is one of the strangest and most absurd episodes of the 3rd seaon. While providing some more background on Vulcan it parades through a lengthy battle scene that is sure to put the most dovish people to sleep. I'm not advocating violence for violence sake but it wouldn't have hurt here.

All Our Yesterdays has its share of stupidity as well. Kirk and Spock haven't learned anything from all their previous voyages by they way they act in this story. 'Leap before you Look' is the theme here. Maybe Spock's behavior is poorly explained but this story led to one of my favorite Trek novels Yesterday's Son and its follow up Time For Yesterday. 4 stars on that alone.

Good N' Plenty
"Savage Curtain" An alien decides to test Kirk & Spock on their concepts of "good" & "evil" by creating duplicates of Abraham Lincoln & Surak.

"All Our Yesterdays" Kirk, Spock & McCoy are lost somewhere in the past. How will they get back? NOTE: Shatner, Nimoy, & De Kelley are the only 3 people from the original cast to be in this story! There are no shots of the inside of the Enterprise whatsoever!

Weak Classic trek
These DVD's normally pair episodes with some deep shared meaning - in this one, the idea is that peoples of past eras are largely ignorant and prone to find superstitious answers to solve life's msyteries (In "Trek" lore, the inhabitants of the future are the technologically and ethically advanced descendants of savage and greedy fools - us).

In "All Our Yesterdays", the Enterprise comes across the planet Sarpeidon - home to an advanced civilization that appears to have disappeared. Their planet about to be destroyed by a supernova, the Sarpeidons left no hint of their escape. Instead, Kirk, McCoy and Spock find a huge library cataloguing thousands of generations of the planet's existence (the best of times, the worst of times). Perusing, though not entirely understanding the significance of the library and its strange librarian, Mr. Atoz, all three learn too late that the library is actually the navigation center of a huge time machine through which the Sarpeidons have escaped to the past. Unwittingly leaping into one such portal, Kirk finds himself trapped in a pre-industrial era in which he is branded a witch by typically ignorant natives of the time. Spock and McCoy have it worse - vanishing into the planet's ice age (an era kept on catalog for prisoners) where they meet the lovely Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley - later to return as a sexy Terranian in Roddenberry's short-lived "Earth2" series, and also immortalized in a generation of Polaroid commercials). In Spock's case, the metaphor for time travel is reversed - Zarabeth is a caring and loving person, but Spock's journey to a time before his ancestors cast out their emotions and their meat-eating diet has caused him to become a passionate savage. (McCoy, however, does not revert to the primitive state of pre-20th century country doctors). Falling in love with Zarabeth - also a future Sarpeidon sent to the past as a prisoner - he is willing to do anything to remain in the past with her (a special safeguard ensures her death should she try to return to the present). The episode was later sequelized in the novel "Yesterday's Son" in which Spock returns to Sarpeidon for the son born of his union with Zarabeth, and confronts another sign of his wild days - Sub Commander Tal from "The Enterprise Incident".

"The Savage Curtain" was a more overt jab at those foolish primitives of our past - pitting the crew not only against simulacra of the evil past (barbarian warlord Genghis Khan, the warmongering Kahless who set the Klingon race into their bellicose ways, and Colonel Green, guilty of more recent crimes against humanity) but also against the naivete of our more noble ancestors - Abe Lincoln and the vulcan Surak. Trapped on the world of Excalbia, the crew are subjects for that world's inhabitants to test the strength of good over evil. Unsurprisingly, Lincoln and Surak aren't big on fighting at all, and are good's biggest liabilities. The message of this episode is vague - is goodness stronger than evil because it does not measure itself according to strength? Or perhaps the moral is that the lines between good and evil aren't so clear -but that was handled better in the episode "Errand of Mercy" in which both Humans and Klingons are kept from warring against each other by godlike Organians who play no favorites. (Unsurprisingly, the Organians and Excalbians would meet years later in DC Comics's "Star Trek" monthly, in an issue titled "Errand of War".) Either way, these episodes are Classic Trek at its weakest. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Assignment: Earth"
The final broadcast episode of Star Trek's second season was this clever and funny story in which the Enterprise travels back in time to 1968 (the year this program aired) to discover how the nuclear arms race came to an end. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) encounters a strange fellow named Gary Seven (Robert Lansing), who claims to have been trained by extraterrestrials in sabotaging the escalating nuclear threat. With the ambivalent aid of a nervous secretary (Teri Garr), Seven (yes, there was a Trek character with that name before Voyager) attempts to carry out his assignment, but Kirk isn't sure if he can be trusted.Lansing's droll and somewhat imperious performance is nicely counterpointed by Garr's cute confusion, and the eerie presence of his familiar--a black cat named Isis--adds a hint of hoodoo exotica. (Don't blink at the end or you'll miss the really exotic creature Isis briefly turns into.) "Assignment: Earth" was actually the pilot for an intended Gene Roddenberry-produced TV series that never happened. Too bad... But speaking of eerie, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) at one point refers to an important assassination that will soon take place. A week after this episode's original airdate, Dr. Martin Luther King was murdered.

"Spectre of the Gun"
In this taut, exciting episode, the Enterprise trespasses Melkotian space and is punished in a unique fashion. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Scotty (James Doohan), and Chekov (Walter Koenig) are all transported to the planet's eerie surface, where they are trapped in a re-creation of 1881 Tombstone and mistaken for the Clanton brothers, doomed principals in the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral.Despite their efforts to avoid trouble, Kirk and company can't seem to avoid their fateful duel with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday (Sam Gilman). When Chekov is shot dead by Morgan Earp (Rex Holman), the danger is all too clear. The strange Twilight Zone look and atmosphere of this episode--tumbleweeds and Old West facades popping up in a black void--grips one's imagination and doesn't let go until the very end. Fans of Captain Kirk's street-fighting style will especially enjoy the thrilling climax. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Star Trek episodes burdened with overcoming weak premises
Although each is interesting in its own way, I must admit I have never been particularly enamored of either of the Star Trek episodes included on Volume 28 of the DVD series. "Assignment: Earth" features Robert Lansing as Gary Seven, who I used to watch on "Twelve O'Clock High," my favorite show as a kid. Seven suddenly pops up on the Enterprise, claiming to be a human being who has been living on a distant planet. He is now heading to Earth to help humanity survive a dangerous situation. Now what is sort of strange about this episode is that this is all happening in 1968, where the Enterprise has gone back in time (remember, they learned how in "Tomorrow is Yesterday") to do historical research. Really? The Federation is risking the time continuum just to do data gathering? Did Kirk and Spock not tell anybody about what happened in "The City on the Edge of Forever"? I like Lansing, and who does not like Terri Garr, but this is just too wild a set up to accept. By the time I get around to being willing to suspend my disbelief, the episode is pretty much over.

DeForrest Kelly played Morgan Earp in the 1957 film, "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," which provides an interesting level of irony to the third season episode, "Spectre of the Gun." The Enterprise ignores the warnings of a Melkotian space buoy and orbits the planet. Apparently he has orders to establish contact at all costs. Well, the costs might be pretty high because the Melkotians order the execution of the landing party, taking the infamous gunfight at the O.K. corral from Kirk's mind as the setting for their deaths. Of course, the Enterprise officers are the Clayton gang and they are about to be gunned down by the Earps and Doc Holliday. There is a nice sense of "unreality" to the entire affair, somehow reminiscent of the dream ballet from "Oklahoma." Ironically, the Earps are actually portrayed rather realistically as the pistol-whipping thugs they were in Tombstone way back when. Again, there is a weakness in the premise, what with Kirk being order to force contact with the Melkotians, which is not exactly enlightened behavior on the part of the good guys (think Commodore Perry being ordered to "open" Japan). But strange situation is played out well and the best part of this episode is that it is Spock who effectively saves the day. "Specter of the Gun" ends up being an above average episode of Star Trek.

AN ODD PAIR OF EPISODES BUT STILL WONDERFUL!!!
Volume 28 of The Star Trek DVD series may be the most bizarre DVD in the series. Partly because it contains the last episode of the second season and the first epiosde of the third. These two episodes differ greatly and it is interesting to compare and contrast between them however both of these episodes are above average Trek tales despite their strange differences.

ASSIGNMENT: EARTH was the season finale of the second season. Essentially it was a pilot for a proposed series by the same name. At the time Star Trek was going to be cancelled and it was quite apparent that Roddenberry developed this to have something to fall back on once the network had made their decision. I'm assuming Roddenberry was planning to have Robert Lansing and Terri Garr as the main charcters in this new series and have the Star Trek cast make various guest appearnaces. Anyways as it turned out Star Trek managed to stay on for a further season and Roddenberry and the network ditched the whole 'Assignment:Earth' idea. All we were left with was this strange episode of Star Trek (which makes you wonder if the show had been cancelled and Assignment:Earth had been accepted by NBC). The episode finds the Enterprise crew travelling back to 1968 (at the time this was aired: modern day earth). Upon arrival they cross paths with Gary Seven (Robert Lansing) and he has come to earth in order to slow down it evolutionary process to put a stop to destroying themselves. He does this by sabotaging U.S. rockets and Kirk feels he will change the course of time. However Seven insists he is doing this for the good of mankind. The episode is rather strange and complicated as most of the screen time is given to Lansing rather than Shatner which is quite a change. The rest of the episode involves Kirk and Spock chasing Seven around trying to stop him. In the end everything turns out fine as usual and the course of time is not affected but many viewers may be left scratching their heads after this episode is over. It is good but rather hard to follow. Terri Garr makes one of her first appearances as Roberta Lincoln a hip chick who applies for a secretary job for Mr. Seven. The casting was great in this one (Both Lansing and Garr are excellent) and perhaps Roddenberry should have salvaged the Assignment: Earth idea after Star Trek was cancelled in June of 1969? Sadly this was never done.

The other episode here is SPECTRE OF THE GUN which kicked off Star Trek's inconsistant third and final season. There is such a big change between this and ASSIGNMENT:EARTH. It's amazing that Star Trek was able stay on for a third season but it's obvious that the production budget was way tighter (which explains the true reason why there are incomplete sets in this episode). Still this is one of the better episodes in Star Trek's haphazard final season.
The Enterprise is abducted by a mysterious alien race called the Melkotians Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Chekov beam down to their planet only to end up in a situation where they are the Clampetts in the middle of the historic 'Gun Fight At The OK Corral' against the Earp's. This episode is ironic because Deforest Kelley did play Morgan Earp in the classic 1957 film. Despite being another bizarre Star Trek outing SPECTRE OF THE GUN is an awesome episode of Star Trek in my opinion especially for the majority of lackluster scripts submitted in the third season. Besides the casting of the Earps is impressive and the gunfight at the end is kinda cool.

Overall a bizarre pair of episodes but both are wonderful and interesting in their own ways. SPECTRE OF THE GUN is more enjoyable to watch than ASSIGNMENT:EARTH in my opinion but they are both special. Highly recommended.

Two unusual episodes bridge seasons 2 and 3
Assignment: Earth-This episode, which featured the crew returning to Earth in 1968 to observe a rocket launch, was certainly unusual. it becomes much more than an observation once they are forced to decide whether Seven's role is a positive or negative one in the prevention of nuclear war. Any viewer unaware that this was a pilot episode of a proposed spy show would be forgiven for wondering how the crew ended up in a such a mundane setting. While Robert Lansing and Terri Garr are a big step up from your average Trek guest stars, there is a reason the show was not picked up. Nevertheless, the plotline is entertaining enough to yield one quirky episode.

Tidbit: Kirk was never any rounder than he was right here; well, not until the Trek movies anyway. (3 stars)

Spectre of the Gun was the first third season episode to be produced, and one need watch no more than the teaser to sense that the show would have a very different feel during the 1968-1969 season. First off, those shiny, synthetic-looking uniforms that replaced the corderoys of the first two seasons. A minor point, yes, but perhaps a metaphor for other changes. The third season shows have a slick quality about them, an emphasis of style over substance. There is a sense that everyone is somehow in the know, no longer willing to invest themselves in the simple morality tales so common in the first season. This process was certainly well underway by the midpoint of season 2, when we began to see action (and high camp in the seminal case of I, Mudd) episodes that were light, devoid of moralizing, and somewhat tongue in cheek. By the third season, it could no longer be reigned in. Gone was the moral foundation of the show, but also gone was the feeling that the actors were having fun. What's left is highly formalized episodes.

It should be added though that stylistically season was 3 was by far the most developed season. Musically, scores became more florid and psychadelic, unusual camera angles and cuts became more common, and character' actions became less predictable. I for one enjoy the fluidity, trippyness, and dark tone of the third season. I know I'm in the minority (to say the least) here though.

But this is supposed to be a review of Spectre of the Gun, in which the crew are forced to participate in the events leading up to the gunfight at the OK Corral. Overall this is a pretty good episode, with more action than most 3rd season shows. Better though is the fact that this episode is very atmospheric, with a stong score, wind, and effects contributing to the sense of unreality and futility. But this too is an illusion. We end with the positive message that the crew were tested, and found worthy, for not killing. They are not judged on the basis of wanting to kill, but rather for not killing (although upon scrutiny even this worthiness is undermined somewhat by the fact that at that point the crew knows the Earps are unreal).

This episode doesn't hammer the moral theme as earlier seasons did. Surprising is the extent to which the crew must focus on their own survival, even to the extent of accepting demeaning abuse the Earps.

This episode has it's flaws though. Most notably, only Kirk seems phases by Chekov's death; of course the others were no doubt constrained by the new production team. (3.5 stars)

"I can't just kill them!!!"
REVIEWED ITEM: Star Trek® Original Series DVD Volume 28- Assignment: Earth © / Spectre of the Gun ©

ASSIGNMENT: EARTH © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/or Philosophical Subject(s) Driven Into the Ground: Messin' with the space-time continuum; trusting the motivations of complete strangers

Expendable Enterprise Crewmember ('Red Shirt') Confirmed Casualty List: Three incapacitated

REVIEW/COMMENTARY:

Was 'Assignment: Earth' just another rip-roaring Star Trek adventure, or was it the teaser for a possible spinoff show? Well, let's see now... the guest stars (Gary Seven and his not-so-trusty receptionist Roberta Lincoln) are given an extensive amount of screen time and character development, much more than what most other guests have been granted on classic 'Trek. The screen time that Kirk, Spock and company use up is minimal, with most of the celluloid dedicated to Gary Seven embarking on and completing his mission, and Roberta getting in the way in a supposedly humorous fashion. And if those two bits of evidence don't seal the deal for ya, there's Mister Spock's statement at the end of the show where he predicts "interesting experiences in store for them (Seven and Lincoln)". I dunno 'bout the rest of ya's but it definitely looks like a set-up to me...

Sadly, 'Assignment: Earth' didn't grab me as a show that would've had much promise if it were made into a series. Robert Lansing's portrayal of Mister Seven could have used a bit more charisma, especially during his bizarrely comic exchanges between himself and the rookie receptionist. Speaking of which, Teri Garr didn't impress me as the young and slightly dense Roberta Lincoln, whose personality consisted of an annoying meld of ditzy naivete and "whoa, far out, man"-style hippiness. She also has way-too-easy access to her new boss' hi-tech equipment, which she always seems to discover by accident. The addition of the shape-shifting feline Isis and her pathetically fake meows (what, they couldn't record a real cat meowing and dub it in where needed?) adds the final death knell to any hope of seeing these folks venturing beyond the confines of the original Star Trek series. Which is probably just as well...

SPECTRE OF THE GUN © PRELIMINARY BRIEFS:

Moral, Ethical, and/o