Month: September 2019

Creation of the Humanoids (1962)

It’s unfortunate that Wesley Barry’s honorable director-producer ambitions through his Genie Studios—portraying a post-apocalyptic society that, to save humanity, fuse man with machine to create human-like androids from freshly dead human corpses, then deals with their creations’ development of cyber-theology and a subsequent worker’s revolt—grossly exceeded this film’s restrictive budget. Ultimately, Creation of the Humanoids, […]

Docteur M (1990)

While not a household name in the U.S., director Claude Chabrol (with films like Bluebeard and 1975’s Innocents with Dirty Hands) is revered in his homeland—and throughout Europe—alongside other prominent, “mainstream” filmmakers birthed from the ‘50s French New Wave: Francois Truffaut (1966’s sci-fi Fahrenheit 451) and Jean-Luc Godard (1965’s sci-fi Alphaville). Inspired by German Expressionist […]

The Wandering Earth (2019)

When film critics report on the highest-grossing releases for 2019, and those films’ successful directors, thus far, they mention Marvel/Disney’s Avengers: Endgame (by Joe/Anthony Russo; $858 million) and Captain Marvel (Ann Boden/Ryan Fleck; $426 million). Then there’s Pixar’s Toy Story 4 (Josh Cooley; $432 million), then Disney, once again, with The Lion King (Jon Favreau; […]

The Survivalist (1987)

Let’s not beat around the radioactive bush and go straight to the Def-Cons. The Def-Con 3 caveat: Contrary to the VHS cover, the Russians do not “strike back.” Not by missiles. Not by a Red Dawn or Invasion USA invasion. It’s just Americans fighting Americans. There’s no Russian collusion; the enemy is within: his name […]

The Quiet Earth (1985)

This one is for the Lords of the Rings trilogy fans. This New Zealand-produced entry is an end-of-the-world dramatic-mystery thriller and not some Down Under, post-apoc frolic in the vein of Mad Max, Battletruck, Dead End Drive-In, or Turkey Shoot. Unlike most low-budget “futures” that have no choice but to create simplified futures utilizing clothing, […]

Desert Warrior (1988)

Oh, hell no. Not more Def-Con 4 graphic art fuckery. A dilapidated bridge. A decaying skyscraper. An eye patch. Armored motorcycle-knights. Mad Max spiked-adorned cars with blowers. Luigi Cozzi-spaceships. Post-nuclear action with Sergio Martino-vibes. Yeah, I won’t be confusing this with Enzo G. Castellari’s The Desert Warrior (1984, AKA Tuareg: The Desert Warrior). No wait […]

Operation Ganymed (1977)

This dystopian-inspired version of a psychological Russian space epic (1970’s Signale, 1972’s Eolomea, 1980’s The Orion Loop, 1983’s Moon Rainbow) produced for German theatres in the wake of the ‘70s Star Wars-inspired production boom also appeared on German and European television as Heroes: Lost in the Dust of the Stars. Courtesy of the burgeoning home […]

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