John Carter

This is the completed filming of the ever popular Edgar Rice Burroughs novel which started the John Carter of Mars franchise many years ago.  The first screen rendition was a direct to DVD production in 2009.  I didn't see that other version, but a direct to disc, well one has to wonder.

This film, Disney, of course took out all the nudity that ERB put in his novels.  They did manage to keep a lot of blood and brutality though, but on a par with Star Wars.  They also managed to de-villanize the Apaches who were brutal savages in the novel.

The overall look was kinda how I expected, though I have never actually read any ERB cover to cover.  By keeping a turn of the century scientifiction look it almost seems steampunk at times.

So, yes lots of fighting, lots of rebellious hero, lots of scantily clad maidens, lots of pulp SF in glitzy 3-D CGI where you just totally go with the flow.

One thing that irked me was the subtitles when Martian is spoken.  I was also tricked into seeing the 3-D version, but this one was very watchable.  I'm learning to not try to focus on the characters who are out of focus.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Classic SF. Do I have to say anything? Klaatu Barada Nicto.

Considering this is a based on a short story, it stretches well to a 90 minute movie. Enough techno wow in Gort "The" robot of the 50's. The lighting in the spaceship is both SF and classic noir with a hint of expressionism in it too.

Of course it is preachy and moralistic, but you can also see it as a little too much pro American and UN. After all Klaatu represents a union of planets that is slapping Earths wrist for getting weapons ahead of their maturity level. This is typically seen as a warning against maintaining nuclear arsenals, but in our contemporary world it's analagous to the UN, NATO and the USA keeping the "lesser" and "more volatile" nations in a low tech non-nuclear state.

Patricia Neal is no Jennifer Connolly, but she is a credible heroine.

I never noticed before, but the Klaatu resurrection sequence is almost an homage to the Hel/Maria animation sequence in Metropolis.

rated A/D

The Man From Earth

A wonderful one room play. A university professor is moving on, and his colleagues are intrigued as to to why. He presents them with a fascinating tale, how he has to move on every ten years or so because he is immortal. Since his colleagues include a historian, an archaeologist and an anthropologist the are convinced he knows his subjects, but everything is verifiable by text book.

Of course, as with all low tech SF films, it eventually gets around to morality questions and theology. Still, all done in a very good way.