DARK STAR (1974)

While attending USC, students John Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New York) and Dan O'Bannon (Return Of The Living Dead) produced a $60,000, 68-minute science fiction black comedy called Dark Star (1974). The film was picked up by producer Jack H. Harris (The Blob, Dinosaurus), who paid the young auteurs to film additional scenes and bring the running time to feature length.

In an unspecified future time, the patrol ship Dark Star, with its crew of five - Dollittle (Brian Narelle), Boiler (Cal Kuniholm), Talby (Dre Pahich), Pinback (Dan O'Bannon) and the cryogenically frozen corpse of ship's Commander Powell - is on a mission to destroy unstable planets with artificially-intelligent "thermostellar" warheads. Unfortunately, the ship has been away from Earth for twenty years and is falling apart, damaged by meteors and plagued with system malfunctions. The crew isn't in much better shape - unkempt, neurotic, and apathetic. When one of the aforementioned malfunctions causes warhead #20 to threaten to explode and take the ship with it, Lieutenant Doolittle has to try and talk the bomb out of fulfilling its prime directive.

Written by O'Bannon (who later co-wrote Alien) and Carpenter, and directed by Carpenter, Dark Star is a crudely crafted but ingenious science fiction film, executed with style, wit and humor. The comedy is of a decidedly dark variety - very 1970s - and the amateur cast isn't always up to the task of carrying it off, but there are plenty of chuckles to be had, especially during Sgt. Pinback's extended struggle with the ship's alien mascot - a beach ball with claws.

The special effects are surprisingly decent, especially considering the microscopic budget, and the sets and props demonstrate considerable ingenuity on the part of the tyro filmmakers.

VCI Entertainment offers two versions of Dark Star on its DVD. The theatrical version, and a shorter, "Special Edition," which purports to recreate the original student film. Both transfers are in 1.85 widescreen, with the "Special Edition" version looking slightly better than the theatrical. Both versions, though, are rather soft and dark, which is to be expected, considering the film was shot in 16mm. Both also show some wear & tear, but nothing egregious. Supplemental material is limited to the theatrical trailer and some text bios.

Dark Star is an entertaining curio and fascinating look at the nascent talents of Carpenter, O'Bannon and their crew. It is extremely accomplished for a student film, and while it lacks the polish and production value of a big studio motion picture, it's easy to see why Carpenter and the late O'Bannon were able to go on to forge such impressive movie careers.

There have been rumors of an improved special edition being in the works for several years, but no official announcement has been made. If you haven't seen Dark Star and are a science fiction fan or interested in Carpenter's work, you should at least try to find a copy to rent. The DVD's technical quality's not the greatest, but the film is definitely worth seeing.

SPACEHUNTER; ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE (1983) Theatrical Posters

I've been contemplating the chronological cut-off point for inclusion of films and TV shows here at Space: 1970, and although it's not set in stone, I think I'm going to arbitrarily state that this blog "officially" covers the sci-fi era from Planet of the Apes in 1968 to Return of the Jedi in 1983.

That means I can legitimately include here Spacehunter: Adventures In the Forbidden Zone, which came out in the summer of '83, while Jedi was still in theaters. Although not generally well-regarded, I happen to like the movie, and sometimes wish that it had done well enough to merit sequels - I would have enjoyed seeing more adventures of Peter Strauss' Wolff.

I remember going to see it with my girlfriend at the time (in 3-D, 'natch), and both of us agreeing that it was more fun than Jedi!

Coming Attractions: THE BLACK HOLE (1979) Theatrical Trailer

Space Babe: Ornelia Muti

Exotic Ornella Muti as Princess Aura in the 1980 film, Flash Gordon. In a movie loaded with gorgeous, glamorous space babes, it's Ming the Merciless' sexy scion that stands out - sultry, sly, scheming, and stunningly sexual.

The lovely Ms. Muti is a huge star in her native Italy, having appeared in over a hundred films and television shows. In 1994, readers of the magazine Class, voted her the "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." Of course, they didn't specify which world - I'd say she's definitely the title holder on Mongo... and possibly the sexiest space princess ever!

Help Wanted!

I received an e-mail the other day from a reader in Germany, who wanted my help in identifying a sci-fi movie that he remembered from the 70s. Since I haven't been able to help him, I thought I'd post his query here, and see if any of you guys out there could identify the film/show he remembers:

Hi there Christopher,

I am writing to you from Germany and was wondering wether you could help me find a movie that I have been looking for - for, literally, ages.

One scene has stuck in my mind since childhood and has seen me scouring the web for an answer as to it's origins.
I don't recall at all what the story of the movie in general was about. It aired here in Germany during the late seventies and all I remember was that it was profoundly gripping and terrifying.

This is the scene that I remember:
The film was set in a strange future world, where two people were stuck in a hilly desolate landscape. The sun was setting and the rolling hills were lit by the late afternoon twilight.
The two characters were talking urgently and needed to get away from that spot to evade an 'enemy' or alien force, which was closing in on them. This 'enemy' had begun to appear on a broad front over a ridge behind our heroes. They were silver or white and had an egg-shaped or balloon-like appearance. There might have been ten or twenty of these creatures, which moved along in a nightmarish bouncing slow motion dance.
The balloon creatures could have been bobbing down the slope toward the sunset. The two heroes might have been near a shuttle-like vehicle.

Thank you ever so much for your time!

So, does this sound familiar to anyone out there?

A Word From Our Sponsor....

Most of the longer DVD reviews on this blog originally appeared in my DVD Late Show review column, which I have been writing regularly (mostly) for the last five years. The column originally debuted on filmmaker Kevin Smith's Movie Poop Shoot website in 2005 as a bi-weekly feature. Subsequent incarnations of the column appeared online at Quick Stop Entertainment and, later, Forces of Geek. Several print installments also appeared in IDW Publishing's DOOMED magazine.

This past January, I moved the feature to its own, dedicated website - DVD Late Show. New reviews - between 1 and six new articles, depending on what I have on hand - appear there weekly, and the archive contains over 400 DVD and Blu-Ray reviews - mostly sci-fi, fantasy, horror and action films/TV. If you enjoy the reviews here at Space: 1970 (all of which were updated and revised before re-posting, BTW), you'll find a lot more of the same at the Late Show.

PLEASE check out the site, and if you find it entertaining and/or helpful, bookmark it, and make it a regular stop. Spread the word, link to it. I'm going to need a lot of traffic/hits to make it feasible and keep it going.

Thanks, guys.

I now return to your regularly scheduled programming....

BLACKSTAR (1980)

Blackstar (1980-81) was probably the last Filmation cartoon I remember actually getting up early to watch. I was into D&D then, and anything with a sword & sorcery theme caught my interest. Unfortunately, if I recall correctly, it aired in the same timeslot as Ruby-Spears' superior Thundarr The Barbarian on another network, so unless Thundarr was a repeat, I usually opted for the post-Apocalyptic barbarian over the sword-slinging astronaut, John Blackstar.

Loosely inspired by interplanetary romances like Edgar Rice Burroughs’ "John Carter of Mars" pulp stories, Blackstar tells of an American astronaut, who, after passing through a black hole, finds himself stranded on the primitive planet Sagar. The planet is ruled by the evil, Darth Vader-esque Overlord, and opposed by a motley band of freedom fighters, including the sorceress Mara, shape-shifter Klone, and seven pink "trobbits." John Blackstar somehow comes into possession of the Starsword (an adventure never related on the series), a mystic blade that can be combined with the Overlord’s Powersword to become the Powerstar – an ultimate weapon that the Overlord desperately covets.

Watching it today as a 40+ adult, I find that Blackstar is actually somewhat better than I remembered. The animation still looks pretty slick and, oddly enough for a Filmation adventure show, uses very little, if any, rotoscoping. The character designs and background paintings are excellent, really selling the alien environment of planet Sagar. The scripts – mostly by animation and sci-fi veterans J. Michael Reeves (Batman - the Animated Series) and Marc Scott Zicree (Sliders) – are fun and fast paced. I still hate the little pink "trobbits," though, and prefer the episodes that play down their child-friendly antics.

My favorite episode is probably "Shipwrecked," written by Reaves, where Blackstar's old fiancee - also an astronaut - follows his ship's trajectory through the black hole to Sagar. Of course, she's captured by the Overlord, who wants her starship's technology. She is rescued by - and reunited with - Blackstar, but is ultimately forced to leave Sagar without him. The best part, though, is that when she emerges from the black hole to her own side of the galaxy, she contacts Earth command and sets them to work preparing an invasion fleet! She wants to go back to Sagar in force and bring her fiance back! Unfortunately, that intriguing plot thread is never revisited during the remainder of the series.

A few years back, before BCI/Eclipse went wherever it is defunct video labels go, they released the complete series on DVD. The full-frame transfers are excellent; the source material on Blackstar looks much better than the prints used on their previous Flash Gordon set, with bright colors and virtually no visible debris or damage. Extras include an informative booklet of liner notes, writer and producer commentaries on two episodes, on-screen interviews with many of the creators of the show, two image galleries, and "The Magic of Filmation" documentary.

If you're nostalgic and want to revisit your childhood – or know kids who are into fantasy adventure – Blackstar is well worth hunting down and picking up.

Back in the mid-90s, I was an editor at a short-lived and now-forgotten comic book company called Tekno*Comix. Their gimmick was publishing comics created by science fiction personalities, and their premiere title was Leonard Nimoy's Primortals. I wrote eleven issues of that comic, beginning with #3, and it was a great deal of fun - as well as a huge nerdy thrill, since I'd always been a fan of the actor and his portrayal of Spock on Star Trek.

During my tenure as writer of Primortals, we had several phone conversations, and met in person once. Leonard was extremely enthusiastic about the project, gracious, and complimentary of my efforts on the title. Meeting him - and working on his creation - is a high point of my professional career.

Leonard Nimoy turns 79 today. Here's wishing our favorite Vulcan a very happy birthday.

News: FLASH GORDON (1980) Blu-Ray in June

Figures. Almost to the moment that I revise and post my three year-old review of the Flash Gordon - Saviour Of the Universe Edition DVD to this blog, Universal announces that the exact same version - but in high definition - will be hitting the street in June on Blu-Ray Disc.

The format will be 2.2:1 1080p and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. D-BOX Motion Code will be included as well as BD Live. Bonus features appear to be identical with those on the Saviour edition DVD: An interview with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr., and interview with illustrator/fan Alex Ross, the first chapter of the 1936 serial with Buster Crabbe, and the original theatrical trailer. I'm assuming the promo for the now gone-and-forgotten SciFi Channel disaster will not be included this time.

Universal's SRP is $26.98. But you can pre-order Flash Gordon [Blu-ray] (1980) from Amazon at that link now for less than twenty bucks.

Coming Attractions: STAR TREK - THE MOTION PICTURE (1979) Teaser Trailer

As I said, I liked the new Star Trek well enough, but those kids aren't the real crew.

Chris Pine who? Here's wishing a fantastic birthday to the real Captain James Tiberius Kirk.

Starfleet's finest - and the man who made me love this stuff - William Shatner, turns 79 today. Happy birthday, Rocket Man!

Vinyl Movies... In Space Age Stereo!

It's sometimes difficult to remember a time before home video. We have so much media literally at our fingertips these days, that a time before VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, Tivo, streaming video, etc., seems almost unbelievable. Those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s loving TV and movies had to resign ourselves to watching the shows we liked only when network programmers scheduled them (assuming our parents let us at all), and if we wanted to revisit a favorite film, the only option we usually had was a paperback novelization (by Alan Dean Foster, most likely) - if we were lucky and the film we liked even got novelized.

When Star Wars came along and surprised everyone with its incredible mainstream popularity, Lucas, Fox and hundreds of licensors scrambled to create new products that they could sell to Wars-hungry masses while said masses waited impatiently for the sequel. Among those new products was The Story of Star Wars - a long-playing record album that contained an abridged version of the film story, composed of dialogue, sound effects and music from the movie soundtrack, with additional narration (by actor Roscoe Lee Browne, who had played "Box" in Logan's Run) to smooth out the audio narrative.

I had this album on cassette, and I listened to it so often that even today, I can recite large swaths of the dialogue in Star Wars from memory.

Of course, being Star Wars, and with affordable videocassettes of the movie itself still several years away, the Story Of... album sold like crazy. Millions of kids like myself re-experienced that movie over and over in our heads for years. It was so successful that similar story albums were released for the next two Star Wars films, and several other genre productions, too. I know there were similar albums for Raiders of the Lost Ark ('natch), Battlestar Galactica, and The Black Hole. Probably others, as well.

If you hunt around online, you can find downloads of most of these records. They're actually pretty amazing. Most of the abridgements are expertly done (the Saga of Battlestar Galactica LP plays better than the actual pilot, in my opinion), and they're damned fun to listen to.

In fact, I often listen to them while I work on various projects - this blog, for example - at my computer.