Reviews

I saw this one today and I was very surprised by the film. Not only does it have a theme reminiscent of the later Dirty Dozen, but there's a scene towards the beginning that smacks of the Guns of Naverone. The casting is surprisingly top notch and I was overall pleased with the entire film. Stewart Granger is Good as the troubled British officer out for revenge. I loved Mickey Rooney, who seemed to be having the time of his life as an IRA demolition expert. The other members of the cast rounded out an almost perfect ensemble with notable mention to William Campbell & Edd Byrne. The only thing I found odd about this film was the speed at which the actors found themselves on their secret mission. It seemed within 20 minutes they were introduced, trained, and already in enemy waters. Other than that, it was a solid WW2 movie with plenty of action! I HIGHLY recommend it.

Seaquest DSV was a show that could have stood above all the mediocre offerings out in TV Land today. At a time when Television Sci Fi is being bombarded with Aliens, Eco Terrorists, Mythical beasties Seaquest was an attempt to give the world an accurate depiction of what our future 'could' have been. Now I am a HUGE Sci Fi nut and will always love the genre, but I was thrilled when I saw the first episode come on TV in 1993. Here was a future mankind could actually look forward to. No Spaceships zipping across galaxies in half an hour, No ray guns that would vaporize an enemy. Here was Science, without the fiction. Deep sea colonization, deep sea mining, exploring underwater volcano's, All of this was within the realm of what Man could achieve. Seaquest presented an atmosphere where ALL nationalities came together with a goal of bettering ourselves, not just snatch and grab. Alas, it was not meant to be. The evil Ratings gods looked at the 1st season's ratings and said.."Let's make it more Science FICTION" And the fans died off one by one. They, like me, stayed faithfully with the show thru it's second season. But by season 3 the interest was gone and what could have been a Shining example of the Future, became just another entry in the book of "What might wave been"

Being from a small town in Illinois myself, I can instantly relate to this movie. Considering the era it was made in, the townsfolk look uncomfortably like a lot of people I grew up with. Yes the plot is so-so. And yes, the Acting is not going to get nominated for an Oscar anytime soon. But that isn't the point. The point is to suspend reality and just have FUN. And this movie has Fun aplenty. From the greedy,uncaring banker to the well meaning,but dimwitted deputy, this movie was made to poke fun at the SciFi genre and small town living at it's best. Who can't smile at the sight of the Enforcer Drone or the Vern Droid? and I LOVED the FarmZoid. Wish I had one when I was growing up. Overall, considering the technology they had available at the time, this is a pleasant romp into one's childhood, when you could sit back on a Saturday afternoon, Popcorn in hand, and laugh at the foibles of small town living. This is a movie I would watch again and again, if for no other reason than to poke fun at myself and my small town ways.