Red Dwarf Favorites: Quarantine

Howdy smeggers and welcome to Day 5 of Red Dwarf Favorites.  Today we touch base on the first episode I ever saw from Red Dwarf and it was almost an instant like.  Our story begins in Series 5 Episode 4 leads our crew into a salvage mission at an abandoned research center on a ice planet.  The search follows an emergency distress signal leading them to look about the center which leads them to all sorts of danger.  This is Quarantine.

It's only a model.

Rimmer: So let me get this straight. You wanna fly on a magic carpet to see the king of the Spoiler People and plead with for your freedom, and you're telling me you're all completely sane?



As the team took Starbug out for the search and rescue mission Rimmer assumes command...  not that you would know it by the lack of response from Lister and the Cat.  Kryten asked politely for the scouter droid to be launched and the boys jumped right in action.  After a few minutes later the crew informs Rimmer that the research center holds the experiments of Doctor Hildegarde Lanstrom (Maggie Steed of Shine on Harvey Moon, Pie in the Sky, Clatterford, Whites, 32 Brinkburn Street, Stella and Midsomer Murders),  a brillant scientist whose field of studies are positive and negative viruses.  They point out that they need to borrow Rimmer's holo-projector to acquire Lanstrom, who is also a hologram.

She's got Betty Davis Eyes!!!

Rimmer grumbles and points out how Red Dwarf cannot handle more than one hologram at a time.  Lister suggests a time share idea and Rimmer goes through the roof over this.  As Kryten begins to inform Rimmer of Space Corp Directive, Rimmer preps a pod to go back to Red Dwarf claiming that Kryten has made up these rules.  Kryten asks Holly to provide Rimmer with a hologramatic version the Space Corp Directives and Rimmer snarls and capitulates while waiting for the pod to be prepared.

With that out of the way Kryten, Lister and the Cat make their way into the center only to discover the viral projects may be volatile but the scare was unjustified.  Lanstrom was in a stasis pod preserving herself, proceeds to fire beams from her eyes at our boys and they flee.   Kryten deduces that Lanstrom is infected with a holo-virus and she is quite crackers.  Trying to get support from Rimmer via radio, Rimmer behaves smug and petulant as per usual.  Lanstrom speaks to Rimmer and exclaims how quite mad she is.  Rimmer shakes his head and proceeds back to the Dwarf.   Our fellows luck out as the virus burns Lanstrom out and they take her discoveries and research back to the Dwarf.  

Just humor him, fellas.

Finding that Starbug is heading to a different landing bay which is quarantine.  Space Corp Directive 595 (any crew member in direct contact with diseases must enter quarantine for the next three months.)  Leaving the three of them in one bedroom accommodations as per Space Corp Directive 597 (one berth per registered crew member) Lister is the only registered crew member, one room is all they get.  Is the various diseases infected our heroes or is Rimmer being a total git?  Will they be cleared or cash in their chips all together?

Some fun facts about this episode now.  The Mr. Flibble penguin puppet was nothing more than a stand-in prop puppet as the crew was hitting every thrift shop imaginable but could not find anything as comical as the penguin.  In the end, the temporary prop was used for the episode.

It took up to an hour to film a three-minute scene with Cat, Lister and Kryten arguing in the quarantine bay.  The cast kept blowing their lines and cracking up with out and out laughter.  The producers were going out of their minds as they had only booked the studio for two and a half hours overall.

Rimmer out for his constitutional. 

Post Apocalypse Week: Last Man on Earth

How do all and welcome to Day 2 of Post Apocalypse Week.  Going more for a viral feel this time around so why not tap into one of the most famous novels made to film adaptation I Am Legend by Richard Matheson?   A joint effort between Italy and the states a pairing of  director Ubaldo Ragona (Sweet Smell of Love, Baldoria nei Caraibi, Il fiume dei Faraoni) and director Sidney Salkow (The Zero Hour, Flight Lieutenant, The Golden Hawk, Sitting Bull and The Great Sioux Massacre) causing two different styles and formats to blend together to provide you a movie.  This is Last Man on Earth.

SICK TO DEATH OF BEANS!!!

Robert Morgan: December 1965. Is that all it has been since I inherited the world? Only three spoilers.  Seems like 100 million.





Most men get into a routine but few could manages Dr. Frank Morgan (Vincent Price of Tower of London, The Eve of St. Mark, The Three Musketeers, House of Wax, The Fly, The Bat and Pit and the Pendulum) his daily duties such as: sharpening stakes, prepping mirrors and garlic for the house and running men and women through with said stakes.   Three years prior a plague infected the populous to the point foreign powers contemplating destroying the nation.  Dr. Morgan speculates that the virus mimics vampirism causing the victims to rise at night and tear around the towns and cities. The only reason he too is not infected is from a bite of a Vampire bat in Panama many years ago giving him immunity.

Not so welcome wagon.

Residing in Los Angeles (areas of Rome) finding supplies is not too difficult as Morgan enjoys a five finger discount and his narrative operates explanation for the audience.  His dark humor masks his pain as he discovers a dog on his front stoop.  He tends to the animal's wound and the dog starts showing signs of the disease.  As he buries the dog he spots a girl and chases her down.  Her name is Ruth (Franca Bettoia of Desert Warrior, The Seducer-Man of Straw, The Itchy Palm, The Dam on the Yellow River, Duels of Champions and The Lion of St. Mark) and clearly she was infected but somehow her society has been working on a serum to allow them out in the daylight.  It never lasts though and Morgan  takes Ruth home, gives her a transfusion of his blood to instantly cure her.   Can these two bring about order in the world again?

I had just a few comments to make on the film at this time.  Other than a few goofs in continuity I found this to be a dark and disturbing story of a scientist, a doctor having to give up his Hippocratic oath simply to live through another night.  It weighs on his soul every day and he does break up from time to time but his logic brings him back in order continue on.   A few vehicle swaps occur between shots at the plague burning pit and bodies were laid at different angles from different shots as well.  Overall it is a creepy and foreboding tale making you question if you would do not unlike Doctor Morgan.

Last refuge for the smoker.

Post Apocalypse Week: Things to Come

Howdy all and welcome to the end of the world as you know it.  Day 1 of Post Apocalypse Week and I thought I would start us off right with some H.G. Wells of a different standing.  As many of you are no doubt aware of The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, our gentleman story crafter gave us a short story that should given us pause.  In 1933, Wells published a short story describing social and political forces and all the possibilities they ensue.  The title is The Shape of Things to Come, which many believe this is less a story and more of a discussion for many to delve into. The impact it had on the world screamed for it to be put upon the big screen so director William Cameron Menzies (The Iron Mask, Alibi, Puttin' on the Ritz, Our Town, The Devil and Miss Jones, Duel in the Sun and Invaders from Mars) took the reins of this wild horse and did his level best.  This is Things to Come.

Alright, one more present and then the war simply must start.

Roxana: I don't suppose any man has ever understood any woman since the beginning of things, You don't understand our spoilers.





Hailing from Denham Studios our movie opens with the impeding threat of global war during of all times, Christmas Day a successful businessman John Cabal (Raymond Massey of The Speckled Band, The Prisoner of Zenda, Arsneic and Old Lace, East of Eden, Seven Angry Men and Dr. Kildare) queries to himself and his guests of what is to become of their city "Everytown" if and when this war reaches them.  His naive friend Passworthy (Edward Chapman of Murder, The October Man, The Spider and the Fly, His Excellency and X: The Unknown) assures him with technological marvels excelling as they do, the social conscious will rise with it.

A dissolve later we see Cabal in a biplane shooting down an enemy bomber, land and pull that bomber from the wreckage.  They both reflect on the madness that is war while conversing through gas masks when they see a little girl running around the dilapidated streets telling them they are done for anyway as it was so matter of fact.    Cabal takes the girl to safety in his plane as he wonders what is to become of Man's civilization.
Decades past as the war continues to wage on that even the survivors have no idea why they are fighting and who is the enemy anymore. The world ends up in a new Dark Age.  With cities and towns in ruins and little to no technology to be found aside from a scant amount of firearms to continue the killing.

That was me. Sorry little girl.

By 1966, a plague is introduced by some unknown enemy using the last remnants of aircraft to spread this gas about.  Dr. Harding (Maurice Braddell of Master and Man, Men of Tomorrow, Flesh and Women in Revolt) struggles desperately to find a cure to save what is left of humanity in order to rebuild and start over but with little equipement to harness a vacine is found dead.

By 1970, a despotic ruler calling himself the Boss (Ralph Richardson of The Avengers, Richard III, The 300 Spartans, Rollerball, Watership Down and Time Bandits) reigns over most of Southern England and has ceased the plague by shooting those infected.   This tyrant was a little man that came to power simply by being in the right place and time as so many conquerors.

This film brings about some of our worst fears to light.  The Luddites against progress to those that are enslaved to technology.  From warring nations to the Big Brother mentality that is sweeping the planet.  It portrays the best and worst of humanity in every conceivable way and frankly was an audacious piece of work for its time and holds true to our time.

But the Morlocks come out at night good sir!

Eurozombie Week!!!

Howdy boys and girls and welcome to this week's insanity. As I am sure you are aware of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who was tended to and has had many a rave and nitpick about it... but that has NOTHING to do with this week other than I am going to the theater to watch it on IMAX... Heh.  Yeah I am a nerd/geek/doofus and couldn't care a wet slap about folks having an issue with it.

That being said (or written in this case) I propose the following week excavating the impact on the known European standing with zombies.  Yes we covered a plethora of zombie flicks around the globe and by God in heaven we are now focused solely on EuroHorror's sub-genre of zombie films.   The little rotters have made their way to the UK, Spain, Italy and several regions of France.  Hey I am an underdog fan and yet I loathe zombies.  A tad ironic I admit but nevertheless I will soldier on for the sake of my readers.

Victims of World War Z screenings...poor bastards.

So join with me as we embark on a quest for more ghoulies, rotten corpses and a few competent directors along the way.  Remember the undead make no noise...well except the shuffling, dragging of a broken limb and that weird eerie moan that is emitted before they attack.  Okay so they make noise but only when they are really nearby.