50s creature-features are a wasteland all right, taken as a whole … and yet certain rocky outcrops, even some gems appear. This one is middling-good.
Review:
“I am old enough to have seen “This Island Earth” when it was first released. After “Forbidden Planet”, it was the only other film for a decade to take place outside of Earth’s solar system.
Galactic fiction had been written for decades by Edmond Hamilton and a handful of others, very successfully; but it is still rare and hard to handle in film, because it requires some level of ideas and logical development of a political-philosophical system other than conventional and unimaginative acceptances–the stock in trade of those who rip off headlines, use titles such as “Across the Sea of Stars”–and then write nothing at all to go with the promising title.
Here we have a mysterious robot-controlled aircraft’s flight, mail from aliens, the building of an Inter-Rossiter communication device, tall-domed aliens (exhibiting a variety of ethical characters), interstellar flight, a war on a planet called Metalluna, flaming comet-missiles, a competent alien mutant creature, an intelligent cat named Neutron, romance, news conferences, good and bad advice and more.
The original story line, for those who have not read Raymond Z. Jones’ original mystery-sci-fi, is much better than what was done with its ideas in the film’s script. In that novel, Earth was to be destroyed, because it was in the way and being used as a base by one of two sides in a huge interstellar war; at the end, the hero, whose ingenuity has saved the one side, has to make a speech to save the Earth–a climax that did not make it into the film version.
Handsome Rex Reason, who lacks classical accent ability, plays scientist Cal Meacham, opposite Faith Domergue, a fair actress who does well as Ruth, his long-lost love, or is she. The film is stolen by Jeff Morrow as Exeter, also star of “Kronos”; Douglas Spencer is a bit disappointing as The Monitor, as is Lance Fuller as an evil Metallunan; the special effects such as rays that explode cars and the aforementioned comets are interesting for their time.
What is right about the film I suggest is its color, its adventure narrative and swift-paced unfolding, since it is rather well-directed; what is lacking is the first-rate ideas of the novel from which it was adapted.
“This Island Earth” ( a phrase later used in “Star trek’s “All Our Yesterdays”) is arguably a welcome change from all those sci-fi films where rockets seem tied to earth, unable to expand the human horizon.
I like it, and recommend it to anyone who wants to escape from the present mean-streets ugliness cult’s movies; it is physically beautiful and frankly more entertaining than most have credited it with being these past 50 years.”
(1104) Lazy Sunday morn I’m afraid … very slow blogging, nice brek just now, about to re-snooze, phone off. It was hellishly busy earlier on X, as you’ll see. (1127)
10. Sunday morning pleasure
9. Reference I think to those foreign truck drivers who killed three
8. Melania needs to do some deep diving
Screenshot
7. She’s becoming more impressive by the day
… hope her security provision is adequate:
6. X is most certainly THE channel for the world’s significant players
… plus us “other ranks” … neverending items of all sorts:
The New York Times Has Called for Insurrection and the Destruction of the Constitution TWICE in 48 Hours
Blackwater’s Erik Prince to Send 200 PMCs to Haiti Hell, as US Indicts Gang Leader
Meta’s Shocking AI Scandal: Chatbots Cleared for Steamy Talks with Kids as Young as 8
Zelensky Says Ukraine Anticipates Russian Attacks “to Create More Favorable Political Circumstances for Talks with Global Actors”
Obama’s DOJ and FBI Protected Hillary, Buried Evidence of Global Pay-to-Play, and Rigged Justice
Putin Forcefully Restates Moscow’s Ukraine Terms
Highly corrupt FDA and CDC still pretending the Plandemic is happening to inject children under 5
Scott Bessent makes unexpected visit to IRS with Biden admin whistleblowers
Much more.
2. Interesting in Texas
1. DAD at 1132
Sunday. All quiet on the Western [French] Front this morning – the family still asleep.
a) One little-known part of the history of the French Revolution is the uprising of the people of the of the Vendee [the coastal region between Nantes and La Rochelle] in support of their minor aristocracy and their Priests.
b) Britain’s food security at risk as one in eight dairy farmers plans to quit. It is the same here in France.
c) Another warning about a Civil War. Retired British Army Colonel Richard Kemp has said the primary risk the UK faces is from an alliance “of the hard left and Islamist extremists”
That old expression … blogito ergo sum. When I visit the littlest room, I am oft wont to drop the “l”.
15. Reporting back in Moscow too
❗️Putin informed the leadership of the Presidential Administration, the Government, the State Duma, ministries, and agencies about the results of his visit to the USA pic.twitter.com/KaOBukK7DN
Phew … time got away again … last Maigret I have for now, more below the show:
One of the synopses says:
“Maigret is visited by Ernestine, the wife of a burglar known as ‘Sad Freddie’. Whilst breaking into a house he discovered a body and is so alarmed he has fled the country. The trail leads Maigret to a dentist who lives with his domineering elderly mother. His wife has gone missing but Maigret needs to find a body if he is to provide a link.”
Right, apart from the domineering mother of the dentist, the key character is Ernestine and again … each series has different strengths … in the Davies, it is Andree Melly … in the Gambon, it is Sandy Ratcliff. The latter is more believable, age wise and in acting ability … the former truly crazy, even in real life, plus roles taken on … so that wildness does suit her part here. I like both but Ms Melly is quite some gal all the same, as in Maigret and the Maid.
As usual, it is Davies playing off the woman, the repartee … well it’s a great strength of the Maigret tales.
In a slight bind here over today’s films and episodes … still have the last Maigret to go from the current batch and it’s interesting how the burglar’s wife is portrayed in the Davies and Gambon series … that’s for later, Ron.
The interesting and frustrating thing about running From Russia With Love (topical, wot?) is that, in it only being available as a reaction video … if you get a good one, you get much of the plot and if she/he does not interrupt all that much … it’s quite bearable.
Now, sorry to be misandrist here but unless the guy is knowledgeable, a good reviewer … I just watched a guy reviewing a CCR number and he was right to the point … so unless the guy is good at it … weeellll, how can I put this?
Well let me put it this way … the way they do these reactions, usually, is to sit to one side and that’s where the issues start … too often they then have this tiny screen size they’re watching, they dwarf it … now that’s all right if a gorgeous gal … but if it’s a huge, hairy beast … for half an hour straight? Er, greatest respect for our boys here at unherdables but there are limits.
YouTube obviously offer compose options and one of those is to put the reacter into an oval frame … idea of the reacter is not to dominate … but it does just that … the hard edged oval covers anything below it, opaquely, not translucently (also an option) and when she/he talks, even for a second, the oval jumps across to the middle, right across any action going on … it’s unwatchable.
All right, so let’s say we’ve looked through five or six reviews of FRWL and are down to three … one is a guy who’s not bad, two are girls. One girl has two strikes against … firstly she uses a tiny screen and secondly, her voice … her voice … (cough) … high pitched, chortling … er no, not for thirty minutes, ok?
So the one I chose … she’s not bad on the eyes, the action is big enough screen, there’s no harsh clashing in the mix. Good. However, it’s her herself … she has that young, sharp harshness that’s around today, it’s like a popcorn munching daughter watching … so … forgeddit?
Well nooo, not really … it took some work preparing this … just hope you can put up with her … coz it’s the only way today we’re going to see FRWL … she’s not a bad kid:
