1 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff to blow your mind. Production of my 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: heart radio. Hey, welcome to weird house cinema. This is 3 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,239 Speaker 1: rob lamb and this is Joe McCormick, and today we're 4 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: gonna be talking about the nine space adventure saga, the 5 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: last starfighter, a movie that I myself had on an 6 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: unofficial VHS tape as a child. I think it could 7 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,599 Speaker 1: have been taped off TV or maybe it was one 8 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: of those analog pirated movies we had where, like you know, 9 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: you do the double VCR methods. Somebody, somebody must have 10 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: had a double VCR in my parents neighborhood because we 11 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 1: had a number of those that I think had originally 12 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: been rentals from turtles video and somebody did what they 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: were not supposed to and made a copy. But anyway, so, 14 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: wherever it came from, I had this vhs tape. So 15 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: I watched this movie uh, several times when I was 16 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: a kid and I had not seen it since I 17 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,479 Speaker 1: was probably ten years old and I just recently started 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: thinking about it for some reason, looking at all of 19 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: the great monsters in it. It's got some very gross 20 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: and slimy alien designs, including one species of alien that 21 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 1: I realized I had always thought of its head looking 22 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: like a VW beetle. Do you know that the hit 23 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: beasts that I'm talking about Rob yes, oh goodness, what 24 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 1: are they called? Um Zan Zan's, UH ZAN DOS as 25 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: have San Dosans, San Do Zans, that's it right. Yeah, 26 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: Zano Zans. It sounds like a a fun European Candy, 27 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: you know, that you wouldn't find out about until you 28 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:40,479 Speaker 1: you'd go on a school trip or something. or it's 29 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: like a local restaurant that has that has like low 30 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: hanging lights over the tables with like fringe around them. Yeah, Um, but, yeah, 31 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: I know the one you're talking about. Very very weird, 32 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: very very very cool, practical alien makeup in that. But 33 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: the head is shaped like a VW beetle. It's like 34 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: the Dome on top, and then the eyes are down 35 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: on the sides where the headlights are on the car. Yeah, 36 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: a bunch of great aliens in this, this one, and 37 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: I think that's that's the main thing I remembered from 38 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: this film. Um, I don't remember where or how I 39 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: saw this film as a child, but I probably hadn't 40 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: seen it since I was around ten either, and I 41 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: remember digging the video Gamer gets alien abducted in a 42 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: good way plot. I remember liking that. You know, this's 43 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: just sort of your basic magical it's call to adventure, 44 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: uh sort of vibe, and I remember liking that and 45 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: I remember digging the creatures, digging some of the creatures 46 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: in a few dramatic moments. Yeah, so this movie has 47 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: its ups and downs, but overall, I'd say, on rewatching, 48 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:41,279 Speaker 1: I think it holds up pretty well. It is clearly derivative, 49 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: as many critics pointed out it. There are like you 50 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: can see the pre existing elements from other movies that 51 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: fed into this. It's kind of like, okay, what if 52 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: you had star wars? But Luke Skywalker wasn't on tattooing, 53 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: he was on earth and he wasn't on a moisture 54 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: farm in the desert. He was in a trailer park, 55 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: in fact a cozy Spielbergie in trailer park full of 56 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: down home spielbergie and whimsy and and and and cute, 57 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 1: funny characters and like kind of mischievous kids with an attitude. 58 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: But much like Luke Skywalker, he still gazed off into 59 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 1: the distance, yearning for so much more in life, yearning 60 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,959 Speaker 1: to get away and see the world. And what if, 61 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: instead of Obi Wan Kenobi, he met up with Harold Hill, 62 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: from the music man, but from space, literally, a lovable 63 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: con artist alien with a rocket car? And what if, 64 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: instead of the force, there was a sentient video game? 65 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: And what if, instead of the other companions, you know, 66 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: the droids and Han Solo and Princess Lea and all that, 67 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: you had Dan o'herla hey in a lizard costume? I 68 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: can imagine it going down just like that, and then 69 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: producers saying yeah, yeah, Harold Hill is great. Do you 70 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: think we could get him for this? And they're like yeah, 71 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: we can totally get him. I know a guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 72 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: and you know what, I think it actually makes for 73 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: a really fun Movieh I think you and I might 74 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: differ on this next point. I would say, actually, if 75 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: I had to make up one major criticism of this 76 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: movie that stands out more than any other, I don't 77 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: really love a lot of the special effects used in 78 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: the space battles. This is. This was one of those 79 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:17,479 Speaker 1: movies in the class of Tron and other films that 80 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 1: were experimenting with what you could do with computer generated 81 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: effects in the early mid eighties, when you know this 82 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: stuff was very new. It was very primitive by modern standards. Uh, 83 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: and unfortunately, I think for me, I don't think the 84 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: computer animated space battles are super compelling and I imagine 85 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 1: how much better they could have been with, you know, 86 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: some of the Star Wars original trilogy style model work 87 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: and and little, you know, practical effects and space backgrounds 88 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 1: and all that. But of course, at the same time 89 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 1: I have to really respect that, despite the limitations of 90 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: what computer generated effects could do at the time, these 91 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: were the cutting edge. Like they look great for what 92 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: you could do with that. I think I agree with 93 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: all that I've I found this to be the weakest 94 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: aspect of the film. rewatching it today. Certainly you look 95 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: back on this and I think most of the space 96 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: some of the earlier space sequences where spaceships aren't doing much, 97 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: maybe they're just flying like those, those aren't as bothers them. Uh. 98 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: The effects are clean, they're you know, they're crisp. They 99 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: don't completely throw me out of the movie viewing experience, 100 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: but I kept finding myself thinking that, okay, these effects 101 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: are clearly, you know, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. 102 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: They're better than bad practical space effects, but they're nowhere 103 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: near as good as good practical space effects, you know. 104 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: So I would agree with all of that. I was 105 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: reading about this one and in one of Michael Weldon's 106 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: sycatronic books, which this one wouldn't have this wouldn't have 107 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,119 Speaker 1: come out more than, I think, a few years after 108 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: after this movie, and like he mentions the computer for 109 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: animated effects, but does so without any judgment, which he 110 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: does a lot in these very short reviews. But I 111 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: wonder if that was telling. It's kind of like at 112 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,160 Speaker 1: the time, if you're viewing these effects, maybe you're more 113 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: inclined to just lean into just how amazing they are. 114 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: It's like if you were to go to the old 115 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: world's fair and See Walt Disney's robot Abraham Lincoln up 116 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: there on the stage, it's like wow, this is amazing, 117 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: I've never seen anything like this before, whereas today we're like, oh, 118 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: that's that's kind of a creepy uh, you know, semi 119 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: robotic a Lincoln up there. That's actually I think that's 120 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: a very good comparison. I've noticed that when you read reviews, 121 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: older reviews from critics of movies that use a lot 122 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,279 Speaker 1: of C G I. I'd say before like the you know, 123 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: mid two thousands or so, critics very often seem to 124 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: rave about the quality of C G I. That is 125 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: abysmal by modern standards. Like you look at it today 126 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,599 Speaker 1: and it is the ugliest thing you've ever seen. But 127 00:06:57,760 --> 00:06:59,479 Speaker 1: if you go back and read what people were saying 128 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: at the time, it's almost universal praise for those kind 129 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,240 Speaker 1: of things. And then I think something changed in the 130 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 1: two thousands where critics started kind of souring on on 131 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: a lot of computer generated effects, and now it's just 132 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: now it's just everywhere. So you don't even like really 133 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: say anything about it anymore. It's just what effects are. 134 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: But there's a long period where, for some reason it 135 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 1: seemed like people were, yeah, they were just impressed with them, 136 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: even though, like in retrospect, I think they don't look 137 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: very good. Yeah, I mean that the the individuals who 138 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: tended to do the best with those effects where those 139 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: who were really pushing the boundaries and trying to do 140 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: things that weren't weren't even completely possible at the time, 141 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: and had two resources to pursue that. That ideal. You know, 142 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: you're thinking about people like like like the camerons, and 143 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: the Lucas is and even then, sometimes, even then, sometimes, 144 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: you know they're going to be moments in those films 145 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: even where, like clearly they were, they were, they were 146 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:55,800 Speaker 1: chasing after something, some detail that was just a little 147 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: too difficult to grasp. Yeah, yeah, but from everything I read, 148 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: the last fighter was genuinely boundary pushing in a technological sense, 149 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: like the apparently the amount of supercomputer power that went 150 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: into the polygons that make up these spaceships was tremendous 151 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: for the time. Yeah, yeah, and that at the same time. Yeah, 152 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: looking at it today as a modern viewer, it's weird 153 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: because you have these primitive computer effects side by side 154 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: with breathtaking, practical, Um, you know, monster costumes that that 155 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: looked terrific today, like you'd you'd be so lucky to 156 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: have a movie with monsters like this in it today. Agree, 157 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: Um and, and it's interesting, I think, to think beyond 158 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: just the fact that they were both early uh uses 159 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: of extensive C G I in movies, to compare this 160 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: movie with Tron. Yeah, yeah, there, there, this is a 161 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: film is very tron like in many respects. I think 162 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,360 Speaker 1: I would, I would loosely uh rope this one in 163 00:08:56,960 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: to a category of, I guess, Arcade Exploit and cinema. Uh, 164 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: you know, I'm thinking of films like Tron from a 165 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: d two nightmares from I'm not sure if you've seen 166 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:10,439 Speaker 1: this one. They used to show it on on a 167 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: any on cable like in the middle of a Sunday 168 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: back in the day, but it's a horror anthology series, 169 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: or more like just sort of a weird stories kind 170 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: of anthology series, and there's one segment called the Bishop 171 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: of battle and it has a Melia west of Z 172 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: in it and basically it's some sort of strange arcade 173 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: machine sucks him into a world of a supernatural intrigue. 174 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: I like the title. I might have to look that up. 175 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 1: There's also a Charles Band picture of the Dungeon Master 176 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: which which which has a from a d four that 177 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: also has a bit of this vibe to it. So 178 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,959 Speaker 1: it's something that was very much in the public mindset 179 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,840 Speaker 1: of the day. You know, arcades were big, video games 180 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: were big and there were people coming up with new 181 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: stories about them, like what if we were actually everybody's 182 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: being sucked in by a video game? What if you 183 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: were actually sucked in by that video game? What have 184 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: you got Rond? What if you got last starfighters? What 185 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: would that be like? And of course we we continue 186 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: to find video games interesting and speculative fiction we have. 187 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: You know, I'm thinking about the likes of ready player one, 188 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: Cronenberg's existence band or snatch Um. And then, of course 189 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: I can't help but think of the novel and Subsequent 190 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: Film Adaptation of Enders Game, which has a bit of 191 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 1: this in it as well, like what is simulation, what 192 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: is real? I was making exactly the same connection to 193 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: enders game. In fact, I was like, wait, which came first, 194 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: last starfighter or enders game, because there are some parallels 195 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: and I think they came out. came out like within 196 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,839 Speaker 1: a year of each other. Yeah, based on just some 197 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: some quick research I was doing, it looks like eighty 198 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: five was the publication of enders game, but the the 199 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 1: original story was published in the late Seventies. I don't 200 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: know enough about like the original short story. Upon that 201 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,199 Speaker 1: it was expanded into enders game. So I don't know 202 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: how much of inders game as we know it was 203 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: present in the late seventies, but I guess I'm willing 204 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: to give the author the benefit of the dot on this. 205 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: Oh Yeah, yeah, and I would say that while they 206 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: share a kind of central premise or mechanic, the everything 207 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: around is very different. Um, okay, so maybe I should 208 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 1: do the basic elevator pitch on the plot. It goes 209 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,199 Speaker 1: something like this. You've got Alex Rogan. He's just a 210 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: regular teenager with big dreams. He lives in a dusty 211 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: trailer park by a lake with his mom, his little brother, 212 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:29,040 Speaker 1: a large cast of Zany neighbors and his girlfriend, Maggie, 213 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 1: where the only real excitement in life comes from the 214 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: local video arcade cabinet outside the general store, which is 215 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: a space based shoot him up game called starfighter, and 216 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,839 Speaker 1: Alex plays this game obsessively. He really wants to get 217 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: out of dodge. He wants to go to go to 218 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: some college somewhere. They don't they don't say where, but 219 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: it's assumed to be far away. He wants to see 220 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: the world, but his application for a student loan is denied. 221 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,680 Speaker 1: Is He ever going to escape and see the world, 222 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 1: and will that escape involve a covert pilot recruitment plan 223 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:03,920 Speaker 1: for an ongoing interstellar war? That's what we're gonna find 224 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: out now. Actually, I thought this movie is mostly you know, 225 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,319 Speaker 1: it's it's a it's kind of it's a space adventure. 226 00:12:10,640 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: It's it's kind of simple in a lot of ways 227 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: in terms of plot. It's it relies a lot on 228 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: kind of that spirit and the heart and all that, 229 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: which comes through pretty well. But the actual central premise 230 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: of the movie, I thought was extremely clever, so clever 231 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 1: in fact, that I wondered if it was lifted from 232 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: somewhere else like this, was inspired by a pre existing 233 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: movie or piece of Sci Fi literature. So the idea 234 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 1: is that this video game that Alex plays all the 235 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: time is actually, unbeknownst to him, a secret training and 236 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: recruitment module for Star pilots. So there's an alien who, uh, 237 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 1: he's like an alien space force recruiter who seeds the 238 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: galaxy with these video games and once a player who 239 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,319 Speaker 1: just is playing it for fun happens to reach certain 240 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: performance benchmarks, the alien shows up to take him away 241 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 1: for duty, and I think that that is a fantastic hook. 242 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: Did that come from somewhere else, I wonder? Yeah, yeah, 243 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: I don't know. Um, of course. The interesting thing about 244 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: this is you could, you could apply this to any 245 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 1: kind of game in general. You could have some sort 246 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: of like you could you could have a version of 247 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 1: this in the ancient world, where some sort of new 248 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: board game is introduced, something like chess. Uh, and Oh, 249 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: it turns out it's aliens trying to see which of 250 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: which of these humans as the best strategic minds so 251 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: they may be taken up and placed in an in 252 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 1: the midst of an interplanetary war. Yeah, and it's exactly 253 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: this mechanic we were talking about that is in I 254 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: mean in a somewhat different way, but in many ways 255 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: replicated in an Inter's game. Yeah, like there's some blurring 256 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 1: of the like what's a game? What's the simulation and 257 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 1: what's the real thing? All right, well, let's go ahead 258 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: in here. The trailer audio for this one. This is 259 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: a pretty good, pretty good trailer. The narration is by 260 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: John Leader. I believe Alex Rogan lives in a small 261 00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: trailer park in the California Mountains. He has a dream 262 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: to go to college. I think I'M gonna hang out here. 263 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:15,920 Speaker 1: Why don't you shine your pickup? Forget it, man, I'm 264 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: doing something with my life, start a career. You really 265 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 1: are leaving here, aren't you? Of course I'm going away. 266 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 1: We're both going away, both of us. Alex and most 267 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 1: of all, to get out chains. The auton thing is, 268 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: when it comes, you gotta grab it with both hands. Then, 269 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:38,280 Speaker 1: one night, a mysterious stranger offers Alex an opportunity he 270 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: never dreamed of. Who Are you? I'm Centauri, and you 271 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: may know you must trust me implicitly. Get nothing Alex 272 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: Rogan has ever imagined could prepare him for what he 273 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: is about to experience. Hey, why was Alex chosen? And 274 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: really ever return? Are we going to trust me? God, 275 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:19,520 Speaker 1: the last starfighter. His adventure in space is about to begin. 276 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 1: Pretty solid. I have to say I did not remember 277 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: the trailer, so I wasn't sure if this was going 278 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: to be a trailer where you had the goofy narrator 279 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: or the serious narrator, because this is the sort of 280 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: film that could go either way depending on how the 281 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: studio was maybe feeling about promoting it. Right, right. Alex 282 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: never thought this would happen to him. Yeah, Oh, before 283 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: we forget, I wanted to mention another reason that I 284 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: ended up thinking we should do the last starfighter on 285 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 1: this show. It has a surprising number of Halloween franchise connections. 286 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: It has connections to all three of the first three 287 00:15:57,560 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: Halloween movies. So this movie was directed by Nick Castle, 288 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: who plays Michael Myers, who plays the shape in the 289 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:10,120 Speaker 1: first Halloween. It's stars Lance guest, who is a one 290 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: of the main actors in Halloween two, and it also 291 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: stars Dan o'hurley, he who is the villain in Halloween three, 292 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: season of the witch. Yeah, yeah, that's it's pretty impressive. 293 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: UH So. Yeah, let's go through some of these individuals. Yeah, 294 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: starting with Nick Castle, the director, born seven, American director 295 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: who directed an array of kids movies and miscellaneous films, 296 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: including Dennis the menace, major pain in the nineteen eighty nine, 297 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: Gregory Hinds dance movie tap. But when it comes to weird, 298 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: psychotronic and SCI FI films, he's probably best known for 299 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: the last starfighter and his work with John Carpenter on 300 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: the screenplay for ones escape from New York. I just 301 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: had an idea recently. Hey, nobody who's listening, but don't 302 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: steal this. Uh. My idea was somebody should create escape 303 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,240 Speaker 1: from New York the musical. Doesn't that just seem it 304 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:04,879 Speaker 1: seemed like that would work. We already have a musical 305 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: number in the picture, right. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 306 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: it's good. Yeah, I'm not. I'm not a huge musical guy, 307 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: but I think I would watch that one. Oh, I 308 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: totally would. I would, I would star in that one 309 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: if they would have let me in. All right, let's 310 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 1: talk about the screenwriter. Here's Jonathan R Batool, born nine. 311 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,199 Speaker 1: This was the tool's first screenplay to make it to 312 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 1: the screen, which he followed up with another keenes break 313 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,159 Speaker 1: Sci fi movie, my science project, which I don't remember 314 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: every seeing, but I remember the VHS box art for it. 315 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 1: Um that that one had a cast that featured Fisher Stevens, 316 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: Richard Maser, who was of course, in John Carpenter is 317 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: the thing, and Dennis Hopper. Um, yeah, he also wrote 318 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:53,440 Speaker 1: and directed, Um, some episodes of the anthology series Freddie's nightmare, 319 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:58,680 Speaker 1: and he also wrote and directed Theodore Rex Mat sure 320 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: we talked about recently on the show, but he is 321 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: also the CO founder of the Visual Effects Studio looma pictures, 322 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 1: which has been involved in a ton of especially twenty 323 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: first century films, ranging from no country for old men 324 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: to underworld three and a ton of the M C 325 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,200 Speaker 1: U films. Huh, okay, if you could only keep one 326 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,440 Speaker 1: no country for old men or underworld three? Which one? Oh, 327 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 1: don't make me choose these. These are two films I 328 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 1: I legitimately enjoy. Um, I mean no, I guess you 329 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: have to keep no country for old men. But but 330 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:29,639 Speaker 1: underworld three is the best of the underworld movie. So 331 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 1: I don't know. I remember your advice one time was 332 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:34,719 Speaker 1: to skip the first one, skip the second one and 333 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: go straight for three. Yeah, three is the prequel film. 334 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 1: It has all the best actors from the first film 335 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: in it. Uh, and I thought did a pretty good job. 336 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 1: Like it. When it comes to doing a prequel movie where, okay, well, 337 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: we can't kill the main villain. There are certain things 338 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,160 Speaker 1: we have to do and certain things we can't do, 339 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: I felt like that movie did a pretty good job 340 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 1: of navigating those limitations. I suppose it will have to 341 00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: be my entree to the underworld series. All right, let's 342 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: get into the cast. So we've we've mentioned Alex Rogan, 343 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 1: our our our hero, our our teenage dreamer turned starfighter. 344 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:20,959 Speaker 1: He's played by the actor Lance guest. Born in nineteen sixty, 345 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: he was Michael Brody in seven's jaws the revenge. He 346 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: was Jimmy in nineteen eight ones, Halloween two who, as 347 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:32,200 Speaker 1: you mentioned already, remains active today. He starred on Broadway 348 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: as Johnny cash in the musical million dollar quartet in 349 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: two thousand and ten. He I think he's a good 350 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: casting choice for this role. He has a natural kind 351 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 1: of sweetness to him. He just seems like a like 352 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: even when he's not, you know, when his character is 353 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,400 Speaker 1: not at his best, he's you know he's being kind 354 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: of petulant or something, you sense a good natured core 355 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,040 Speaker 1: to him always. Yeah, he's really saw it in this. 356 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 1: He's a solid lead. He's he's a he's able to 357 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: do like the serious teenager dreamer stuff as well as 358 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: the funny stuff. And Uh, he kind of has a 359 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: dual role in this as well. All right. Well, you know, 360 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 1: if you have a teenage dreamer he's got to have 361 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: a love interest. Uh. The love interest is Maggie Gordon, 362 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: played by Katherine Mary Stewart, born Nineteen fifty nine, American actor, 363 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,000 Speaker 1: probably best known for this picture, but she was also 364 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:22,200 Speaker 1: in eighty nine weekend at Bernie's, she was the night 365 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,400 Speaker 1: of the comment and she was in the stupendous nineteen 366 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: eighty eighty Adam and eve musical spectacular. The apple so 367 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 1: she's still got to see that stuff. Oh, it's it's tremendous. No, 368 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 1: I know, but she's also she's great in this too. Yeah, 369 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 1: she's really good. I mean this is exactly the sort 370 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 1: of actor you want playing this role. Um, she's she's 371 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: still active today and she's been in a load of 372 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,240 Speaker 1: other cool stuff. She was in the Weird Nineteen eighties 373 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: seven adaptation of George rr Martin's night flyers, and she 374 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: was on two different episodes of the nineties outer limits, 375 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 1: family values and unnatural selection. But I'm not sure that 376 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: I've seen either of those. One of those has Tom 377 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,160 Speaker 1: Arnold in it, which is not the reason I haven't 378 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: seen I just I looked him up and it's like, 379 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 1: have I seen this one? No, I don't think I've 380 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,360 Speaker 1: seen one with Tom Arnold night yet. I would say 381 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: in general, the human cast of this movie, like the earthlings, 382 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,760 Speaker 1: are they're well selected for having a kind of down 383 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: home good nature to them. They really make you care 384 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 1: about earth. When later on that you find out that, 385 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: when you later on find out that Earth itself will 386 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: eventually be in the crosshairs of Zoor and the code 387 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 1: in Armada. Yeah, that's true. Um, that now Jane, who 388 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: is Alex's mom, is played by Barbara Boson. I just 389 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,919 Speaker 1: gonna mention her real quick because she she is an 390 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 1: actor who started off as an uncredited nurse in bullet 391 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: and she was a TV cop in both Hill Street 392 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: Blues and Cop Rocks Rock. Yeah, so I guess she's 393 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: a singer and an actor. I don't know. I haven't 394 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: seen COP ROCK BUT UM, I'm familiar with it by reputation. 395 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,439 Speaker 1: Now there is an actor in this movie who is 396 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: not only great in the movie it I feel like 397 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,479 Speaker 1: he must have somehow been part of the pitch for 398 00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,120 Speaker 1: the movie, because the role, it's not just like he's 399 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: good for the role, it feels clearly like it was 400 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: written specifically for him, and that is Robert Preston as 401 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:18,119 Speaker 1: the space con artist Centauri. Yeah, it really does feel 402 00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 1: like a situation where they wrote it for him and 403 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:21,359 Speaker 1: they're like do you think we can get him? And 404 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 1: they're like yeah, we can actually get him for this 405 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: and they're like that's perfect. And it is a pretty 406 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 1: perfect performance. Like you enjoy him every time he's on 407 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:32,240 Speaker 1: the screen. Totally. Robert Preston, N Eighteen through nine, eight, seven, 408 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: American actor of stage screen and TV, best known for 409 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: his role as the con man Harold Hill in nineteen 410 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,800 Speaker 1: sixty two's the music man. I believe he originated that 411 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,479 Speaker 1: role on Broadway as well. Other films of note include 412 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: eight Twos, Victor, Victoria, Sidney Looms, Ninety two film child's play. 413 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:50,919 Speaker 1: This is not the one with the killer doll on 414 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: a different film. Um. Last starfighter was one of his 415 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: final films, but his credits extend all the way back 416 00:22:58,119 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: to the late nineteen thirties. He's marvelous in this and yeah, 417 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:04,880 Speaker 1: the role clearly plays off of his music man role 418 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,800 Speaker 1: as well. He he talks exactly like the Harold Hill 419 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:11,480 Speaker 1: character in the music man, like some of the same 420 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:16,119 Speaker 1: sentence structures and metaphors. Uh. You know, Harold Hill, a 421 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: lot of what his character is is giving out out landish, 422 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 1: uh sort of vivid examples of things to conjure fears 423 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,160 Speaker 1: or evoke emotions in the mind of his marks, and 424 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 1: he does the exact same thing in this movie. He's like, 425 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:32,959 Speaker 1: you know, uh, he's like you know when when Alex 426 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: is like Hey, where are you taking me in this space? 427 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,280 Speaker 1: Car Uh Centauri says say, are you the kind of 428 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: kid who reads the last page of a mystery. First, no, 429 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: that's not you. It's just wonderful. Yeah, he's so good. Alright, 430 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,360 Speaker 1: and moving on to some of the other actors here. Um, 431 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: some of these may not be in order of importance. Well, 432 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:56,880 Speaker 1: we'll discuss here. But, uh, we have enduring. Is Am 433 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,840 Speaker 1: I saying that correctly? Enduring, he's the don't he's the 434 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: King of the Rylands. He's the main Rylands, the right. Okay, 435 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 1: the RYLANDS. To back up. The rylands are an alien 436 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: species in the Greater Universe of this film. That looks 437 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 1: like Alien Larry David's. That all, even the females look 438 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: like Larry David's. Then all got the heads. Yeah, like 439 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: imagine Larry David was like a like a slightly swollen 440 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:25,400 Speaker 1: outer limitsy Um head. And that's that's the Rylands. They 441 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,639 Speaker 1: look like a cross between Larry David and a little 442 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,240 Speaker 1: bit of Exeter from this islander Earth. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 443 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:34,439 Speaker 1: a little bit of Tom Noonan as well, maybe in 444 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:38,959 Speaker 1: there one fourth Tom noon. Anyway, that this this this character, 445 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,160 Speaker 1: that the king of the Rylands. We meet the bearded 446 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: Ryland played by K E cooter, two thousand and three 447 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: TV actor and a later voice actor who is just 448 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: in tons of stuff. So titles like green acres, Petticoat junction, uh, 449 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: the x files, Baywatch Nights, a movie called friend or 450 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: I think this is a movie, Frankenstein, General Hospital, a 451 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: lot of stuff, a lot of voice acting. Later on 452 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: he's the Ryland leader, but he's also the father of 453 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: our enemy Emperor Zour. So it basically turns out that interplanetary, 454 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 1: interstellar politics, it's also one big family drama that Alex 455 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 1: is being sucked into here, and there's a lot we 456 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 1: never find out about the the alien politics. We just 457 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,199 Speaker 1: know that, uh, yeah, he's he's the head of the 458 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: Rylands and his son's Zur, is a Ryland but has 459 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: betrayed the rylands and is stealing imperial secrets of the 460 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: Rylands to go work with the code in Armada to 461 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,119 Speaker 1: destroy the Rylands. Is that right? That's right. And the 462 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,280 Speaker 1: code ends in this are. They're essentially like the Klingons 463 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 1: of this world. They're the warlike, you know, space arc species, 464 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:49,959 Speaker 1: and they look really cool. They have this they're kind 465 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: of like barky space orcs that have really cool like 466 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: red and silver and black uniforms, and the main one 467 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: is this character named Lord Krill and it's played by 468 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: this character is played by Dan Mason, and this is 469 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:08,719 Speaker 1: the one that has a space monocle. This is the 470 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 1: thing that that's stuck in my memory the most, that 471 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 1: I remember most from my childhood and watching, watching this, 472 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 1: is that he tends to punctuate things that he says 473 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: by having his monocle like Servo into place over his eye, which, 474 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,120 Speaker 1: as a child, I thought that was the coolest thing ever. 475 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: This is like, like this made the film memorable, this 476 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,960 Speaker 1: one space monocle. Yeah, I know exactly the moment you've 477 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 1: got in mind. We can talk about that later. Yeah, oh, 478 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,639 Speaker 1: but okay. So we got some aliens with with the skulls. 479 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,159 Speaker 1: Those are the Rylands. You've got the other aliens. You 480 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: want to go destroy the Rylands. They look kind of 481 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: like human trees. And then you've got Grigg, who is 482 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,639 Speaker 1: griggs kind of the heart and soul of the movie, 483 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: and he's he's a lovable space lizard who just wants 484 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 1: to fight for righteousness in space. Yes, and this is, 485 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: of course, is Dan o'horley, who lived nineteen anything through 486 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 1: two thousand and five. Probably not going to go into 487 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 1: as much detail here about him. We talked about him 488 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: a good debt in our Halloween three season of the 489 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,199 Speaker 1: witch episode last year, so I guess go back and 490 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 1: listen to that if you want a deeper dive on 491 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:15,720 Speaker 1: Dano early. But this is the old man himself. Um, 492 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,480 Speaker 1: you know he had a robust acting career prior to 493 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: the nineteen eighties. But he's he's, I think, best remembered 494 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 1: by many of yours today as playing these villainous white 495 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: haired men, uh in suits, often so connal cochrane and 496 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,119 Speaker 1: Halloween three season of the witch, the old man in 497 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: the first two robocop films, Andrew Packard on twin peaks 498 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 1: just really great at playing those kind of villainous roles. 499 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: So and to a certain extent it feels weird, it 500 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: feels maybe wrong that in this film we cover him 501 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: up with turtle makeup, basically put him in a turtle 502 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:53,880 Speaker 1: costume and make him a space turtle and Um and 503 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:57,199 Speaker 1: and yet he's really good in this role, like he's funny, 504 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: he's he's Um and the suit does look good on. 505 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 1: And one thing I kept noticing is that his eyes 506 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,359 Speaker 1: are very kind of kind of almost kind of bloodshot 507 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,760 Speaker 1: looked to them, which kind of adds to the effect, 508 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:14,719 Speaker 1: like it feels. It makes the suit feel more organic somehow. Uh, 509 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,199 Speaker 1: I'm not not really sure why, but I know, I 510 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:18,640 Speaker 1: know what you're talking about. You can kind of see 511 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: like the red around his yeah, he's also got a 512 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 1: vibe that I recognized from other especially movies aimed at 513 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,760 Speaker 1: kids from the eighties, where there's a character who's kind 514 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: of Oh in some sense, kind of almost stuffy, kind 515 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 1: of high Falutin like he you know, he's about space 516 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,919 Speaker 1: and we must fight for the for the Rylands and 517 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: all that, but then also he will crack a joke 518 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 1: and go oh, and I don't know if I'm articulating 519 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 1: this right, but there's like a thing like that. There 520 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 1: are characters like that. It's the kind of role that 521 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: led me to expect a final scene back on earth where, 522 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: you know, after they've defeated the bad guys, Grig is 523 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 1: hanging out with all of Alex's friends by the Ake 524 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,880 Speaker 1: and he's wearing sunglasses, dancing to Kenny loggins and maybe 525 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: drinking a miller genuine draft, and then he looks into 526 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:11,440 Speaker 1: the camera and says surfs up. It would totally be 527 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:13,440 Speaker 1: in keeping with the film. I mean, because we do 528 00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: get some a scene that implies that he might date 529 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: some grandma's later on, and and we do. And we 530 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: also have the scenery shows his family photos to Alex, 531 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: which is just which is that, which is intentionally hilarious, 532 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 1: like there's no other way. Um. So yeah, it's it's 533 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: it's a fun role, I think. I think the the 534 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: the only thing that might, in retrospect, take away from 535 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: it at all would be the fact that the following year, 536 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,640 Speaker 1: in the film enemy mine, you have Louis Gossa Jr 537 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 1: giving a stellar performance in another sort of reptilian human 538 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: cost him. I made the same connection. These are two 539 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: big movies in a row with the human hero acting 540 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,920 Speaker 1: opposite a great character actor who has been put into 541 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,959 Speaker 1: scaly lizard makeup. Ultimately, you know, they're different performances and different, 542 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: different vibes. But Um yeah, when when you think of 543 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,640 Speaker 1: great performances and a lizard man costume that has no 544 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: hair and so forth, uh, yeah, you're gonna think of 545 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:10,520 Speaker 1: enemy mine, or I do anyway. I don't know what 546 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 1: the public the public is larger public opinion is on 547 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,600 Speaker 1: this sort of thing, but for my money, Lewis CASS 548 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 1: JR Great Lizard name performance. Okay, so that's our that's 549 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: our heroic friend, our our sort of, uh buddy cop character. 550 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 1: Almost too well, they're not cops. I don't know why. 551 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 1: So that just the buddy, you know. He's the sidekick to, uh, 552 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: to Alex, though I don't know if he's the side kick. 553 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: Maybe Alex is the sidekick because he's much more experienced 554 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,360 Speaker 1: than Alex. I don't know. Anyway, they're gonna fight zoor 555 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: and the code and or motor together. So we got 556 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: to meet our bad guys. Who who is zoor? Zoor 557 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: is just, I would say, not only chewing the scenery, 558 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 1: as Zour is like, oh, much like the brundle fly, 559 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 1: in Um, in the fly. He is vomiting up digestive 560 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,800 Speaker 1: enzymes on the scenery and then slurping them up. Yeah, 561 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:01,880 Speaker 1: he is like acting Um to to the limits of 562 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 1: of the our threshold, to take it U Um. And 563 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 1: I mean this is a very intentional choice and I 564 00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: think probably this is the right choice. You have a 565 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: villain of a space movie like this. Yeah, let them 566 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 1: tear it out light like this. Um So zero is 567 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:20,800 Speaker 1: played by Norman snowborn nineteen fifty. Hey Juilliard train, Arkansas 568 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 1: born character actor, probably best known for this role, but 569 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: he's been a ton of other stuff as well. He's 570 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 1: actually in Michael Mann's six adaptation of Richard Harris's Red Dragon, 571 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 1: man hunter. He plays FBI agent Springfield, who I do 572 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 1: not remember, Um, but I included a picture here for you, Joe, 573 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 1: in case you've seen man hunter more recently than I have. 574 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 1: I have. I mean I've seen manhunter, it's been a 575 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 1: long time. I don't remember who this character is. I 576 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: remember liking it, as I generally like Michael Mann. Yeah, 577 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 1: I mean it also has the the Atlantic connection of 578 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 1: the insane asylum being the High Museum of art. So, yeah, 579 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: that's right, that's where that's where Brian Cox, as Hannibal Lecter, 580 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: is stored. Yeah, Snow was in some other pictures as well. 581 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: He was in the nineteen seventy nine British period piece 582 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 1: titled The Europeans, and he appeared as the Klingon touring 583 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: in Star Trek the next generation, an episode called Rightful Air. 584 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: From I can imagine he would be typecast as villains. 585 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 1: He is just the most sniveling, sneering. Yeah, I will 586 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: be evil. Yeah, yeah, and even like the IT looks 587 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: like even in Manhunter, like he's perfect as just like 588 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,720 Speaker 1: a suited FBI kind of dude, you know, just kind 589 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: of coldly standing in the background, like even if he's 590 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,600 Speaker 1: not turning up the notch on the the acting there 591 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,600 Speaker 1: now just a few more acting notes because it's just 592 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: there's also some just people with very small rolls worth noting. 593 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: Will Wheaton is apparently in this film, though I don't 594 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 1: think I noticed him. He plays Lewis's friend. Lewis is 595 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 1: what Alex's brother, a child who is obsessed with with 596 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,560 Speaker 1: playboy magazines. Oh yeah, he has a whole stash of them. 597 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: He has his strategic reserve of playboys under his bed. Yep, 598 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: but that's not will wheaton. That will wheaton is supposed 599 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 1: to be his friend, but I don't think I saw 600 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: him in the movie. I don't like say maybe he's 601 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 1: just barely in it. We also have a hit shaker 602 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: character that shows up. That spoiler turns out to be 603 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: a Zando Zan bownty hunter played by Marc Alamo. Uh. 604 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 1: This is gold ducket from Star Trek Deep Space Nine. 605 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:29,040 Speaker 1: This is Everett from total recall and, of course, Roger 606 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: from arena, which one. I forget who roguar was. Rogar 607 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,640 Speaker 1: is the like the main evil dude who's Um, who's 608 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: running the prize fights between the aliens. I see, okay, yeah, 609 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:44,720 Speaker 1: and UH, yeah, he's got he's got kind of a 610 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 1: long neck. Thus he has the UH on deep space nine. 611 00:33:48,280 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: They really accentuated this well as he is what a Cardassian? 612 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: Is it Cardassian or Kardassian? Anyway? And this he's a 613 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,200 Speaker 1: Zando Zan bownty hunter. He initially shows up with a mustache, right, 614 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 1: so he looks human at first, but then he this 615 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:06,680 Speaker 1: scene didn't make a lot of sense to me. He 616 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 1: looks human. He's, you know, on the hunt for for 617 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:14,920 Speaker 1: Alex on earth and he walks past the starfighter video 618 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,640 Speaker 1: game cabinet and it like blasts energy out into his 619 00:34:18,680 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 1: face that hides his human disguise and uncovers him as 620 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:25,160 Speaker 1: a Xando Zan bounty hunter with the with the V 621 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: W beatlehead. Yeah, yeah, that feature of the video game 622 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:32,160 Speaker 1: cabinet was not covered earlier in the film. Yeah, alright, 623 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 1: a few few others. These are both uncredited roles, but 624 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,320 Speaker 1: Bruce Abbott is in this, I guess, playing one of 625 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:41,640 Speaker 1: those teenagers. Bruce Abbott was born Dr Dan Kine from 626 00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:45,320 Speaker 1: the re animator movies. Oh, he's one of Alex's really 627 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:50,240 Speaker 1: mean friends. Okay, that makes sense. Okay. Also, Suzanne Snyder 628 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:53,040 Speaker 1: is in she plays it cheerly. No, wait, after I 629 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: said that, I saw that you included a note about 630 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 1: him and it says he's a Ryland sergeant. So I 631 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: gotta be totally wrong about that. Oh, you know, I 632 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 1: read my own note here and I thought that was 633 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:04,960 Speaker 1: his name. Ryland sergeant was clearly one of the teenagers, 634 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: that he would be one of. He would have the 635 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,480 Speaker 1: he would be one of the, uh, the aliens with 636 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 1: the hair on the sides of their heads. Yeah, okay. 637 00:35:14,520 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: We also have Suzanne Snyder in this, playing an uncredited 638 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: cheerleader role. UH, born nineteen sixty two. She also appeared 639 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: in weird science night of the creeps, Remo Williams. The 640 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:27,239 Speaker 1: adventure begins return of the living dead to two and 641 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: much more so, kind of a genre staple of the 642 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:36,080 Speaker 1: time period. The music is from Craig Saffen. Other scores 643 00:35:36,120 --> 00:35:38,120 Speaker 1: include the nineteen eight horror film fate to black, the 644 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:42,280 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three anthology film nightmares, which I referenced earlier, 645 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: which features an arcade story ELM street, for the dream 646 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,920 Speaker 1: master in n seven time stalkers. Uh So, Rob I 647 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:52,080 Speaker 1: know this is not your favorite kind of score because 648 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: it's a traditional orchestral score doesn't have electronic elements, but 649 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:57,680 Speaker 1: you know what I actually I thought it was really solid. 650 00:35:57,719 --> 00:35:59,719 Speaker 1: I found it I found it rousing. It had that 651 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 1: heroic character to it. Yeah, I did everything it needed 652 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,759 Speaker 1: to do. I have no complaints about it. This is 653 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:07,480 Speaker 1: not one of those films where I'm gonna say the 654 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:12,680 Speaker 1: electronic score would have elevated it, especially given those Spielbergie 655 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:16,160 Speaker 1: in tones like this was exactly the music it needed. 656 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:18,719 Speaker 1: Now I know you're gonna love this, Joe, because our 657 00:36:18,719 --> 00:36:22,480 Speaker 1: production designer is none other than Ron Cobb. No, the 658 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,200 Speaker 1: other Ron Cobb this time, not Ronald Cobb, but not 659 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:30,040 Speaker 1: the the cabaret costume designer that we talked about in 660 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:33,319 Speaker 1: Um a devil girl from Mars. No, this is the 661 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:38,399 Speaker 1: legendary American Australian artist Ron Cobb, who lived ninety seven 662 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 1: through twenty. Production designer who worked on many iconic films, 663 00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 1: the the designs and looks of tons of movies you 664 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: know and love from the seventies and eighties, that's Ron Cobb. Yeah, 665 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:53,720 Speaker 1: movies like Dark Star, seventy four, so another John Carpenter connection. 666 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:58,280 Speaker 1: Star Wars from seventy seven, alien from seventy nine, raiders 667 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:00,200 Speaker 1: of the lost arc from eight. One, come in, the 668 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:02,880 Speaker 1: barbarian from a D two, back to the future, five, 669 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: the abyss from eight nine. Also Leviathan from eighty nine. 670 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:10,080 Speaker 1: So double dipping into the underwater. UH, SCI FI terror, 671 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: total recall from nineteen ninety. UH, he's credited with having 672 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:19,360 Speaker 1: designed the hammerhead alien, which we later call on an authority. 673 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: And I believe in Star Wars he was a conceptual 674 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 1: designer on robot jocks. He only directed one film in 675 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:30,480 Speaker 1: this nine is Um Garbo, which I believe it's just 676 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: like an Australian drama that I don't think even has 677 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,840 Speaker 1: any monsters in it. But UH, yeah, he contributed to 678 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: back to the future and real genius. Basically he just 679 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:42,959 Speaker 1: had his hand in the design elements of so many 680 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: defining films of the late seventies and the nineteen eighties. Yeah, 681 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:48,600 Speaker 1: I gotta Love Run cobby and we'll come back to 682 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:50,200 Speaker 1: some of the designs that he did for this film 683 00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:54,319 Speaker 1: because they're they're pretty great. Yeah, Jim Bessel is was 684 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:56,439 Speaker 1: also involved in this. He was the art director, born 685 00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:59,719 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty one. Uh, maybe not as legendary name as 686 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:01,239 Speaker 1: Ron Cob, but still this is the guy that we're 687 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: going to become a big deal in production design, working 688 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:07,719 Speaker 1: on films like Harry and the Henderson's the rocketeer, Jumanji, 689 00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:13,839 Speaker 1: which is another game based fantasy picture, three hundred, I think, 690 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 1: two different blockbuster mission impossible films, and much more. Now 691 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,560 Speaker 1: one name that caught my eye when we were looking 692 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: at the credits was the cinematography by King Baggott. Yeah, 693 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:29,480 Speaker 1: that that's that's the name that captivates you, even if 694 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,920 Speaker 1: you're not familiar with their early days of cinema. This 695 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:37,279 Speaker 1: King Baggett, born night, was born ninety three. UH, full 696 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,319 Speaker 1: name Stephen King Baggett, a k a king bag at 697 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:44,720 Speaker 1: the third, the grandson of legendary film director King Baggott, 698 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: who lived eighteen seventy nine through Um. This King Baggett, 699 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,440 Speaker 1: the one who worked on this film, also worked on 700 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:56,279 Speaker 1: such films as the hand from one and revenge of 701 00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:59,480 Speaker 1: the NERDS Odh. The hand from eight one, I believe, 702 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: is Oliver Stone's remake or I don't know if it's 703 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 1: officially a remake, basically adaptation of the same material as 704 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: the beast with five fingers, which we covered on the show. Yeah, yeah, 705 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 1: I don't I don't know how much it's uh, it 706 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:16,239 Speaker 1: really has anything to do with the plot of that, 707 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:20,000 Speaker 1: but it is very much a detached hand movie and 708 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:23,280 Speaker 1: I remember, I remember watching at ages ago, has Michael 709 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:26,160 Speaker 1: Caine in and uh, I remember it as being good, 710 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:27,879 Speaker 1: but I haven't seen it in a very long time. 711 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,880 Speaker 1: All right, you ready to talk some plot? Let's do it. 712 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:42,919 Speaker 1: Classic Space Adventure Opening. How many movies have we done 713 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:45,720 Speaker 1: now in a row where the opening was was looking 714 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,439 Speaker 1: at space? We just keep doing looking at space beginnings. Yeah, 715 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,640 Speaker 1: that this one I rather liked because of course it's 716 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:54,799 Speaker 1: a universal picture. So we start with that universal studios 717 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:58,960 Speaker 1: Um a logo that has a spinning earth and then 718 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:03,359 Speaker 1: we cut two uh to a very similarly Um uh 719 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:07,520 Speaker 1: sized world, except it's clearly an alien world because it's 720 00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:10,239 Speaker 1: got all these brilliant, like pink or purple colors to it, 721 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,680 Speaker 1: and I kind of like that. It's like Whoa, here 722 00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:15,880 Speaker 1: we are. What world is this? I'm not sure. Do 723 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,480 Speaker 1: we find out? Is this the Ryland homeworld? I would 724 00:40:18,480 --> 00:40:21,920 Speaker 1: guess it's Rylos. Yeah, but it's a classic space adventure 725 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:24,600 Speaker 1: opening either way. So you know, planet suspended in the 726 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:27,480 Speaker 1: void and then rushing through a field of stars while 727 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:30,279 Speaker 1: the horns are blasting out the opening fanfare. It's a 728 00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:34,879 Speaker 1: kind of John Williams style open opening theme. Uh, kind 729 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:38,200 Speaker 1: of a rousing traditional score. But then the music turns 730 00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:40,880 Speaker 1: gentle and Homie as as the credits fade away and 731 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:43,120 Speaker 1: we pan down over earth. At first we see some 732 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 1: mountains in the desert. Looks like we're in southern California probably, 733 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:49,880 Speaker 1: and then we go to our home base, which is 734 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:53,520 Speaker 1: the starlight star bright trailer park. This is the home 735 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,279 Speaker 1: setting of the movie and it's it's very much that 736 00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:59,560 Speaker 1: there were a lot of eighties movies like this that 737 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:03,200 Speaker 1: would start with the the survey of the lived in setting. 738 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:06,279 Speaker 1: You know the habits, the Quirky neighbors. You see a 739 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:10,400 Speaker 1: dog snoozing on the front doorstep of a trailer Um. 740 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:13,600 Speaker 1: You see the characters walking around. There's a guy saying 741 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 1: it's going to be a sparkling day and then a 742 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,839 Speaker 1: strange old lady pokes her head out of out of 743 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:21,479 Speaker 1: her trailer and says my electricity is out. I'm gonna 744 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:24,080 Speaker 1: Miss My soaps. And she's got the hair net on 745 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:27,560 Speaker 1: and you just kind of zoom around meeting the different characters. 746 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:31,240 Speaker 1: We meet Maggie. She's got a towel like she's ready 747 00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:34,000 Speaker 1: to go out to the lake. UH, she she says 748 00:41:34,239 --> 00:41:36,480 Speaker 1: hi to some guy who's going off fishing. Oh, she 749 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:40,799 Speaker 1: checks in with her granny who's gardening and uh, this 750 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,640 Speaker 1: is a rock and grandma this. She's like Vanessa Redgrave 751 00:41:43,719 --> 00:41:49,560 Speaker 1: and the simpsons, you know, ever do the backseat Mombo craggy? Yeah, 752 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:52,120 Speaker 1: everyone is delightful in this place. It has um, it 753 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,759 Speaker 1: has that kind of like small town California charm that 754 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:59,239 Speaker 1: that also reminds me of the town from sons of anarchy, 755 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:02,800 Speaker 1: where good for the motorcycle gang space, you know, but 756 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 1: like far less evil. Yeah, yeah, well, less with less evil, 757 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:07,400 Speaker 1: but you have I mean the thing about sons of 758 00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:10,200 Speaker 1: anarchy is that there's it's it's evil but wholesome at 759 00:42:10,239 --> 00:42:13,799 Speaker 1: the same time. Right, yeah, but but, yeah, there's no 760 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: biker gangs here. No biker gang could ever come here. 761 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:21,240 Speaker 1: Like this place is basically Arcadia, uh, which I found 762 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:23,640 Speaker 1: rather interesting because, you know, a lot of this is 763 00:42:23,800 --> 00:42:25,600 Speaker 1: the plot initially is going to have to deal with 764 00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,640 Speaker 1: Alex wishing he could escape, wanting to be somewhere else, 765 00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:30,480 Speaker 1: not wanting to spend the rest of his life here, 766 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,440 Speaker 1: and kind of trash talking people who might think that 767 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,920 Speaker 1: staying here is a good idea. And yet everything looks 768 00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:40,480 Speaker 1: pretty pleasant here, and I don't think that was the 769 00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 1: wrong choice. I think that it would have been kind 770 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,280 Speaker 1: of a bummer if they tried to portray like a 771 00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:49,239 Speaker 1: depressing trailer park in the opening of this film, but 772 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:51,960 Speaker 1: it is it does seem kind of at odds with 773 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:54,640 Speaker 1: the way Alex feels about everything. I think you make 774 00:42:54,680 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 1: an excellent point. The trailer park has the feeling of 775 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:02,240 Speaker 1: a totally loving and support of community full of Quirky, 776 00:43:02,440 --> 00:43:07,200 Speaker 1: bighearted characters. It is it's classic Spielberg Movie Home Turf, 777 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:09,799 Speaker 1: you know. So you've got a PG rated movie of 778 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:12,839 Speaker 1: the eighties. You're gonna have a kind of like a 779 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: Dolly shot around the neighborhood where it's a little Zany 780 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:18,440 Speaker 1: here and people are Oh, they're all stuck in their ways, 781 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:22,080 Speaker 1: but all isn't it cozy and isn't it sweet? And 782 00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:24,560 Speaker 1: it really is, like, you know, we go around seeing 783 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:27,880 Speaker 1: all these characters doing their things we see Alex's girlfriend, Maggie, 784 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:30,520 Speaker 1: who's you know, she's smart and funny and takes good 785 00:43:30,560 --> 00:43:33,719 Speaker 1: care of her granny. You see Alex's mom working hard 786 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:36,800 Speaker 1: to take care of her family. You see Alex's little brother, 787 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:39,480 Speaker 1: who's the he's the space of injury. He's like wearing 788 00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:42,520 Speaker 1: a space helmet, running around with a little ZAP gun. UH, 789 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:44,759 Speaker 1: he's he's up to no good, but in a in 790 00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:47,319 Speaker 1: a cute way. There's a cat that crawls out of 791 00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:49,759 Speaker 1: a mailbox and then, I think later we get cat 792 00:43:49,800 --> 00:43:52,200 Speaker 1: reaction shots. Second movie in a row on Weird House 793 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:55,839 Speaker 1: where we have cat reaction shots Um, which I think 794 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:58,600 Speaker 1: in general I love pet reaction shots and films because, 795 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 1: you know, it implies that the animal is not only 796 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:03,680 Speaker 1: reacting to what's happening in the scene but also thinking 797 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:08,280 Speaker 1: about what's happening in the scene. Yes, yes, but anyway, 798 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:10,480 Speaker 1: I think you're you're exactly right to point this out, 799 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:12,520 Speaker 1: and it is a kind of strange tension in the movie. 800 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:16,520 Speaker 1: It sometimes makes Alex seem like an ungrateful jerk for 801 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:19,240 Speaker 1: talking so much about how like he has to escape 802 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:24,040 Speaker 1: this place because, you know, obviously traveling and seeing the world, 803 00:44:24,080 --> 00:44:26,080 Speaker 1: that's great, that's a good thing to do. But like 804 00:44:26,560 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: his family and his neighbors are so nice, like would 805 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:31,680 Speaker 1: it really be so bad to live here with them? 806 00:44:31,719 --> 00:44:33,960 Speaker 1: But anyway, way, so we're we're going around meeting everybody, 807 00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:36,319 Speaker 1: and then we finally meet Alex himself. And where is he, 808 00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:39,920 Speaker 1: they say, where else? He is standing at the arcade 809 00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:43,840 Speaker 1: cabinet for the starfighter video game. Uh, and this is 810 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:46,200 Speaker 1: the first of many times we will hear the opening 811 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:50,200 Speaker 1: narration of this video game. It says, greeting, starfighter, you 812 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:52,640 Speaker 1: have been recruited by the Star League to defend the 813 00:44:52,680 --> 00:44:56,000 Speaker 1: frontier against Zuur, and the code and Armada prepare for 814 00:44:56,120 --> 00:45:00,200 Speaker 1: blast off. And I started thinking, wait a second. Did 815 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:05,319 Speaker 1: Video Arcade cabinets in four playback real recorded audio, such 816 00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:08,280 Speaker 1: as like an extended voice message? I don't remember anything 817 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,279 Speaker 1: like that. I just remember bleeps and bloops. Yeah, you 818 00:45:11,320 --> 00:45:14,320 Speaker 1: may be right, and they certainly talked later, but I 819 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:17,319 Speaker 1: don't know about ones from the cabinets from this era. 820 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:19,440 Speaker 1: Rob You had a note about this when you pointed 821 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,680 Speaker 1: out how the trailer park is is so idyllic. It's 822 00:45:22,719 --> 00:45:25,759 Speaker 1: like Arcadia, but it's uh, surely they weren't doing this 823 00:45:25,800 --> 00:45:29,520 Speaker 1: on purpose, but it is interesting that Alex is trying 824 00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:34,560 Speaker 1: to escape Arcadia, as you said, via an arcade game. Yeah, yeah, 825 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:36,880 Speaker 1: I'm not sure if that was their cleverness or or 826 00:45:37,239 --> 00:45:40,839 Speaker 1: my attempt at cleverness, but at any rate, yeah, here's 827 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:42,759 Speaker 1: the cabinet just in the middle of everything, and it's 828 00:45:42,760 --> 00:45:46,720 Speaker 1: a splendid looking cabinet. Uh, it's, it's it's making sounds 829 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:49,759 Speaker 1: like you say that that may be more advanced than 830 00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:53,520 Speaker 1: other arcade cabinets. At the time we see some gameplay 831 00:45:53,520 --> 00:45:56,920 Speaker 1: footage and it also looks really slight. But of course 832 00:45:56,960 --> 00:45:58,840 Speaker 1: all of this will make sense as we progress to 833 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:02,560 Speaker 1: the plot, because this is no normal arcade cabinet. Right. 834 00:46:02,600 --> 00:46:04,839 Speaker 1: So when we first meet Alex, he and Maggie, they're 835 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:06,360 Speaker 1: supposed to go up to the lake hang out with 836 00:46:06,400 --> 00:46:09,279 Speaker 1: their friends. Alex's friends are all making fun of him. 837 00:46:09,320 --> 00:46:11,960 Speaker 1: There's the guy driving the red pickup truck. He's like, Oh, 838 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:14,840 Speaker 1: here's Alex, on the last leg of his worldwide tour 839 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:18,759 Speaker 1: done nowhere, and they all laugh. And then Alex is 840 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:20,759 Speaker 1: is gonna. He gives them his like I'm gonna be 841 00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:24,879 Speaker 1: somebody's speech, you know. He's uh, he's like you think 842 00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:26,480 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna hang out with you guys the rest 843 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:28,879 Speaker 1: of my life. I'm gonna go do something, I'm gonna 844 00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:31,400 Speaker 1: go places. Yeah, he kind of tears into him a 845 00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:33,319 Speaker 1: little bit, like he kind of gives back more than 846 00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:36,640 Speaker 1: he received in this scene that everyone's kind, everyone's good 847 00:46:36,719 --> 00:46:39,239 Speaker 1: natured enough. They're just like, oh well, that's Alex. Oh, 848 00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,480 Speaker 1: but then Alex can't go to the lake with them 849 00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:43,759 Speaker 1: because he has to stay behind and help fix the 850 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:46,520 Speaker 1: old ladies electricity in her trailer so she doesn't miss 851 00:46:46,520 --> 00:46:48,840 Speaker 1: her soaps. So Maggie and the gang go to the 852 00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:51,080 Speaker 1: lake without him, while he stays behind to do the 853 00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:53,800 Speaker 1: grunt work. And you get the feeling this just happens 854 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:56,080 Speaker 1: all the time. Alex is, you know, he's always gotta 855 00:46:56,280 --> 00:46:59,080 Speaker 1: be the handyman around the trailer park instead of going 856 00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:01,000 Speaker 1: off to do what he wants to do. But it 857 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:03,520 Speaker 1: does score him some extra video game time, and I 858 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:05,960 Speaker 1: guess he has quarters to spare, because he ends up 859 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:09,880 Speaker 1: spending some more time, uh, playing the arcade cabinet and 860 00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:12,960 Speaker 1: we end up with a pretty great, great scene here 861 00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 1: because he's he's progressing enough in the game that he 862 00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:18,120 Speaker 1: starts making a real run at beating the game like 863 00:47:18,160 --> 00:47:21,760 Speaker 1: a real boss run here and the community takes notice 864 00:47:21,760 --> 00:47:24,520 Speaker 1: and they start calling each other over. They gather around 865 00:47:24,520 --> 00:47:28,439 Speaker 1: the arcade cabinet to cheer him on and Watch. Even 866 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:31,080 Speaker 1: the pets are present. And you know this is of 867 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:34,719 Speaker 1: course an exaggeration, but I think it does kind of 868 00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:38,640 Speaker 1: capture that sent that performative aspect of public arcade machines 869 00:47:38,640 --> 00:47:41,160 Speaker 1: of old. You know that you would have be at 870 00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:44,600 Speaker 1: something of the supermarket or at an actual arcade where 871 00:47:44,680 --> 00:47:47,560 Speaker 1: somebody was doing really well at a game, people might 872 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:49,759 Speaker 1: gather around to watch and even cheer them on, like, 873 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:52,400 Speaker 1: you know, I might never beat this game, but here's 874 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,360 Speaker 1: somebody who can. Hopefully they can. Maybe I'll get to 875 00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:57,759 Speaker 1: see the ending, I'll get to see what happens. And 876 00:47:57,800 --> 00:47:59,759 Speaker 1: you want to see them succeed and you want to 877 00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:01,600 Speaker 1: see what it looks like. Yeah, you want to see 878 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:04,560 Speaker 1: what the ending is. I love the scene. Is Really Cute. 879 00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:06,799 Speaker 1: It's like the old grannies are gathering around, you know, 880 00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:10,280 Speaker 1: Vanessa Redgrave here the Rock and grandma, uh, they're they're talking. 881 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:14,280 Speaker 1: It's the I think the game says approaching command ship 882 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:17,400 Speaker 1: and then they're like, oh, command ship, what's a command ship? 883 00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:21,239 Speaker 1: But it's very cute. So and and Alex. he like 884 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:24,239 Speaker 1: beats the High Score, he beats the game. He uh, 885 00:48:24,280 --> 00:48:27,399 Speaker 1: he goes for the record and UH. And then later 886 00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:30,080 Speaker 1: after the starfighter victory, you know, there's kind of a 887 00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:32,719 Speaker 1: wind down and Alex and Maggie are talking about their 888 00:48:32,719 --> 00:48:37,400 Speaker 1: future and there's one part I totally like burned into 889 00:48:37,400 --> 00:48:39,520 Speaker 1: my memory from when I was a kid watching this. 890 00:48:40,320 --> 00:48:43,560 Speaker 1: Alex and Maggie are standing outside and they kiss and 891 00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:46,520 Speaker 1: Alex's little brother Lewis is looking through the window at 892 00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:49,160 Speaker 1: them as they kiss and when they kiss he says 893 00:48:49,560 --> 00:48:55,200 Speaker 1: diarrhea like he's using it as a as a curse 894 00:48:55,239 --> 00:49:02,000 Speaker 1: word or something. I think he means like that's gross. Right, though, 895 00:49:02,040 --> 00:49:04,600 Speaker 1: I have a very weird memory of not knowing what 896 00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:06,120 Speaker 1: to make that line when I was a kid, and 897 00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:09,759 Speaker 1: this is literally where my brain went. I was like, Huh, 898 00:49:09,800 --> 00:49:12,960 Speaker 1: why did he say that? Well, maybe it's because diarrhea 899 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:16,080 Speaker 1: could potentially be spread by germs and when you kiss 900 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:20,560 Speaker 1: you exchange germs, so maybe he's suggesting that by kissing, 901 00:49:20,640 --> 00:49:23,160 Speaker 1: one of them is catching diarrhea from the other one. 902 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:27,000 Speaker 1: I don't know if I would put together that hypothesis 903 00:49:27,040 --> 00:49:30,320 Speaker 1: but Um, yeah, I don't think that's what it meant. 904 00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:32,719 Speaker 1: I think he's. or You could just be like, he's 905 00:49:32,760 --> 00:49:34,759 Speaker 1: just a kid who says stuff like this all the time, 906 00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:37,359 Speaker 1: like he just learned this word and what it means, 907 00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:39,080 Speaker 1: so he's going to say it a lot. Maybe he 908 00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:44,239 Speaker 1: read about it and one of his mini playboys. Oh, yes, yes, well, anyway, so, uh, 909 00:49:44,280 --> 00:49:47,479 Speaker 1: Alex comes back to talk to his mom and uh, 910 00:49:47,520 --> 00:49:50,040 Speaker 1: and he's all, he's all, you know, pumped up because 911 00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:53,759 Speaker 1: he beat the record on starfighter, and he approaches his 912 00:49:53,840 --> 00:49:56,440 Speaker 1: mom in the kitchen he says someday they're gonna say 913 00:49:56,520 --> 00:49:59,319 Speaker 1: this is where it all began. And she's like what 914 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,840 Speaker 1: is it? And he goes mom, I finally broke the 915 00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:06,839 Speaker 1: starfighter record. And Alex, I mean I'm glad you had 916 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:09,040 Speaker 1: fun with your video game, but that you're gonna have 917 00:50:09,080 --> 00:50:11,839 Speaker 1: to accept that people aren't going to care very much. Well, 918 00:50:11,880 --> 00:50:14,800 Speaker 1: games were really hard back in those days. That's true. 919 00:50:15,239 --> 00:50:18,120 Speaker 1: Nowadays he beat a video game, it's just like all right, well, 920 00:50:18,160 --> 00:50:20,360 Speaker 1: that that's a that's a Tuesday. But back in the 921 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:24,080 Speaker 1: day these were hard. This was an accomplishment, not in 922 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:26,520 Speaker 1: just anyone could do it. That's true. It's like mom 923 00:50:26,600 --> 00:50:29,360 Speaker 1: might beat battle toads and she's like oh in that case. 924 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:33,719 Speaker 1: But no, she's actually she's got some bad news for him. 925 00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:35,880 Speaker 1: That's why she's kind of down. A letter came in 926 00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 1: the mail. It's his application for a student loan and 927 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:42,240 Speaker 1: it's been denied. So he's not headed off to wherever 928 00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:44,400 Speaker 1: it was he wanted to go. They never say exactly. 929 00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:47,120 Speaker 1: Now this was already in the mail, so it could 930 00:50:47,160 --> 00:50:50,839 Speaker 1: not possibly be connected. His rejection for financial aid. Could 931 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:53,520 Speaker 1: not be connected to the alien conspiracy, could it? I 932 00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:55,960 Speaker 1: doubt it. Well, I don't know. Maybe the aliens can 933 00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:58,680 Speaker 1: intercept the mail. I'm not sure. What is it. What 934 00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,239 Speaker 1: is the alien document archery technique? What? What? What's their 935 00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:04,200 Speaker 1: level of skill at that? I don't know. They probably 936 00:51:04,239 --> 00:51:07,000 Speaker 1: have a shape shifting alien who doesn't manulate your mailbox, 937 00:51:07,040 --> 00:51:10,399 Speaker 1: I guess. Yeah. So, anyway, Alex has really bummed out 938 00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,560 Speaker 1: about this and he goes off wandering by himself in 939 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:16,080 Speaker 1: the in the front parking lot of the motor court, 940 00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:20,160 Speaker 1: and it seems like he's just really dejected. But what's 941 00:51:20,239 --> 00:51:23,120 Speaker 1: this there? There's kind of a worrying sound from behind 942 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:25,799 Speaker 1: him and then out and then out pops this very 943 00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:30,160 Speaker 1: strange looking car and somebody starts speaking to him from 944 00:51:30,200 --> 00:51:33,239 Speaker 1: inside the strange car and it almost sounds like the 945 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:36,160 Speaker 1: voice of Harold Hill, the music man, asking can you 946 00:51:36,200 --> 00:51:38,120 Speaker 1: tell me the name of the person who beat that 947 00:51:38,239 --> 00:51:41,360 Speaker 1: video game right over there? And Alex says, well, it's me. 948 00:51:41,560 --> 00:51:44,960 Speaker 1: Who Are you? Who? Who is this guy? This guy 949 00:51:45,080 --> 00:51:49,560 Speaker 1: is Centauri. Of course it's Centauri. Yes, and the Centauri 950 00:51:49,680 --> 00:51:53,040 Speaker 1: Mobile here is awesome. It it looks, I mean, obviously 951 00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:56,720 Speaker 1: there are notes of delore into it, but it also looks, 952 00:51:56,800 --> 00:52:00,120 Speaker 1: quite fittingly, like a spaceship car. It looks like it 953 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:03,239 Speaker 1: just rolled off of an epcot attraction, and I mean 954 00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:06,080 Speaker 1: that in the best possible sense. They're they're also sets 955 00:52:06,120 --> 00:52:09,600 Speaker 1: in this that really strongly made me think of Epcot. 956 00:52:09,920 --> 00:52:11,800 Speaker 1: I was just at Epcot. That may have something to 957 00:52:11,840 --> 00:52:13,759 Speaker 1: do with it. But but it has that kind of 958 00:52:13,800 --> 00:52:17,960 Speaker 1: like slick design but also seems like kind of functional, 959 00:52:18,160 --> 00:52:20,719 Speaker 1: but not not in an authentic way, but in a 960 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:25,080 Speaker 1: ride attraction way. So, yeah, strong epcot vibes here. I 961 00:52:25,120 --> 00:52:27,680 Speaker 1: see what you're saying. So, so we find out some 962 00:52:27,719 --> 00:52:32,400 Speaker 1: things in this conversation. Uh, we find out Centauri invented starfighter, 963 00:52:32,520 --> 00:52:37,080 Speaker 1: the game. Uh, to find talented people like Alex. Alex 964 00:52:37,360 --> 00:52:39,719 Speaker 1: kind of he hesitates a little bit, but I don't know, 965 00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:41,680 Speaker 1: he seems interested, like he does want to get away 966 00:52:41,680 --> 00:52:43,319 Speaker 1: from the trailer park. So he gets into the car. 967 00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:46,520 Speaker 1: He shakes hands with a humanoid figure who is shrouded 968 00:52:46,560 --> 00:52:49,759 Speaker 1: in shadow and this gives him an electrical shock, and 969 00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:52,719 Speaker 1: then the humanoid gets out of the Centauri mobile and 970 00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:55,319 Speaker 1: then Centauri speeds away and we get a lot of 971 00:52:55,560 --> 00:52:59,520 Speaker 1: flavor of Centauri. He's driving three miles per hour and 972 00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:02,479 Speaker 1: just adding at at Alex and I don't know what's 973 00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:06,040 Speaker 1: the Centauri Vibe? It's very Herald Hill. I wonder. I 974 00:53:06,080 --> 00:53:09,000 Speaker 1: was just thinking of this. So Centauri obviously a reference 975 00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:15,040 Speaker 1: to cosmology here in astronomy, but also Centaur makes me 976 00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:21,480 Speaker 1: think of Chiron, the Centaur tutor to Achilles, the wise 977 00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:26,759 Speaker 1: uh individual who trains the great warrior. I didn't make 978 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,359 Speaker 1: that connection. That's interesting. It might be reaching. I might 979 00:53:29,400 --> 00:53:30,880 Speaker 1: be reaching on that one, but I don't know if 980 00:53:30,920 --> 00:53:34,839 Speaker 1: Centauri Trains Alex. well, he does via the video game 981 00:53:34,920 --> 00:53:38,799 Speaker 1: he created. Yeah, he recruits him, definitely. Yeah. So, yeah, 982 00:53:38,880 --> 00:53:41,840 Speaker 1: the Centauri is like I've got something in store for you. 983 00:53:41,840 --> 00:53:44,480 Speaker 1: You know, you've proved yourself on this video game. I'm 984 00:53:44,520 --> 00:53:47,520 Speaker 1: gonna take you somewhere. So the car is speeding along 985 00:53:47,560 --> 00:53:49,120 Speaker 1: and it looks like it's going to crash into a 986 00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:52,040 Speaker 1: wall at three miles an hour and then it starts flying. Yeah, 987 00:53:52,040 --> 00:53:54,880 Speaker 1: Alex almost says the s word, but luckily this is 988 00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:58,120 Speaker 1: a PG family film, so so he doesn't actually get 989 00:53:58,120 --> 00:54:00,120 Speaker 1: the s word out. I think he could have at 990 00:54:00,160 --> 00:54:02,200 Speaker 1: it once. They might say it once somewhere else in 991 00:54:02,239 --> 00:54:04,480 Speaker 1: the movie. Okay, I can't remember if they did it, 992 00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:06,920 Speaker 1: but I was struck. For the most part this film 993 00:54:06,960 --> 00:54:10,520 Speaker 1: is very PG, with a couple of moments where you're like, 994 00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:12,960 Speaker 1: I don't know, Ron Cobb and company, you're kind of 995 00:54:12,960 --> 00:54:16,520 Speaker 1: pushing the envelope on what the kids would surely have 996 00:54:16,560 --> 00:54:18,440 Speaker 1: been able to handle. I don't know, the man the 997 00:54:18,480 --> 00:54:20,799 Speaker 1: kids in the eighties who were exposed to too much 998 00:54:20,840 --> 00:54:23,000 Speaker 1: worse on the screen. I guess. Yeah, this is at 999 00:54:23,040 --> 00:54:25,240 Speaker 1: the edge of PG. There are a couple of scenes 1000 00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:28,080 Speaker 1: that are pretty grizzly. I guess here I'm gonna start 1001 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:31,080 Speaker 1: getting a little more cursory and describing what happens so 1002 00:54:31,160 --> 00:54:34,240 Speaker 1: we can more talk about the broader like themes and movements. 1003 00:54:34,239 --> 00:54:38,040 Speaker 1: But basically, so Alex is riding with Centauri here with 1004 00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:42,600 Speaker 1: Robert Preston up to the space base on Rilos and uh, 1005 00:54:42,680 --> 00:54:45,239 Speaker 1: rob how would you describe the intake procedure at the 1006 00:54:45,239 --> 00:54:48,560 Speaker 1: space base? It's straight up feels like an epcot ride, 1007 00:54:48,680 --> 00:54:51,439 Speaker 1: if it feels if you're about to begin an epcot ride, 1008 00:54:51,680 --> 00:54:54,280 Speaker 1: and it's great, like there's a little bit too much space, 1009 00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:58,440 Speaker 1: as if it were designed to accommodate large groups of 1010 00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:01,360 Speaker 1: people that are about to border ride, like it's supposed 1011 00:55:01,360 --> 00:55:03,480 Speaker 1: to be that if it gets crowded there's still enough 1012 00:55:03,560 --> 00:55:06,920 Speaker 1: room for a fire exit. So they're very responsible, very 1013 00:55:06,920 --> 00:55:09,600 Speaker 1: responsible to sign yes exactly. And so when he gets 1014 00:55:09,640 --> 00:55:12,840 Speaker 1: out of Centauri's car in the space base on Rilos, 1015 00:55:12,840 --> 00:55:16,120 Speaker 1: he meets some Rylands. They are again. They all look 1016 00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:17,960 Speaker 1: like Larry David, just like you say. They've got the 1017 00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:20,720 Speaker 1: horseshoe of white hair and then they're bald on top. 1018 00:55:21,360 --> 00:55:23,279 Speaker 1: They speak to him in an alien language. He doesn't 1019 00:55:23,360 --> 00:55:27,360 Speaker 1: understand them until somebody pins a translator device onto his 1020 00:55:27,440 --> 00:55:30,960 Speaker 1: collar and then he understands everything. But I love all 1021 00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:34,359 Speaker 1: the costumes and everything. The aliens are very weird looking. 1022 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:36,160 Speaker 1: A lot of this is played for comedy and it 1023 00:55:36,239 --> 00:55:40,360 Speaker 1: is pretty funny. There's one kind of rylan old lady 1024 00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:42,200 Speaker 1: who looks kind of like, kind of like a cat, 1025 00:55:42,280 --> 00:55:45,440 Speaker 1: and she makes a purring noise at him. Oh, and 1026 00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:47,880 Speaker 1: then meanwhile it was so while he's doing all the 1027 00:55:47,920 --> 00:55:50,680 Speaker 1: intake at the space base, uh, there is some weird 1028 00:55:50,719 --> 00:55:54,719 Speaker 1: stuff going on back on earth. We see, uh, we 1029 00:55:54,760 --> 00:55:58,040 Speaker 1: see some of the earth characters like Maggie and Louis, 1030 00:55:58,120 --> 00:56:01,239 Speaker 1: the little brother, doing stuff and uh, at one point 1031 00:56:01,280 --> 00:56:04,120 Speaker 1: Maggie comes to try to talk to Alex and in 1032 00:56:04,160 --> 00:56:07,200 Speaker 1: fact there is somebody in Alex's bed. That's strange. He's 1033 00:56:07,239 --> 00:56:09,720 Speaker 1: up in space. So who's in his bed, like totally 1034 00:56:09,719 --> 00:56:12,680 Speaker 1: covered in blankets? And Maggie tries to talk to him 1035 00:56:12,680 --> 00:56:15,320 Speaker 1: but he just sort of lays their moaning and she's 1036 00:56:15,360 --> 00:56:18,040 Speaker 1: like well, okay, and she leaves. And as soon as 1037 00:56:18,080 --> 00:56:22,319 Speaker 1: she leaves we get a moment of absolute horror. This 1038 00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:24,840 Speaker 1: is one of the grossest looking things I can remember 1039 00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:29,200 Speaker 1: seeing on screen as a child. The figure under the 1040 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:32,239 Speaker 1: blanket folds the blanket back and reveals I guess that. 1041 00:56:32,840 --> 00:56:34,360 Speaker 1: I guess we're supposed to know at this point that 1042 00:56:34,400 --> 00:56:37,960 Speaker 1: this was the Beta module, the other creature in the 1043 00:56:38,000 --> 00:56:41,799 Speaker 1: car with Centauri when when Alex left. Except, and it's 1044 00:56:41,800 --> 00:56:45,040 Speaker 1: supposed to be turning itself into a perfect copy of Alex, 1045 00:56:45,160 --> 00:56:47,840 Speaker 1: but it's not done yet. So it is just a 1046 00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:54,200 Speaker 1: kind of slimy looking, Pale humanoid figure with these disgusting 1047 00:56:54,440 --> 00:56:59,680 Speaker 1: like shriveled eyes. It's horrifying. Yeah, it's quite grotesque looking. UH, 1048 00:57:00,120 --> 00:57:03,560 Speaker 1: solid effects, maybe a little too solid for this. Essentially 1049 00:57:03,560 --> 00:57:06,680 Speaker 1: a half baked clone that's still still cooking there under 1050 00:57:06,719 --> 00:57:09,080 Speaker 1: the covers. But Anyway, the point is that this is 1051 00:57:09,120 --> 00:57:11,600 Speaker 1: going to be a robot that makes itself into a 1052 00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:14,920 Speaker 1: copy of Alex so that, you know, so that nobody 1053 00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:18,200 Speaker 1: misses Alex while he's gone. A solid B plot that 1054 00:57:17,960 --> 00:57:21,440 Speaker 1: they spend some good time with. Oh yeah, I agree, 1055 00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:24,080 Speaker 1: this is a very good b plot. But so back 1056 00:57:24,120 --> 00:57:27,360 Speaker 1: in space, Alex is getting brief with some other recruits. 1057 00:57:27,400 --> 00:57:30,920 Speaker 1: We see the other starfighters and there are various types 1058 00:57:30,960 --> 00:57:34,920 Speaker 1: of aliens. One has tentacles for a mouth, one has 1059 00:57:34,920 --> 00:57:39,160 Speaker 1: a kind of insect face, one just doesn't have a 1060 00:57:39,200 --> 00:57:41,160 Speaker 1: face at all. It's just like its face is kind 1061 00:57:41,200 --> 00:57:44,720 Speaker 1: of like a like a umpire's mask or something. And 1062 00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:49,080 Speaker 1: they're all sitting around getting getting a briefing by induring 1063 00:57:49,400 --> 00:57:53,760 Speaker 1: or induring the the head of the Rylands, who has again. 1064 00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:55,880 Speaker 1: He's got the Larry David Head, but then he's got 1065 00:57:55,880 --> 00:57:58,640 Speaker 1: two big like sort of skull lobes on either side 1066 00:57:58,640 --> 00:58:00,480 Speaker 1: of his forehead. I don't know if that's like a 1067 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:04,760 Speaker 1: sign of seniority among them. Yeah, yeah, he that. He 1068 00:58:04,760 --> 00:58:07,040 Speaker 1: he starts giving a speech and this is where he learns. 1069 00:58:07,080 --> 00:58:10,280 Speaker 1: He's like hey, we have an interstellar war going on 1070 00:58:10,360 --> 00:58:12,680 Speaker 1: because basically me and my son can't get along with 1071 00:58:12,720 --> 00:58:16,960 Speaker 1: each other. And and Alex learns, you know what what 1072 00:58:17,080 --> 00:58:20,040 Speaker 1: he's what he's in for here, right. So he's talking 1073 00:58:20,040 --> 00:58:22,440 Speaker 1: to one of the other recruits there and and Alex 1074 00:58:22,480 --> 00:58:24,480 Speaker 1: has been very confused up to this point, but the 1075 00:58:24,880 --> 00:58:27,920 Speaker 1: other recruit tells him you were recruited by the Star League. 1076 00:58:28,280 --> 00:58:31,080 Speaker 1: And then Alex like completes his sentence because he knows 1077 00:58:31,120 --> 00:58:33,720 Speaker 1: this from the video game, to defend the frontier against 1078 00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:36,160 Speaker 1: Zora and the code in Armada. So this is where 1079 00:58:36,200 --> 00:58:40,280 Speaker 1: everything starts coming together. Everything from the video game was real. 1080 00:58:40,880 --> 00:58:44,720 Speaker 1: It was actually training him for this war. The ship 1081 00:58:44,840 --> 00:58:47,919 Speaker 1: from the game is the actual ship that he will fly. 1082 00:58:48,680 --> 00:58:51,840 Speaker 1: He is actually on rilos. That was a real place, 1083 00:58:51,960 --> 00:58:54,720 Speaker 1: not one made up for the game. He actually has 1084 00:58:54,760 --> 00:58:57,680 Speaker 1: to defend the frontier against Zora and the code in Armada. 1085 00:58:57,960 --> 00:59:00,040 Speaker 1: So who is zoor and the code in Armada? We 1086 00:59:00,040 --> 00:59:02,160 Speaker 1: we will find out in a few moments. But we 1087 00:59:02,200 --> 00:59:05,480 Speaker 1: also learned that the frontier is basically an invisible energy 1088 00:59:05,520 --> 00:59:09,360 Speaker 1: shield that's in space and it protects the peaceful systems 1089 00:59:09,800 --> 00:59:14,160 Speaker 1: from conquest by by the code and empire. And we 1090 00:59:14,240 --> 00:59:17,520 Speaker 1: find out that, due to a dark betrayal, the frontier 1091 00:59:17,560 --> 00:59:21,080 Speaker 1: will soon collapse. Oh, why could that be? Anyway, the 1092 00:59:21,120 --> 00:59:23,920 Speaker 1: starfighters are the only hope that rilos has left and 1093 00:59:23,920 --> 00:59:27,000 Speaker 1: they all start chanting victory or death. And this is 1094 00:59:27,040 --> 00:59:28,960 Speaker 1: a little too much for Alex and he's trying to 1095 00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:30,520 Speaker 1: he's trying to find a way to get out of 1096 00:59:30,520 --> 00:59:33,840 Speaker 1: this mess. And here's where he bumps into Dan o'hurley, 1097 00:59:33,880 --> 00:59:38,480 Speaker 1: he as Grig. How would you describe their first meeting here? Um, 1098 00:59:39,760 --> 00:59:43,000 Speaker 1: I would say, you know, mostly comedic. Again, we give 1099 00:59:43,080 --> 00:59:47,560 Speaker 1: the sort of clash of personalities where I mean essentially 1100 00:59:48,720 --> 00:59:50,880 Speaker 1: a lot of their their interaction is kind of like 1101 00:59:50,920 --> 00:59:54,280 Speaker 1: grig is very much Um, you know, of the warrior 1102 00:59:54,360 --> 00:59:57,680 Speaker 1: mindset and duty and honor and and so forth, but 1103 00:59:57,720 --> 01:00:00,640 Speaker 1: not in a what, not in like a harsh way, 1104 01:00:00,640 --> 01:00:03,360 Speaker 1: but in a very practical and an honor bound way. 1105 01:00:03,920 --> 01:00:07,720 Speaker 1: And Uh, and then meanwhile Alex is like what war? What? 1106 01:00:08,560 --> 01:00:11,680 Speaker 1: This is real, and he's like Oh, yes, it's very 1107 01:00:11,680 --> 01:00:15,200 Speaker 1: really actually I'm the last starfighter. And he's like well, yeah, yeah, yes, 1108 01:00:15,200 --> 01:00:21,080 Speaker 1: it's actually yeah, uh so, yeah, I think that's right. 1109 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:23,960 Speaker 1: So Greg is very much greg is kind of disappointed 1110 01:00:23,960 --> 01:00:27,640 Speaker 1: in Alex for wanting to escape the situation. He's like really, 1111 01:00:27,680 --> 01:00:29,320 Speaker 1: you're going to walk away from the chance to be 1112 01:00:29,320 --> 01:00:32,760 Speaker 1: a starfighter? That's that's extraordinary. I can't believe you would 1113 01:00:32,800 --> 01:00:35,960 Speaker 1: do that. But okay. And then he, especially Grigg, is 1114 01:00:36,040 --> 01:00:39,160 Speaker 1: upset when he finds out that that Centauri got Alex 1115 01:00:39,200 --> 01:00:42,720 Speaker 1: here by trickery and he he knows who Centauri is. 1116 01:00:42,760 --> 01:00:45,720 Speaker 1: So they go chase him down and Griggs like don't 1117 01:00:45,720 --> 01:00:48,680 Speaker 1: you know it's illegal to recruit from worlds outside the 1118 01:00:48,720 --> 01:00:51,360 Speaker 1: Star League, and and Centauri is like, Oh, you know, 1119 01:00:51,400 --> 01:00:55,560 Speaker 1: they'll be in the star League soon. UH So. So 1120 01:00:55,640 --> 01:00:57,680 Speaker 1: I think it's sort of a star trek, like pre 1121 01:00:57,960 --> 01:01:10,240 Speaker 1: contact by the federation thing. But Centauri is trying to 1122 01:01:10,280 --> 01:01:13,600 Speaker 1: talk Alex into staying here because it's clear Centauri has 1123 01:01:13,600 --> 01:01:17,800 Speaker 1: been paid a bounty for recruiting a starfighter. He's been 1124 01:01:17,840 --> 01:01:20,640 Speaker 1: given a big sum of money and if Alex quits, 1125 01:01:20,640 --> 01:01:22,800 Speaker 1: he's gonna have to give that money back and Centauri 1126 01:01:22,880 --> 01:01:25,320 Speaker 1: doesn't want that. So He's like, oh, it'll be fine, 1127 01:01:25,440 --> 01:01:29,360 Speaker 1: this is not actually dangerous. Uh. And then suddenly, right 1128 01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:32,200 Speaker 1: after he says that, we get a big head incoming, 1129 01:01:32,280 --> 01:01:37,000 Speaker 1: there's a giant Hologram of another Larry David Head, but 1130 01:01:37,120 --> 01:01:40,360 Speaker 1: this time it's zoor baby. This is zoor he's it's 1131 01:01:40,760 --> 01:01:45,560 Speaker 1: what's his name? John Snow, not John Snow, it's Norman Snow, 1132 01:01:46,200 --> 01:01:49,960 Speaker 1: as Zure in Hologram form, as big as a as 1133 01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:51,920 Speaker 1: big as and I don't know what, an elephant floating 1134 01:01:51,920 --> 01:01:54,640 Speaker 1: in the middle of space in this room arguing with 1135 01:01:54,720 --> 01:01:59,280 Speaker 1: his dad, and he's like, Father, I am here to 1136 01:01:59,320 --> 01:02:02,560 Speaker 1: do even and uh, induring is like, do not call 1137 01:02:02,600 --> 01:02:06,120 Speaker 1: me father, and they argue and you know, he's like 1138 01:02:06,200 --> 01:02:08,920 Speaker 1: you have betrayed Rylos. And then Zour says there are 1139 01:02:08,960 --> 01:02:13,000 Speaker 1: some Rylands who would welcome me, father, and the father says, 1140 01:02:13,000 --> 01:02:16,280 Speaker 1: Star League, put down your Zurian cult. Your followers are 1141 01:02:16,360 --> 01:02:21,040 Speaker 1: few and scattered. And Zura says, Star League, a refuge 1142 01:02:21,080 --> 01:02:25,320 Speaker 1: for weak world's not worthy to be our equals. Uh, 1143 01:02:25,360 --> 01:02:28,880 Speaker 1: so the yeah, we never get much back backstory about this, 1144 01:02:28,920 --> 01:02:31,200 Speaker 1: like what is the Zurian cult? How did all this 1145 01:02:31,640 --> 01:02:34,120 Speaker 1: break down? Like, why is the son of this guy 1146 01:02:34,680 --> 01:02:38,320 Speaker 1: operating a cult and now trying to attack the planet 1147 01:02:38,320 --> 01:02:41,240 Speaker 1: he comes from? It's not clear. Yeah, and the only 1148 01:02:41,240 --> 01:02:44,080 Speaker 1: thing is clear that maybe they should have put aside 1149 01:02:44,280 --> 01:02:50,240 Speaker 1: Um rule by monarchy. You know, yeah, exactly. But anyway, 1150 01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:54,720 Speaker 1: so he calls his father, calls him a an evil child, 1151 01:02:55,400 --> 01:02:57,600 Speaker 1: and zoo doesn't like that, he says. And yet it 1152 01:02:57,720 --> 01:03:00,920 Speaker 1: is this child who caught your master spy. And here's, 1153 01:03:01,040 --> 01:03:03,840 Speaker 1: here's where we get another I would say, if this 1154 01:03:03,880 --> 01:03:05,920 Speaker 1: is supposed to be a kid's adventure movie, this is 1155 01:03:05,960 --> 01:03:09,120 Speaker 1: a kind of age inappropriate scene. We get the master 1156 01:03:09,280 --> 01:03:12,640 Speaker 1: spy on vid screen here and he is killed in 1157 01:03:12,680 --> 01:03:15,720 Speaker 1: a horrible way by this like laser pulse to the 1158 01:03:15,760 --> 01:03:19,400 Speaker 1: head that kind of melts his brain as he screams. Yeah, 1159 01:03:19,520 --> 01:03:24,200 Speaker 1: it's very well done and again a little too well done. It's, it's, 1160 01:03:24,280 --> 01:03:26,640 Speaker 1: it's it's kind of horrific. It melts the top of 1161 01:03:26,680 --> 01:03:30,520 Speaker 1: his head. Yeah, and then fortunately that cuts away before 1162 01:03:30,520 --> 01:03:32,919 Speaker 1: we see anything else. Right, and this is right after 1163 01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:35,720 Speaker 1: Centauri is like, Oh, this is not dangerous. So Alex 1164 01:03:35,800 --> 01:03:39,080 Speaker 1: is out of here and he he leaves. He wants 1165 01:03:39,120 --> 01:03:42,360 Speaker 1: to go back to Earth. So he's refusing the call now. 1166 01:03:42,760 --> 01:03:44,920 Speaker 1: And UH, meanwhile, we're gonna see what's going on with 1167 01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:47,360 Speaker 1: Zor and his buddies. So we see the frontier. It's 1168 01:03:47,440 --> 01:03:51,080 Speaker 1: kind of like all these green little do dad's floating 1169 01:03:51,080 --> 01:03:55,080 Speaker 1: in space and I guess they're they're marking an invisible barrier. 1170 01:03:55,680 --> 01:03:58,280 Speaker 1: And zoor and the code and Armada are sitting in 1171 01:03:58,320 --> 01:04:02,160 Speaker 1: the command ship right next to the frontier and they're 1172 01:04:02,200 --> 01:04:04,480 Speaker 1: they're going to get ready to attack rilos. So we 1173 01:04:04,560 --> 01:04:10,439 Speaker 1: see Zoor massaging accepter that he receives from somebody. He goes, 1174 01:04:10,640 --> 01:04:12,360 Speaker 1: you know, he's like looking at the scepter and he goes, 1175 01:04:12,440 --> 01:04:15,520 Speaker 1: just like your code and emperors, isn't it, commander Krill? 1176 01:04:16,240 --> 01:04:19,360 Speaker 1: and Commander Krill standing nearby, says it takes more than 1177 01:04:19,400 --> 01:04:22,960 Speaker 1: a scepter too rules or even on rilos. So you 1178 01:04:22,960 --> 01:04:26,560 Speaker 1: can tell there's some tension between them. Like commander Krill's 1179 01:04:26,640 --> 01:04:29,800 Speaker 1: working for Zoor, but he doesn't necessarily like it. Yeah, 1180 01:04:30,000 --> 01:04:33,520 Speaker 1: and I thought this is interesting. Instead of just presenting 1181 01:04:33,800 --> 01:04:37,760 Speaker 1: our our evil space emperor or or evil space usurper, 1182 01:04:38,200 --> 01:04:40,919 Speaker 1: which wouldn't really require a lot of leg work there 1183 01:04:41,000 --> 01:04:42,880 Speaker 1: you can just basically say this is what it is. 1184 01:04:42,920 --> 01:04:47,640 Speaker 1: That's what most Uh Star Wars knockoffs did and you 1185 01:04:47,640 --> 01:04:50,120 Speaker 1: don't you don't really question it. But here were we 1186 01:04:50,120 --> 01:04:54,120 Speaker 1: do have a slightly more nuance situation where, Um, where 1187 01:04:54,120 --> 01:04:58,120 Speaker 1: we have the cast off son who's aligned himself with 1188 01:04:58,440 --> 01:05:02,680 Speaker 1: the enemy and they're not super happy to have him around, 1189 01:05:02,760 --> 01:05:06,320 Speaker 1: like they seem to recognize that he's dangerous and full 1190 01:05:06,360 --> 01:05:09,960 Speaker 1: of himself. But he does have important information that's going 1191 01:05:10,040 --> 01:05:13,440 Speaker 1: to be pivotal for this particular campaign. So He's been 1192 01:05:13,480 --> 01:05:17,640 Speaker 1: given this title, he's been given this authority, uh, within 1193 01:05:17,720 --> 01:05:21,480 Speaker 1: the code and the military. But it's a tenuous relationship, 1194 01:05:21,600 --> 01:05:24,760 Speaker 1: even if he does not realize that's the case. Right, 1195 01:05:24,800 --> 01:05:28,680 Speaker 1: and you can tell Zure just takes everyone else's submission 1196 01:05:28,720 --> 01:05:31,520 Speaker 1: for granted. You know, he's like he's not gonna he 1197 01:05:31,560 --> 01:05:34,720 Speaker 1: doesn't care. He's entitled to this. But anyway, they're gonna 1198 01:05:34,960 --> 01:05:37,800 Speaker 1: use Zuur's knowledge about how to get through the frontier 1199 01:05:38,320 --> 01:05:41,320 Speaker 1: to launch a meteor attack on the base on rilos. 1200 01:05:41,360 --> 01:05:44,400 Speaker 1: It's a brutal attack. They like shoot space rocks at 1201 01:05:44,440 --> 01:05:47,080 Speaker 1: the base. Um, they blow it up. This is made 1202 01:05:47,080 --> 01:05:49,720 Speaker 1: extra possible by a double agent who sets off a 1203 01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:53,560 Speaker 1: bomb within the base to disable the like the turrets 1204 01:05:53,600 --> 01:05:56,320 Speaker 1: that are supposed to shoot down the meteors. and WHO's 1205 01:05:56,360 --> 01:05:58,880 Speaker 1: the double agent? Turns out it's the cat. It's the 1206 01:05:58,960 --> 01:06:03,080 Speaker 1: purring lady from before. Oh Man. But at the end 1207 01:06:03,120 --> 01:06:05,960 Speaker 1: of this whole thing, zooer finds out he gets intelligence 1208 01:06:06,000 --> 01:06:09,840 Speaker 1: that one of the starfighters has escaped. Oh No, so 1209 01:06:09,920 --> 01:06:12,800 Speaker 1: what's he gonna do about that? Well, we check in 1210 01:06:12,840 --> 01:06:15,400 Speaker 1: back on earth and one thing that's funny is when 1211 01:06:15,600 --> 01:06:19,760 Speaker 1: so Centauri Takes Alex back to the trailer park, though 1212 01:06:19,800 --> 01:06:21,840 Speaker 1: it takes him a while to get there because his 1213 01:06:21,840 --> 01:06:24,600 Speaker 1: his Centauri mobile breaks down and he has to fix it. 1214 01:06:24,720 --> 01:06:27,400 Speaker 1: So Alex sort of wanders back to the trailer Park 1215 01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:30,400 Speaker 1: by himself and when he first meets Maggie he's like hey, Maggie, 1216 01:06:30,400 --> 01:06:33,080 Speaker 1: and she's really mad at him and he doesn't understand why. 1217 01:06:33,120 --> 01:06:36,080 Speaker 1: But it's because he doesn't realize there has been another 1218 01:06:36,120 --> 01:06:38,640 Speaker 1: copy of him here and the other copy of him 1219 01:06:38,800 --> 01:06:41,560 Speaker 1: is not very good at dealing with people. That's right. 1220 01:06:41,680 --> 01:06:45,880 Speaker 1: It it genetically copied and I guess absorbs certain memories, 1221 01:06:45,880 --> 01:06:47,440 Speaker 1: but it's having to figure out a lot of the 1222 01:06:47,440 --> 01:06:52,280 Speaker 1: other stuff, uh, in real time, with the with some 1223 01:06:52,360 --> 01:06:54,320 Speaker 1: kind of a comedic scenes here and there, I mean 1224 01:06:54,440 --> 01:06:56,400 Speaker 1: they're supposed to be comedic anyway, where he's like trying 1225 01:06:56,400 --> 01:07:00,560 Speaker 1: to figure out, Um, like how romance works by by 1226 01:07:00,600 --> 01:07:03,200 Speaker 1: turning up his robot hearing and trying to hear what 1227 01:07:03,320 --> 01:07:06,840 Speaker 1: other couples are saying in the Makeout Park. I thought 1228 01:07:06,840 --> 01:07:09,280 Speaker 1: that seven was funny. Yeah, yeah, no, it was. It 1229 01:07:09,320 --> 01:07:10,880 Speaker 1: was fun. It was good, like I said, as far 1230 01:07:10,920 --> 01:07:13,800 Speaker 1: as B plots go, you know, the the earth plot 1231 01:07:13,880 --> 01:07:16,560 Speaker 1: in your space opera. All of this is really, really 1232 01:07:16,560 --> 01:07:18,400 Speaker 1: well done. And this is where we get the double 1233 01:07:18,400 --> 01:07:20,840 Speaker 1: with the double roll, because we end up having interaction 1234 01:07:20,960 --> 01:07:26,040 Speaker 1: between Alex and his Beta copy right exactly. So Alex 1235 01:07:26,120 --> 01:07:28,640 Speaker 1: he he talks to Maggie. She's mad. He doesn't know why, 1236 01:07:28,640 --> 01:07:31,479 Speaker 1: and then it's clear like somehow he's been there doing 1237 01:07:31,560 --> 01:07:33,800 Speaker 1: things that made her mad, even though he wasn't there. 1238 01:07:34,320 --> 01:07:36,440 Speaker 1: So he goes back to his room and he meets 1239 01:07:36,600 --> 01:07:39,400 Speaker 1: the copy of him, the Beta module, and they argue. 1240 01:07:39,480 --> 01:07:41,600 Speaker 1: You know, Beta module is like Hey, I'm I'm here 1241 01:07:41,600 --> 01:07:44,160 Speaker 1: taking your place. Aren't you supposed to be saving the universe? 1242 01:07:44,600 --> 01:07:46,800 Speaker 1: And Uh, you know, Alex is like, I'm not going 1243 01:07:46,840 --> 01:07:49,240 Speaker 1: to do that. It's a war, you know. It's dangerous. 1244 01:07:49,720 --> 01:07:53,120 Speaker 1: And then, uh, commenting on a poster that Alex has 1245 01:07:53,160 --> 01:07:55,960 Speaker 1: in his bedroom. Uh, the copy says, Oh, save the 1246 01:07:55,960 --> 01:07:58,000 Speaker 1: whales and not the universe. Huh, and I was like 1247 01:07:58,280 --> 01:08:00,360 Speaker 1: good point. I guess the whales are in Act at 1248 01:08:00,440 --> 01:08:03,360 Speaker 1: risk from zoor in the codin Armada. But Anyway, Alex 1249 01:08:03,480 --> 01:08:05,360 Speaker 1: is like, well, I'm back here now, so you know, 1250 01:08:05,600 --> 01:08:09,040 Speaker 1: you hit the bricks. Hit the bricks right. So, uh. 1251 01:08:09,240 --> 01:08:11,680 Speaker 1: So you think maybe, well, what's is he's just gonna 1252 01:08:11,800 --> 01:08:15,600 Speaker 1: Chill here on Earth. No, because here comes an alien 1253 01:08:15,680 --> 01:08:18,960 Speaker 1: hit beast. UH, there's it's like a hitchhiker who gets 1254 01:08:18,960 --> 01:08:21,240 Speaker 1: out of a car at the at the trailer park 1255 01:08:21,320 --> 01:08:23,680 Speaker 1: and he's walking around. He walks in front of the 1256 01:08:23,760 --> 01:08:27,160 Speaker 1: video arcade game and it it shines a light on 1257 01:08:27,240 --> 01:08:30,519 Speaker 1: him that like removes his human disguise and reveals him 1258 01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:33,719 Speaker 1: to be this grotesque alien creature. And then the creature 1259 01:08:33,720 --> 01:08:37,080 Speaker 1: tries to kill Alex. there's this big fight. Centauri shows 1260 01:08:37,120 --> 01:08:40,000 Speaker 1: back up and and blasts the alien with a with 1261 01:08:40,040 --> 01:08:42,479 Speaker 1: a laser, but the alien also gets one hit in 1262 01:08:42,600 --> 01:08:44,600 Speaker 1: on Centauri, kind of shoots him in the in the 1263 01:08:44,680 --> 01:08:47,160 Speaker 1: hip or something, and they talk about it and it's 1264 01:08:47,200 --> 01:08:49,840 Speaker 1: like well, you know these hit beasts. Uh What? What? 1265 01:08:50,000 --> 01:08:52,960 Speaker 1: What are they called? Against Zando Zans or something? Yeah, 1266 01:08:53,320 --> 01:08:59,200 Speaker 1: Zandoz and, yeah, they're gonna keep coming. Right, Alex, he's like, 1267 01:08:59,240 --> 01:09:01,080 Speaker 1: as long as you're a live here, zoor is going 1268 01:09:01,160 --> 01:09:04,000 Speaker 1: to be sending these things after you. Uh So, really, 1269 01:09:04,040 --> 01:09:06,120 Speaker 1: you've got no choice but to go back and fight 1270 01:09:06,640 --> 01:09:10,320 Speaker 1: and leave the Beta module here to absorb the attacks 1271 01:09:10,400 --> 01:09:12,640 Speaker 1: by these hit beasts. And I think this does it. 1272 01:09:12,840 --> 01:09:15,400 Speaker 1: Alex is like well, yeah, and no choice. Basically got 1273 01:09:15,400 --> 01:09:17,240 Speaker 1: to go back and fight the code in Armada. So 1274 01:09:17,600 --> 01:09:21,240 Speaker 1: he goes back. Uh. There there's a reunion with Grig. 1275 01:09:21,280 --> 01:09:24,519 Speaker 1: We get we get an apparent death of Centauri scene 1276 01:09:24,560 --> 01:09:27,840 Speaker 1: where he's like Oh my wounds and he collapses in 1277 01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:30,600 Speaker 1: his car. He has a great last line before he 1278 01:09:30,640 --> 01:09:35,240 Speaker 1: apparently dies, talking about collecting the money for bringing Alex back. 1279 01:09:35,280 --> 01:09:37,679 Speaker 1: And Oh God, what, what? What is it he says? 1280 01:09:37,680 --> 01:09:40,080 Speaker 1: He's like, you know, it's great to he gives some 1281 01:09:40,160 --> 01:09:42,439 Speaker 1: kind of lofty thing about like what's really what really 1282 01:09:42,439 --> 01:09:45,080 Speaker 1: matters in life, but then again, it never hurts to 1283 01:09:45,120 --> 01:09:48,920 Speaker 1: be rich. And then he dies. And and Greg. Greg 1284 01:09:48,920 --> 01:09:50,680 Speaker 1: has a nice moment here. He's like like well, he's 1285 01:09:50,720 --> 01:09:53,160 Speaker 1: passed on for this dimension anywhere, or something to that effect. 1286 01:09:53,200 --> 01:09:56,320 Speaker 1: You know, noble and brief, but but very accepting of 1287 01:09:56,360 --> 01:09:58,559 Speaker 1: death and the reality of death. And Alex, though, is 1288 01:09:58,600 --> 01:10:04,080 Speaker 1: just incomplete, UH denial. He's like, he's like Centauri, Centauri. 1289 01:10:04,960 --> 01:10:07,599 Speaker 1: So it's it's a nice juxtaposition there. Yeah, I think 1290 01:10:07,640 --> 01:10:11,960 Speaker 1: Grigg says death is a primitive concept. Gregg is very 1291 01:10:12,040 --> 01:10:15,160 Speaker 1: vulcan into new respects, I guess. Yes, yes, he is 1292 01:10:15,520 --> 01:10:18,880 Speaker 1: um I mean not in the sense of not having emotions. 1293 01:10:18,920 --> 01:10:21,720 Speaker 1: He does have emotions, but there there's some other kind 1294 01:10:21,760 --> 01:10:26,479 Speaker 1: of vulcany dynamics, that kind of uh, this makes him 1295 01:10:26,479 --> 01:10:30,320 Speaker 1: sound me a kind of friendly, well meaning alien condescension 1296 01:10:30,400 --> 01:10:33,160 Speaker 1: on the human perspective. Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean. 1297 01:10:33,720 --> 01:10:35,880 Speaker 1: But Anyway, here we sort of transition to the third 1298 01:10:35,920 --> 01:10:39,360 Speaker 1: act right like there there's ongoing conflict with there are 1299 01:10:39,400 --> 01:10:43,360 Speaker 1: some hit beasts that will continue to to plague Beta 1300 01:10:43,439 --> 01:10:47,160 Speaker 1: and Maggie back back on earth, and meanwhile Grig and 1301 01:10:47,360 --> 01:10:49,400 Speaker 1: uh an Alex are off to to fight the code 1302 01:10:49,439 --> 01:10:51,679 Speaker 1: in Armada, and we're gonna get a lot of space 1303 01:10:51,720 --> 01:10:55,680 Speaker 1: battles after this. Yeah, and that's that's that's kind of 1304 01:10:55,680 --> 01:10:57,840 Speaker 1: the downside to the last third of the picture is 1305 01:10:57,840 --> 01:11:00,559 Speaker 1: that you're gonna get a lot of these computer or effects. 1306 01:11:00,720 --> 01:11:04,639 Speaker 1: You'RE gonna get a lot of opportunities to see all 1307 01:11:04,680 --> 01:11:07,640 Speaker 1: the ways that they fall a little bit short of 1308 01:11:07,280 --> 01:11:11,120 Speaker 1: of of what they attempted to achieve. And again, for 1309 01:11:11,120 --> 01:11:13,439 Speaker 1: for a modern film viewer, if you're coming into this 1310 01:11:13,560 --> 01:11:16,200 Speaker 1: after having watched, I mean really, if you're coming into 1311 01:11:16,200 --> 01:11:19,479 Speaker 1: this having watched even the original star wars, you're going 1312 01:11:19,520 --> 01:11:23,479 Speaker 1: to find this a little bit disappointing. Definitely agree about 1313 01:11:23,479 --> 01:11:26,400 Speaker 1: the space battles. Actually, though, I thought that the the 1314 01:11:27,240 --> 01:11:30,439 Speaker 1: big showdown on earth is fantastic, where there's like a 1315 01:11:30,520 --> 01:11:32,920 Speaker 1: hit yeah, there's like a hit beast coming after Beta 1316 01:11:33,000 --> 01:11:38,200 Speaker 1: and Maggie, but it happens to overhear Beta revealing the 1317 01:11:38,240 --> 01:11:40,439 Speaker 1: fact that he's not really Alex and that Alex is 1318 01:11:40,520 --> 01:11:43,439 Speaker 1: up in space, and then it's like, oh, okay, I 1319 01:11:43,520 --> 01:11:47,720 Speaker 1: better run off and message zoor with this information. So 1320 01:11:47,760 --> 01:11:50,719 Speaker 1: they have a big showdown about that. The hit beast 1321 01:11:50,760 --> 01:11:53,479 Speaker 1: almost gets the message off and almost reveals but then 1322 01:11:53,600 --> 01:11:57,320 Speaker 1: the robot sacrifices itself by Ramming into the alien spaceship 1323 01:11:57,320 --> 01:11:59,519 Speaker 1: with a pickup truck. Yes, so I think the only 1324 01:11:59,520 --> 01:12:01,799 Speaker 1: thing can get uh, the only part of the message 1325 01:12:01,800 --> 01:12:05,840 Speaker 1: he gets sent out is Um, like the last star 1326 01:12:05,920 --> 01:12:09,320 Speaker 1: fighter is and then we don't know. But when Zoor 1327 01:12:09,400 --> 01:12:11,639 Speaker 1: hears this, he's like, Oh, the last starfighter is dead. 1328 01:12:11,720 --> 01:12:15,000 Speaker 1: Clearly that's it. Don't worry, Codin's, let's continue on with 1329 01:12:15,000 --> 01:12:17,080 Speaker 1: the assault. And they're like, okay, do you have the 1330 01:12:17,080 --> 01:12:21,280 Speaker 1: shields down? Oh, this is another critique I have about 1331 01:12:21,280 --> 01:12:25,280 Speaker 1: the space battles. I think the last starfighter's vessel, what 1332 01:12:25,360 --> 01:12:27,680 Speaker 1: is it? What is it called? The Gun Star? A 1333 01:12:27,680 --> 01:12:30,559 Speaker 1: Gun Star? The Gun Star looks pretty cool the but 1334 01:12:30,640 --> 01:12:37,040 Speaker 1: the villain's warship just feels it doesn't feel threatening enough. 1335 01:12:37,080 --> 01:12:39,479 Speaker 1: I don't know it. For me anyway, my personal taste, 1336 01:12:40,560 --> 01:12:43,240 Speaker 1: the Star destroyer of this picture did not have enough 1337 01:12:43,240 --> 01:12:46,680 Speaker 1: of a star destroyer vibe. I think the bosses in 1338 01:12:46,880 --> 01:12:50,559 Speaker 1: Star Fox look better. Yeah, it's just kind of a 1339 01:12:50,600 --> 01:12:53,000 Speaker 1: big V it's like there's nothing that looks all that 1340 01:12:53,120 --> 01:12:56,240 Speaker 1: villainous or interesting about it. Yeah, it looks more industrial 1341 01:12:56,640 --> 01:12:59,200 Speaker 1: than at least when we compare it to other sci 1342 01:12:59,240 --> 01:13:01,680 Speaker 1: fi spaceship does signs there is a great thing that 1343 01:13:01,720 --> 01:13:05,000 Speaker 1: they build up to, which is they mentioned it several times. 1344 01:13:05,240 --> 01:13:07,519 Speaker 1: There's one last weapon we have on the gun story 1345 01:13:07,680 --> 01:13:11,439 Speaker 1: is the death blossom and they build it up real 1346 01:13:11,520 --> 01:13:13,519 Speaker 1: big and then when they actually do it, it kind 1347 01:13:13,520 --> 01:13:16,240 Speaker 1: of doesn't look that cool and it's like, okay, it 1348 01:13:16,320 --> 01:13:18,320 Speaker 1: just made me think of blooming onion. That so that 1349 01:13:18,360 --> 01:13:20,120 Speaker 1: can I threw me, threw me out of picture there. 1350 01:13:20,320 --> 01:13:23,920 Speaker 1: But death blossom. But eventually, of course. How's this movie 1351 01:13:23,920 --> 01:13:26,479 Speaker 1: gonna End? You know what's gonna Happen. Alex and Griggs 1352 01:13:26,520 --> 01:13:29,559 Speaker 1: saved the day. They defeat the command ship, they defeat 1353 01:13:29,560 --> 01:13:32,719 Speaker 1: the code in Armada. UH, they blast up the command 1354 01:13:32,720 --> 01:13:35,559 Speaker 1: ship good and then it is sent like barreling toward 1355 01:13:35,680 --> 01:13:38,840 Speaker 1: a moon. I think, yeah, we have some some fun 1356 01:13:39,000 --> 01:13:42,759 Speaker 1: drama aboard the vessel, though, leading up to this moment 1357 01:13:42,800 --> 01:13:45,760 Speaker 1: and at this moment, because first of all, when the 1358 01:13:45,800 --> 01:13:49,719 Speaker 1: codons realize that the last starfighter is alive, they're like, okay, 1359 01:13:49,880 --> 01:13:53,120 Speaker 1: enough of this Zur nonsense, and they haven't thrown taken 1360 01:13:53,160 --> 01:13:55,200 Speaker 1: away to be thrown in the brig they're like that's it, 1361 01:13:55,400 --> 01:13:57,640 Speaker 1: he's out of here. This is totally a code on 1362 01:13:58,120 --> 01:14:01,160 Speaker 1: Um Enterprise. At this point, he's he's out at the 1363 01:14:01,200 --> 01:14:03,599 Speaker 1: chain of command. We don't need him anymore. So they 1364 01:14:03,720 --> 01:14:05,840 Speaker 1: so he's dragging they drag him away some or one 1365 01:14:05,840 --> 01:14:09,800 Speaker 1: of the codon guards drags him away, but Zure overpowers 1366 01:14:09,840 --> 01:14:14,559 Speaker 1: the guard and escapes in the escape pod. Okay and UH. 1367 01:14:14,640 --> 01:14:17,920 Speaker 1: And that leaves just the codens on board as their 1368 01:14:17,920 --> 01:14:20,439 Speaker 1: ship begins to crash into the moon, and we get 1369 01:14:20,479 --> 01:14:23,559 Speaker 1: this last moment between the two code and commanders. Well, 1370 01:14:23,680 --> 01:14:26,559 Speaker 1: you know, they're trying all these different things, defense methods, 1371 01:14:26,600 --> 01:14:28,400 Speaker 1: and then they realized they're going to crash into the 1372 01:14:28,400 --> 01:14:30,599 Speaker 1: moon and one says, what do we do? And then 1373 01:14:30,640 --> 01:14:33,759 Speaker 1: the other one looks up at him, space monocle moves 1374 01:14:33,760 --> 01:14:37,120 Speaker 1: into place and he says we die. And then, sure enough, 1375 01:14:37,240 --> 01:14:39,400 Speaker 1: they crashed into the moon and die. Cool moment. I 1376 01:14:39,479 --> 01:14:41,320 Speaker 1: knew that was the one you were thinking of earlier. 1377 01:14:41,640 --> 01:14:43,840 Speaker 1: I don't even know why it's so cool, but for 1378 01:14:43,880 --> 01:14:47,680 Speaker 1: some reason when I was a kid, like this was 1379 01:14:47,760 --> 01:14:51,520 Speaker 1: like really cool. Like why aren't all dramatic moments punctuated 1380 01:14:51,560 --> 01:14:55,000 Speaker 1: with a space monocle moving into place? But of course, 1381 01:14:55,000 --> 01:14:57,280 Speaker 1: as as you pointed out, Zor survives. He takes the 1382 01:14:57,400 --> 01:15:00,639 Speaker 1: escape pod. Yeah, it lives on in the no sequel 1383 01:15:00,720 --> 01:15:05,920 Speaker 1: limbo with the likes of Jaredson villains that they were like, well, 1384 01:15:05,960 --> 01:15:08,160 Speaker 1: we gotta save this villain don't. We don't want to 1385 01:15:08,200 --> 01:15:10,240 Speaker 1: get rid of this villain, have them escape so they 1386 01:15:10,240 --> 01:15:12,559 Speaker 1: can come back in the sequel. And then, of course 1387 01:15:12,560 --> 01:15:15,639 Speaker 1: the film does not end up getting sequel. So who knows? 1388 01:15:16,080 --> 01:15:19,280 Speaker 1: How is it that there are seven transfers movies but 1389 01:15:19,360 --> 01:15:22,200 Speaker 1: there is no sequel to the destruction of Jaredson or 1390 01:15:22,280 --> 01:15:26,200 Speaker 1: the last starfighter? Can you imagine a marvel style universe 1391 01:15:26,240 --> 01:15:30,720 Speaker 1: crossover event in which Zoor and Jaredson team up, just 1392 01:15:30,840 --> 01:15:34,599 Speaker 1: the glorious, sneering wickedness of it? That would be great. 1393 01:15:34,600 --> 01:15:36,280 Speaker 1: I wonder who else you could throw in there, because 1394 01:15:36,280 --> 01:15:38,320 Speaker 1: I know this. This is not the only case we 1395 01:15:38,439 --> 01:15:41,479 Speaker 1: have a film that that decided to set up as 1396 01:15:41,479 --> 01:15:44,639 Speaker 1: sequel but never got to do it. Um, I guess 1397 01:15:44,680 --> 01:15:47,520 Speaker 1: that you have some like matches the universe, but that's skeletor. 1398 01:15:47,600 --> 01:15:50,040 Speaker 1: I mean obviously skeletor is going to survive, but but 1399 01:15:50,120 --> 01:15:53,880 Speaker 1: films like this and Jaredson are especially noteworthy because they're 1400 01:15:54,000 --> 01:15:57,160 Speaker 1: establishing that villain. They're like no, this is our skeletor. 1401 01:15:57,439 --> 01:16:00,200 Speaker 1: Of course skeletor survives and we'll be back in the 1402 01:16:00,240 --> 01:16:03,679 Speaker 1: next picture. You probably next year, maybe the year after. Now. 1403 01:16:03,840 --> 01:16:06,439 Speaker 1: Spoiler for the end of the movie after Alex and 1404 01:16:06,479 --> 01:16:09,280 Speaker 1: Grigg Defeat, defeat all the bad guys, they come down 1405 01:16:09,280 --> 01:16:12,680 Speaker 1: to Rilos, they're greeted by injuring. There are just like 1406 01:16:12,800 --> 01:16:15,519 Speaker 1: it appears to be tens of thousands of Rylands, all 1407 01:16:15,600 --> 01:16:18,719 Speaker 1: all cheering for them and ready to make them code 1408 01:16:18,720 --> 01:16:23,920 Speaker 1: dictators of Rilos. And Uh, and spoiler, spoiler coming here. 1409 01:16:23,960 --> 01:16:27,000 Speaker 1: But there's a big twist. What's the twist? What's the twist? 1410 01:16:27,040 --> 01:16:30,559 Speaker 1: It's Centauri still alive. Here's Robert Preston. He sort of 1411 01:16:30,600 --> 01:16:33,719 Speaker 1: wipes off an alien face and there he is again 1412 01:16:33,760 --> 01:16:36,360 Speaker 1: and he's like, Oh, I wasn't dead, my body just 1413 01:16:36,400 --> 01:16:40,599 Speaker 1: went into hibernation to heal its wounds. It's pretty great. 1414 01:16:40,640 --> 01:16:43,240 Speaker 1: I mean, on one level it feels kind of forced, 1415 01:16:43,640 --> 01:16:46,000 Speaker 1: but it also just feels good to have him back. 1416 01:16:46,120 --> 01:16:48,559 Speaker 1: I mean, he didn't need this character to die. It's great. 1417 01:16:48,600 --> 01:16:51,120 Speaker 1: It's great that he came back, came back as Centauri, 1418 01:16:51,240 --> 01:16:55,720 Speaker 1: the white exactly, and you can tell he's like he's 1419 01:16:55,760 --> 01:16:58,680 Speaker 1: like getting behind Alex, like kind of whispering in his ear. 1420 01:16:58,720 --> 01:17:01,599 Speaker 1: He's like, let me tell you what to do now, son. Yeah, 1421 01:17:01,640 --> 01:17:06,400 Speaker 1: it's like now he's he's Alex's agent, which I like. Uh, 1422 01:17:06,439 --> 01:17:08,880 Speaker 1: and there's also a very sweet ending. It kind of 1423 01:17:08,920 --> 01:17:11,120 Speaker 1: goes on a little long, but there's a sweet ending 1424 01:17:11,160 --> 01:17:13,080 Speaker 1: where Alex and Grig go back to the to the 1425 01:17:13,120 --> 01:17:15,919 Speaker 1: trailer park on Earth, and they see all of Alex's 1426 01:17:15,960 --> 01:17:18,800 Speaker 1: friends and all the neighbors there figure out, Oh wow, 1427 01:17:18,840 --> 01:17:21,519 Speaker 1: it's all real, it's from another planet. And and Alex 1428 01:17:21,560 --> 01:17:23,720 Speaker 1: Gets Maggie to come with him on the spaceship back 1429 01:17:23,760 --> 01:17:26,960 Speaker 1: to rilos so they can recruit more starfighters to defend 1430 01:17:26,960 --> 01:17:31,920 Speaker 1: the galaxy. And Uh, and it's very heartwarming. Yeah, Gregg 1431 01:17:31,920 --> 01:17:35,920 Speaker 1: gets to meet all the grandma's. Though it's it is 1432 01:17:36,000 --> 01:17:39,640 Speaker 1: unfortunate we don't get like the Grig with the sunglasses 1433 01:17:39,640 --> 01:17:44,200 Speaker 1: saying surfs up, but I'll take yeah, in the longer 1434 01:17:44,240 --> 01:17:45,960 Speaker 1: cut of the film, perhaps we could have had that. 1435 01:17:46,439 --> 01:17:48,320 Speaker 1: Now I don't know any of the details, but I 1436 01:17:48,360 --> 01:17:50,799 Speaker 1: think there is some sort of a reboot or return 1437 01:17:50,960 --> 01:17:54,360 Speaker 1: to the last starfighter world in the works. I don't 1438 01:17:54,360 --> 01:17:56,280 Speaker 1: know what it's going to consist of, if we're talking 1439 01:17:56,280 --> 01:17:59,920 Speaker 1: about a film or a series or what Um it's. 1440 01:18:00,120 --> 01:18:03,120 Speaker 1: That's an interesting idea because there's a lot of depending 1441 01:18:03,120 --> 01:18:04,320 Speaker 1: on where they go with it. I mean they could 1442 01:18:04,360 --> 01:18:06,160 Speaker 1: just kind of throw everything out the window. I guess 1443 01:18:06,479 --> 01:18:09,360 Speaker 1: they could go really hardcore and just pick up and 1444 01:18:09,400 --> 01:18:11,920 Speaker 1: just try and honor everything that's in this film. But 1445 01:18:11,960 --> 01:18:13,680 Speaker 1: even if they end up going for that, somewhere in 1446 01:18:13,680 --> 01:18:16,240 Speaker 1: between there's there are a lot of interesting pieces that 1447 01:18:16,280 --> 01:18:19,760 Speaker 1: are put on the table here but are not completely explored, 1448 01:18:20,040 --> 01:18:22,960 Speaker 1: that are introduced but but could be fleshed out more. 1449 01:18:23,479 --> 01:18:25,840 Speaker 1: And if you were to do a pretty long like 1450 01:18:25,840 --> 01:18:28,880 Speaker 1: a longer form thing, like, there's a lot of cool 1451 01:18:28,880 --> 01:18:33,200 Speaker 1: shenanigans you could have with the Beta Alex on earth. Yeah, there, 1452 01:18:33,240 --> 01:18:36,080 Speaker 1: there's there's for room to expand this. I'm not completely 1453 01:18:36,120 --> 01:18:38,720 Speaker 1: opposed to the idea of a of a reboot here. 1454 01:18:39,080 --> 01:18:41,200 Speaker 1: I would be I would be open minded about it. 1455 01:18:41,520 --> 01:18:46,040 Speaker 1: who had they cast as Centauri? Now, Jeff Goldbloom. Maybe 1456 01:18:46,040 --> 01:18:50,639 Speaker 1: with Jeff Gold Bloom? UH, Jeff Goldbloom make a good Centari. 1457 01:18:51,600 --> 01:18:55,040 Speaker 1: What about Jeff Bridges? Oh, there you go, get into 1458 01:18:55,080 --> 01:18:58,000 Speaker 1: some of that tron action. Now, he could do it. Yeah, yeah, 1459 01:18:58,240 --> 01:19:00,639 Speaker 1: he would be good. Now I neglected to say where 1460 01:19:00,840 --> 01:19:03,719 Speaker 1: you can get this movie. Uh, you can. You should 1461 01:19:03,720 --> 01:19:05,600 Speaker 1: be able to rent or buy it digitally, where you 1462 01:19:05,680 --> 01:19:08,360 Speaker 1: get your pictures these days. It's also been you know, 1463 01:19:08,360 --> 01:19:10,560 Speaker 1: it's it was a major release. So it's been available 1464 01:19:10,680 --> 01:19:13,479 Speaker 1: on various formats at home. I believe there was a 1465 01:19:14,560 --> 01:19:17,479 Speaker 1: anniversary edition that came out on BLU ray a few 1466 01:19:17,560 --> 01:19:20,760 Speaker 1: years back and I'm not sure if they remastered it 1467 01:19:21,360 --> 01:19:24,600 Speaker 1: or what, but I feel like the film quality that 1468 01:19:24,640 --> 01:19:27,800 Speaker 1: I watched it in was very clear, very, very pristine 1469 01:19:27,840 --> 01:19:31,479 Speaker 1: and it looked. Looked really good. Yeah, me too. So yeah, again, 1470 01:19:31,520 --> 01:19:36,320 Speaker 1: aside from the computer effects, everything standing in pretty pretty 1471 01:19:36,320 --> 01:19:39,479 Speaker 1: pretty stands up pretty well to modern viewing here. So 1472 01:19:39,800 --> 01:19:41,920 Speaker 1: this is a fun one. I'd be interested to hear 1473 01:19:41,960 --> 01:19:45,080 Speaker 1: from other folks out there who fondly remember it or 1474 01:19:45,120 --> 01:19:48,080 Speaker 1: just remember it from their childhood and what it's been 1475 01:19:48,160 --> 01:19:52,240 Speaker 1: like to watch it again all these years later, or 1476 01:19:52,280 --> 01:19:53,720 Speaker 1: what's it like to watch it for the first time? 1477 01:19:53,760 --> 01:19:55,760 Speaker 1: I don't know. I would be interested in that as well, 1478 01:19:55,840 --> 01:19:58,439 Speaker 1: because it's it's a film that for many people it's 1479 01:19:58,520 --> 01:20:00,400 Speaker 1: very much a product of its time. You know, it 1480 01:20:00,439 --> 01:20:03,160 Speaker 1: speaks to that time and you think about having launched 1481 01:20:03,160 --> 01:20:06,360 Speaker 1: it as a kid. I don't know how it reads necessarily. Uh, 1482 01:20:06,479 --> 01:20:10,760 Speaker 1: if it's consumed fresh today, all right, well, we'll go 1483 01:20:10,840 --> 01:20:13,240 Speaker 1: and close it out here, but we would love to 1484 01:20:13,240 --> 01:20:16,320 Speaker 1: hear from everyone out there. So right in Weird House Cinema, 1485 01:20:16,320 --> 01:20:19,320 Speaker 1: will remind you, is our our Friday episode in the 1486 01:20:19,400 --> 01:20:22,360 Speaker 1: stuff to blow your mind podcast feed. Were primarily a 1487 01:20:22,439 --> 01:20:25,840 Speaker 1: science podcast and we do our core episodes on Tuesdays 1488 01:20:25,880 --> 01:20:29,519 Speaker 1: and Thursdays on Monday's we do listener mail. So if 1489 01:20:29,800 --> 01:20:31,880 Speaker 1: if you have thoughts about this or other films, well, 1490 01:20:32,040 --> 01:20:35,880 Speaker 1: that's where we we read them, along with feedback. Regarding 1491 01:20:35,920 --> 01:20:39,080 Speaker 1: our other episodes, we have short form monster fact or 1492 01:20:39,200 --> 01:20:42,680 Speaker 1: artifact episodes on Wednesdays and on the weekends we do 1493 01:20:42,800 --> 01:20:47,360 Speaker 1: vault episodes. Those are reruns of past episodes, uh, from 1494 01:20:47,360 --> 01:20:50,360 Speaker 1: from stuff to blow your mind. Oh and one more thing. Uh. 1495 01:20:50,560 --> 01:20:52,880 Speaker 1: So ME TO MUSIC DOT com. That's a blog where 1496 01:20:52,920 --> 01:20:55,160 Speaker 1: I include blog post about the movies we cover on 1497 01:20:55,200 --> 01:20:58,240 Speaker 1: Weird House and if you use letterboxed, that's L E 1498 01:20:58,360 --> 01:21:01,080 Speaker 1: T T E R B O x d. we're on there. 1499 01:21:01,120 --> 01:21:03,599 Speaker 1: Our user name is Weird House. You can look us up. 1500 01:21:03,760 --> 01:21:06,320 Speaker 1: We have a list on there that has all the 1501 01:21:06,360 --> 01:21:08,360 Speaker 1: films that we've watched on weird how cinema. So if 1502 01:21:08,400 --> 01:21:12,240 Speaker 1: you want a quick, easy to reference, visual, easy to 1503 01:21:12,320 --> 01:21:15,519 Speaker 1: sort through, a guide to what we've covered on the 1504 01:21:15,520 --> 01:21:18,439 Speaker 1: show before, that's a really great place to go. Huge thanks. 1505 01:21:18,479 --> 01:21:21,759 Speaker 1: As always to our excellent audio producer, Seth Nicholas Johnson. 1506 01:21:22,400 --> 01:21:23,960 Speaker 1: If you would like to get in touch with us 1507 01:21:24,000 --> 01:21:26,639 Speaker 1: with feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest 1508 01:21:26,640 --> 01:21:28,759 Speaker 1: a topic for the future or just to say hello, 1509 01:21:28,840 --> 01:21:31,360 Speaker 1: you can email us at contact at stuff to blow 1510 01:21:31,400 --> 01:21:40,960 Speaker 1: your mind dot com. Stuff to blow your mind. It's 1511 01:21:40,960 --> 01:21:43,680 Speaker 1: production of I heart radio. For more podcasts for my 1512 01:21:43,680 --> 01:21:46,640 Speaker 1: heart radio, visit the I heart radio APP, apple podcasts 1513 01:21:46,720 --> 01:21:48,519 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.