Home Video Exclusives

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - September 8th, 2017


CD

"Alter Bridge - Live At The O Arena + Rarities" with exclusive limited edition 'All Access' tour laminate $15.99

[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Shopping For Identity Part II


The 1970s was a strange time. People love the 80s (myself included) and the 1960s. Of the decades, the '70s is the bastard child. So much of it was pure crap and just embarrassing. On TV, for every "All In The Family" (1971 - 1979; CBS) there were tons of "Holmes & Yoyo" (1976 - 1977; ABC).



Promo image, left to right: Patricia and Cyb Barnstable, Richard Benjamin, Richard Kelton, Conrad Janis, Tim Thomerson and Bobby Porter.

We follow the crew of one such ship; Adam Quark (Benjamin) is their commander. This isn't what he had in mind when he was given the captain's chair. For the limited series run, Quark tired to use his garbage ship in activities other than trash collecting with minor success, but only in expendable/suicide missions.

His crew include a clone and the original girl, Betty and Betty II. The problem is that it was perfect clone; no one is sure who's the copy, neither do the girls (Barnstable twins). Often the two are collectively referred to as "The Bettys". They are the pilot and navigator, both are competent in both positions.

The ship has a science officer, Ficus Pandorata (Kelton), he is a human looking plant, a Vegeton; zero emotions and logical (yes, a Mr. Spock wannabe). He's the series' straight man.

The ship's engineer is Gene/Jean (Thomerson), a transmute. Just think of him as a fancy transgender. He has both sets of chromosomes, male and female. He can be a tough guy one moment and a second later be this feminine fellow - usually at the most inappropriate times (voice changes too).

Lastly is ship's mascot, Andy (Bobby Porter) a robot built from spare parts and it shows. For some reason it was built with cowardice, plus is neurotic.

Rounding out the cast is Otto Bob Palindrome (Janis), the supervisor of Perma One, the UGSP space station; Quark's boss. Lastly is The Head (Alan Caillou) - Palindrome's superior, a disembodied... head. Don't ask, I have no answer.

If you're a Gen-Xer you'll know the Barnstable girls as the "Double Mint Twins" from the 1970s television commercials.

This is one of those bizarre things, it's all about timing.

The series pilot was made in 1977 and aired on May 7th that year, it wasn't picked up since it sucked. But later that month, cinema history was made on May 25th, "Star Wars" opened. Everybody got space crazy and NBC wanted something to join in the fray; ABC was working on "Battlestar Galactica". So an idea got picked off the floor, 'hey we have this failed pilot called Quark'.

Boom, it became a series with the cast returning, minus one - a revamping. The second episode aired on February 24th, 1978. And was shortly canceled.

The show is remembered for parodying various "Star Trek" (1966 - 1969; NBC) episodes. It had a somewhat decent budget for effects, kinda. Eight episodes were made, all aired.

The show was suppose to be a comedy, but it just wasn't funny; forced, canned laugher from a laugh track and lame jokes.

It's on DVD, streeted on October 14th, 2008 for $19.94. Can not recommend this for non sci-fi fans. And even for them, this is just a curiosity of 1970s television. I picked up my copy from Best Buy on street. I think fifteen bucks. I own it for nostalgia, liked as a child. As an adult it makes me wonder if drugs were used and if it contributed to the juvenile writing.



That's is damn impressive!

Whoever photoshopped the DVD cover should get an award or a bonus; he/she made the show look adventurous and exciting - which it wasn't, not in the least.

Here's the thing.

The idea isn't a bad one. In fact it has a lot of potential. It was the execution that was awful. If this concept had good writers and a good budget. This could be the next big sci-fi thing - not kidding.

Have this on the same level as Ron Moore's reimagined "Battlestar Galactica". Loose the comedy and play it serious with maybe some humor here and there on the absurdity of their situations. About a guy who got stuck with garage and found a way to make it consequential. What pops to mind is Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) from "Firefly" (2002; Fox).

Never wanted to be your priest, your king, your new martyr.

- Scott-David Allen

Quark was too weak to be heroic which I guess in the context of the show was fine. *shrugs*

One of the problems I had (besides the crappy writing) was Quark's ship looked too clean, it should've looked lived in. I can image the crew spends most of their lives in her - where's the personalization?. The ship, Serenity in "Firefly" felt real. That was a problem with other sci-fi shows of that era

A good example is "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" (1979 - 1981; NBC). Everybody in the future (but the poor) lived in antiseptic homes with lit walls. The main character, Capt. William Rogers (Gil Gerard) redid his New Chicago home with various antiques from the time where he originated (the then future of 1987). So it kinda gets a pass. Man, future folks lived quite spartan lives. I DO like those light walls though.

Anyhow, "Buck Rogers" is on DVD; complete series set (2004) or seasons one (2012) and two (2013) individually. It's not bad, entertaining - A LOT better than "Quark". I guess you could say it's an unintentional comedy, maybe. The one thing it had going was hot girls in tight spandex outfits showing skin. They even had a Playmate Of The Year as the guest star of an episode; Dorthy Stratten.

Wanna know something?

I actually wrote treatment for a reboot of "Quark" because of this PT; like what I did for "Dr. Detroit" the series in the PT entry for "Just Like Heaven" (Part I and Part II). The intent was to include it with this post, but the word count was far too long. I would have to break this Past Tense into three part. And lets be honest, this entry doesn't need it.

Not sure, might end up posting it on a different message board - so that it doesn't go to waste. I think I did a decent job, the set-up for a three season program centered on a conspiracy.

One more Thomerson thing before I close.

He did a low budget movie for Full Moon Features called "Dollman" (1991).



This cover has a spiffier image than the film's poster. The comic book from Eternity Comics lasted four issues.

Thomerson played police detective Brick Bardo on the planet Arturus, some light years from Earth. While pursuing a dangerous fugitive, Sprug (Frank Collison); he and the criminal pass through an energy band and arrive on Earth. Both were reduced in height. Bardo is now thirteen inches tall. The size thing matters not, he needs to stop Sprug with more haste, though tiny - he is in possession of (alien) technology that could effect the citizens of Earth.

As expected it end with Bardo making a sacrifice - now stranded on our world.

This sucked, badly.

It looked and felt low budget - in the bad way. They shot this in the ghetto, not a sound stage - the movie looks ugly. Add to the mix, characters were unsympathetic. Why should I care?

But...

There is a good premise here, tiny alien cop on Earth. Just take away the whole energy band - shrinking idea. Use an idea from "Land Of The Giants" (1968 - 1970; ABC). Humans have landed on a world where people are much bigger; inversed, done. "Dollman" is a feature that does need to be remade, right. Hey, it couldn't be any worse than the original.

This PT definitely became something more than expected. Sway?

Come back here on September 21st, 2017 for a complete series box set about freedom and nukes. Indeed. *nods*

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - September 12th, 2017


The Mummy (2017)
Exclusive collector's set and packaging; BD/DVD/DC combo $24.99 (don't ask, I don't know)

Captain Underpants
Free child's cape with BD or 4K BD purchase; $19.99/27.99

Creature From The Black Lagoon
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

The Bride Of Frankenstein
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

Dracula
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

Frankenstein
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

The Wolfman
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

The Mummy
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

[B]The Invisible Man
Exclusive steelbook with Alex Ross artwork; BD/DC only $14.99

Psycho: Complete 4-Movie Collection
Exclusive store release; BD only $29.99

[JohnIan101]

Best Buy - September 19th, 2017


Wonder Woman
Exclusive steelbook; 4K BD/BD/DC combo $34.99

Wonder Woman
Exclusive art cards; 3D BD/BD/DC combo $27.99

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Exclusive steelbook; 4K BD/BD combo $24.99

[JohnIan101]

Wal-Mart

Exclusive glow-in-the-dark slipcovers for Halloween titles...