Actors & Directors
- John Bruno
- Michael Vejar
- Kate Mulgrew
- Robert Picardo
- Jeri Ryan
Release date: 2000-04-03 Run time: 84 min. Price: £5.99
Review Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 6.2 (Barge of the Dead/Tinkor,Tenor,Doctor, Spy) [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- James Caan
- Kevyn Major Howard
- Graham Baker
- Mandy Patinkin
- Terence Stamp
- Leslie Bevis
Release date: 1990-09-27 Run time: 86 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £1.99
Review Alien Nation [1988] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:Alien Nation is a routine cop thriller with a comedic sci-fi twist. They get drunk on sour milk. They have two hearts and bald, spotted heads. They're highly intelligent, but if you drop them in seawater they'll melt into a puddle of goop. They're "Newcomers", and they arrived as refugees in a massive alien slave-ship, quarantined for three years and then reluctantly accepted as citizens of Earth. To some humans-including seasoned Los Angeles cop Matt Sykes (James Caan)-the Newcomers are unwelcomed "slags". Sykes' own virulent "speciesism" intensifies when Newcomer thugs kill his partner, but he sees logic in teaming up with Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), the first Newcomer detective in the LAPD. Francisco's Newcomer knowledge is vital to their investigation of an alien drug ring, and a friendship grows from life-or-death circumstances. Alien Nation has two things working in its favour: Caan and Patinkin form a memorable duo, and the basic premise-as conceived by Rockne S O'Bannon (who later developed the film as a TV series)-intelligently accounts for the sociological impact of an alien population. The subtle point is made that humans are extraordinary beings who squander their potential, and the evil of drugs-as dealt by a social-climbing Newcomer played by Terence Stamp-leads to a crisis that threatens to generate global intolerance. [+]
These points are well presented in a context of overly familiar plotting and standard-issue sarcasm. It's entertaining for a brisk 90 minutes, but in its attempt to be widely appealing, Alien Nation glosses over issues that might have made it more uniquely provocative. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.
Release date: 1997-04-07 Run time: 88 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £9.99
Review Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 3.5 (Future's End Part II/Warlord) [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Kim Friedman
- Siddig El Fadil
- Cirroc Lofton
- Rene Auberjonois
- Terry Farrell
- Jonathan Frakes
- Avery Brooks
Release date: 1995-02-06 Run time: 88 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £14.99
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 3.1 - The Search Part 1 / The Search Part 2 [1995] / Paramount Home Entertainment:From the outset, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was about conflict. Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller challenged the utopian ideals of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe to create something totally different from its predecessors. That meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy, or beige décor. Instead they wanted interpersonal friction, ruthless enemies (Gamma Quadrant Imperialists-The Dominion) and rebellion at every turn. The DS9 concept was originally facilitated by introducing the Cardassian/Bajoran war during The Next Generation's final days. After a muted first reception fans gradually came to accept the new look, but no one liked Star Trek without a starship and eventually the producers capitulated to viewers' wishes by introducing the USS Defiant (an apt name) in Season 3. Relying far less on technobabble than TNG, DS9 was unafraid to focus on matters of the spirit instead, demonstrating a ballsy independence from its parent shows. Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Babylon 5, improved CGI space battles also became a fan favourite. Throughout the increasingly serialised story arc there were rebellious factions within the different establishments: Kira had belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell; the Maquis was Starfleet vs Cardassians; section 31 was a secret Starfleet group; the True Way was a Bajoran group opposed to peace; the Cardassians had their Obsidian Order and the Romulans their Gestapo-like Tal Shiar. Yet for all its constant bickering and espionage (even Bashir got to be James Bond), there was always some contemporary social commentary lurking: the Ferengi were used as a comedic foil to frown on materialistic greed; drugs were looked at via the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers' addiction to Ketracel White. [+]
Perhaps Sisko summed up the real heart of things: "Bajor doesn't need a man, it needs a legend". A future vision that retains a place for religion and spirituality turned out to be Deep Space Nine's first best destiny. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Charles Napier
- Hoke Howell
- Jodi Seronick
- Marc Robinson
- Peter Maris
- David Homb
Release date: 1997-09-22 Run time: 78 min. Price: £6.99
Review Alien Species [1996] / Digital Video Distribution:
Actors & Directors
- David Livingston
- Siddig El Fadil
- Robert Scheerer
- Avery Brooks
- Terry Farrell
- Colm Meaney
- Rene Auberjonois
Release date: 1994-07-25 Run time: 88 min. Price: £5.99
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 18 (2.8) - Paradise / Shadowplay / Paramount Home Entertainment:From the outset, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was about conflict. Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller challenged the utopian ideals of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe to create something totally different from its predecessors. That meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy, or beige décor. Instead they wanted interpersonal friction, ruthless enemies (Gamma Quadrant Imperialists-The Dominion) and rebellion at every turn. The DS9 concept was originally facilitated by introducing the Cardassian/Bajoran war during The Next Generation's final days. After a muted first reception fans gradually came to accept the new look, but no one liked Star Trek without a starship and eventually the producers capitulated to viewers' wishes by introducing the USS Defiant (an apt name) in Season 3. Relying far less on technobabble than TNG, DS9 was unafraid to focus on matters of the spirit instead, demonstrating a ballsy independence from its parent shows. Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Babylon 5, improved CGI space battles also became a fan favourite. Throughout the increasingly serialised story arc there were rebellious factions within the different establishments: Kira had belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell; the Maquis was Starfleet vs Cardassians; section 31 was a secret Starfleet group; the True Way was a Bajoran group opposed to peace; the Cardassians had their Obsidian Order and the Romulans their Gestapo-like Tal Shiar. Yet for all its constant bickering and espionage (even Bashir got to be James Bond), there was always some contemporary social commentary lurking: the Ferengi were used as a comedic foil to frown on materialistic greed; drugs were looked at via the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers' addiction to Ketracel White. [+]
Perhaps Sisko summed up the real heart of things: "Bajor doesn't need a man, it needs a legend". A future vision that retains a place for religion and spirituality turned out to be Deep Space Nine's first best destiny. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Jonathan Wright-Miller
- Douglas Camfield
- Vivienne Cozens
- Viktors Ritelis
- Fiona Cumming
Release date: 1999-02-22 Run time: 103 min. RRP: £10.99 Price: £12.71
Review Blake's 7 - Aftermath / Power Play - Episodes 27 And 28 [1978] / Fabulous Films Ltd.:
Release date: 1994-05-09 Run time: 28 min. Price: £5.99
Review The Guyver - Data 2 - Battle Of The Guyvers / Manga Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Ryôko Tachikawa
- Chuck Kinlaw
- Hiroyuki Fukushima
- Hiroshi Ishiodori
- Marc Garber
- Jemila Ericson
- Patt Noday
Release date: 1996-09-09 Run time: 44 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £2.74
Review Bubblegum Crash - Part 2 - Geo Climbers [1991] / Manga Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Kathy Christopherson
- Christopher Michael
- Stuart Weiss
- David Hayter
- Bruno Giannotta
- Steve Wang
Release date: 1995-06-12 Run time: 95 min. RRP: £12.99 Price: £8.99
Review Guyver - Dark Hero [2000] / Mia Video Entertainment Ltd:
Actors & Directors
- Michael Herz
- Robert Prichard
- Cindy Manion
- Mitch Cohen
- Andree Maranda
- Lloyd Kaufman
- Jennifer Prichard
Release date: 1996-09-30 Price: £29.99
Review The Toxic Avenger (Special Edition) / Troma Inc:The foundation stone of the Troma label's trash-movie empire, The Toxic Avenger introduces the character of nerdy janitor Melvin, who suffers heaps of abuse from local bad-guys and is stuffed into a vat of toxic waste while dressed in a ballerina outfit. He emerges mutated into a Swamp Thing/Hulk-style monster hero who romps around the blighted township of Tromaville, New Jersey, offing the grotesque villains in nastily gruesome ways and mooning over his blind true love. The Troma style is unique, and perhaps predates the anything-gross-for-a-laugh approach of the Farrelly Brothers by a good 10 years, but it sometimes wavers between the good-natured gags and genuinely unpleasant plot images that somewhat spoil the tone. Entry-level filmmaking, but with surprisingly professional head-squashing effects and a degree of enthusiasm that breaks down most resistance. Several sequels have ensued, including The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie. - Kim Newman.
Actors & Directors
- Rene Auberjonois
- Siddig El Fadil
- Terry Farrell
- Avery Brooks
- Winrich Kolbe
- Avery Brooks
- Cirroc Lofton
Release date: 1995-08-07 Run time: 88 min. Price: £5.99
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 3.10 - Through the Looking Glass / Improbable Cause [1995] / Paramount Home Entertainment:From the outset, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was about conflict. Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller challenged the utopian ideals of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe to create something totally different from its predecessors. That meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy, or beige décor. Instead they wanted interpersonal friction, ruthless enemies (Gamma Quadrant Imperialists-The Dominion) and rebellion at every turn. The DS9 concept was originally facilitated by introducing the Cardassian/Bajoran war during The Next Generation's final days. After a muted first reception fans gradually came to accept the new look, but no one liked Star Trek without a starship and eventually the producers capitulated to viewers' wishes by introducing the USS Defiant (an apt name) in Season 3. Relying far less on technobabble than TNG, DS9 was unafraid to focus on matters of the spirit instead, demonstrating a ballsy independence from its parent shows. Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Babylon 5, improved CGI space battles also became a fan favourite. Throughout the increasingly serialised story arc there were rebellious factions within the different establishments: Kira had belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell; the Maquis was Starfleet vs Cardassians; section 31 was a secret Starfleet group; the True Way was a Bajoran group opposed to peace; the Cardassians had their Obsidian Order and the Romulans their Gestapo-like Tal Shiar. Yet for all its constant bickering and espionage (even Bashir got to be James Bond), there was always some contemporary social commentary lurking: the Ferengi were used as a comedic foil to frown on materialistic greed; drugs were looked at via the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers' addiction to Ketracel White. [+]
Perhaps Sisko summed up the real heart of things: "Bajor doesn't need a man, it needs a legend". A future vision that retains a place for religion and spirituality turned out to be Deep Space Nine's first best destiny. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Michael Dorn
- Rene Auberjonois
- Rene Auberjonois
- LeVar Burton
- Terry Farrell
- Cirroc Lofton
- Avery Brooks
Release date: 1997-03-10 Run time: 88 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £0.39
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.4 - He Who Is Without Sin / Things Past / Paramount Home Entertainment:From the outset, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was about conflict. Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller challenged the utopian ideals of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe to create something totally different from its predecessors. This meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy or beige décor. Instead they wanted interpersonal friction, ruthless enemies (Gamma Quadrant Imperialists-The Dominion) and rebellion at every turn. The DS9 concept was originally facilitated by introducing the Cardassian/Bajoran war during The Next Generation's final days. After a muted first reception fans gradually came to accept the new look, but no one liked Star Trek without a starship and eventually the producers capitulated to viewers' wishes by introducing the USS Defiant (an apt name) in Season 3. Relying far less on technobabble than TNG, DS9 was unafraid to focus on matters of the spirit demonstrating a gutsy independence from its parent shows. Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Babylon 5, improved CGI space battles also became a fan favourite. Throughout the increasingly serialised story arc there were rebellious factions within the different establishments: Kira had belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell; The Maquis was Starfleet vs. Cardassians; Section 31 was a secret Starfleet group; The True Way was a Bajoran group opposed to peace; the Cardassians had their Obsidian Order and the Romulans their Gestapo-like Tal Shiar. [+]
Yet for all its constant bickering and espionage (even Bashir got to be James Bond) there was always some contemporary social commentary lurking: the Ferengi were used as a comedic foil to frown on materialistic greed; drugs were looked at via the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers' addiction to Ketracel White. Perhaps Sisko summed up the real heart of things: "Bajor doesn't need a man, it needs a legend". A future vision that retains a place for religion and spirituality turned out to be Deep Space Nine's first best destiny. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Charlton Heston
- Roddy McDowall
- James Whitmore
- Franklin J. Schaffner
- Kim Hunter
- Maurice Evans
Release date: 1999-01-25 Run time: 108 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £0.38
Review Planet Of The Apes [1967] / 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:The original Planet of the Apes is that rarity of the genre: a science fiction film that has dated not one bit: its intelligent script, frightening costuming, and savagely effective conclusion (which needs no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. When Colonel George Taylor (the fabulous Charlton Heston) crash lands his spacecraft on what seems to be an unfamiliar planet, he is captured and held prisoner by a dominant race of rational, articulate apes. However, the ape community is riven with internal dissension, centred in no small part on its policy toward humans, who, on this planet, are treated as mindless animals. Befriended and ultimately assisted by the more liberal simians, Taylor escapes-only to find a more terrifying obstacle confronting his return home. Heavy-handed object lessons abound-the ubiquity of generational warfare, the inflexibility of dogma, the cruelty of prejudice-and the didactic finger prints of The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling are very much in evidence here. But director Franklin Schaffner has a dark, pop-apocalyptic sci-fi vision all of his own, helped along by Jerry Goldsmith's terrifyingly avant-garde score. And time has not dulled the monumental emotional imp act of the film's climactic payoff shot. -Miles Bethany, Amazon. com.
Actors & Directors
- J. Jay Smith
- Rebecca Forstadt
- Jean-Claude Ballard
- Robert V. Barron
- Eddie Frierson
- Mary Cobb
Release date: 1997-03-24 Run time: 75 min. Price: £7.99
Review Robotech - Vol. 7 - Bursting Point / Paradise Lost [1985] / Kiseki Films:
Release date: 1995-01-09 Run time: 27 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £4.45
Review AD Police 2 - The Paradise Loop / Manga Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Avery Brooks
- Terry Farrell
- Cirroc Lofton
- Jonathan West
- Michael Dorn
- Allan Kroeker
- Rene Auberjonois
Release date: 1997-04-07 Run time: 88 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £1.15
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.5 - The Ascent / The Rapture [1995] / Paramount Home Entertainment:From the outset, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was about conflict. Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller challenged the utopian ideals of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe to create something totally different from its predecessors. This meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy or beige décor. Instead they wanted interpersonal friction, ruthless enemies (Gamma Quadrant Imperialists-The Dominion) and rebellion at every turn. The DS9 concept was originally facilitated by introducing the Cardassian/Bajoran war during The Next Generation's final days. After a muted first reception fans gradually came to accept the new look, but no one liked Star Trek without a starship and eventually the producers capitulated to viewers' wishes by introducing the USS Defiant (an apt name) in Season 3. Relying far less on technobabble than TNG, DS9 was unafraid to focus on matters of the spirit demonstrating a gutsy independence from its parent shows. Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Babylon 5, improved CGI space battles also became a fan favourite. Throughout the increasingly serialised story arc there were rebellious factions within the different establishments: Kira had belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell; The Maquis was Starfleet vs. Cardassians; Section 31 was a secret Starfleet group; The True Way was a Bajoran group opposed to peace; the Cardassians had their Obsidian Order and the Romulans their Gestapo-like Tal Shiar. [+]
Yet for all its constant bickering and espionage (even Bashir got to be James Bond) there was always some contemporary social commentary lurking: the Ferengi were used as a comedic foil to frown on materialistic greed; drugs were looked at via the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers' addiction to Ketracel White. Perhaps Sisko summed up the real heart of things: "Bajor doesn't need a man, it needs a legend". A future vision that retains a place for religion and spirituality turned out to be Deep Space Nine's first best destiny. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- David Livingston
- Robert Beltran
- Jennifer Lien
- Roxann Biggs-Dawson
- Ethan Phillips
- Kate Mulgrew
Release date: 1997-03-10 Run time: 88 min. RRP: £5.99 Price: £0.95
Review Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 3.4 (Sacred Ground/Future's End Part I) [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Marc Daniels
- Joseph Pevney
- Keith Andes
- Leonard Nimoy
- DeForest Kelley
- John Fiedler
- William Shatner
Release date: 1997-03-10 RRP: £5.99 Price: £9.62
Review Star Trek : The Original Series - Vol. 2.3 - Wolf In The Field / The Changeling / The Apple / Paramount Home Entertainment:One of the most popular and influential shows in the history of television, for many viewers the original Star Trek (1966-9) defines good science fiction: however much it tries to be about the future, it cannot help but reflect the values of its own time, and Star Trek's vision was very much a product of creator Gene Roddenberry's 1960s liberal-humanist idealism. Conceived at the height of the Cold War and during the escalation of the Vietnam conflict, his was a radical vision of a world where national and racial differences have been put aside and all people work together. With a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of other civilisations, and violence only as a last resort, Star Trek embodied a lost dream, a fantasy of what America could have been had John F Kennedy not been assassinated in 1963. Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) had the middle name of a Roman emperor, but otherwise shared his initials with the late president, and both were young, good-looking, womanising, charismatic popular heroes. If Kirk didn't uphold truth, justice and the American way from the White House, a big white starship was the next best thing. There was even a Russian, Mr Chekov (Walter Koenig), on the bridge, and the show delivered network TV's first inter-racial kiss between Kirk and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Even though there was a white American male in control, it was still all a bit much for 1960s mainstream TV, hence the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, boldly going on its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, only lasted three seasons and 72 episodes before being cancelled in 1969, the year man first walked on the moon. While the once-ground-breaking special effects now look routine, and the then-radical politics have now become part of the politically correct global mainstream, Star Trek retains an enduring popularity due to its strong storytelling-the show employed such top science fiction writers as Robert Bloch, Harlan Elllison, Richard Matheson, Norman Spinrad and Theodore Sturgeon-and admirable characters. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Scotty (James Doohan), Sulu (George Takei), Kirk, Chekov and Uhura remain icons for a world short of real heroes: loyal to the end, honest and utterly dedicated, these were the friends and colleagues who week after week trusted each other with their lives. Devoid of cynicism and self-interest the crew of the USS Enterprise never, ever let anyone down, and ultimately that is a very big reason for Star Trek's enduring popularity. [+]
- Gary S Dalkin.
Release date: 1997-06-23 Run time: 42 min. RRP: £7.99 Price: £15.03
Review Urotsukidoji III - The Return Of The Overfiend: Episode 3 / Urotsukidoji III:
| Browse Science Fiction & Fantasy:
Models & Brands: Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 6.2 (Barge of the Dead/Tinkor,Tenor,Doctor, Spy) [1996], Alien Nation [1988], Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 3.5 (Future's End Part II/Warlord) [1996], Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 3.1 - The Search Part 1 / The Search Part 2 [1995], Alien Species [1996], Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 18 (2.8) - Paradise / Shadowplay, Blake's 7 - Aftermath / Power Play - Episodes 27 And 28 [1978], The Guyver - Data 2 - Battle Of The Guyvers, Bubblegum Crash - Part 2 - Geo Climbers [1991], Guyver - Dark Hero [2000], The Toxic Avenger (Special Edition), Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 3.10 - Through the Looking Glass / Improbable Cause [1995], Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.4 - He Who Is Without Sin / Things Past, Planet Of The Apes [1967], Robotech - Vol. 7 - Bursting Point / Paradise Lost [1985], AD Police 2 - The Paradise Loop, Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.5 - The Ascent / The Rapture [1995], Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 3.4 (Sacred Ground/Future's End Part I) [1996], Star Trek : The Original Series - Vol. 2.3 - Wolf In The Field / The Changeling / The Apple, Urotsukidoji III - The Return Of The Overfiend: Episode 3 |