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Hey there, George! Cool video! Sorry I'm late to post this comment, but I truly hope you see it! I had a fan letter regarding ST II: TWOK published in issue #64 when I was an 18 year old kid (I'm almost 60 now). About a month later, I received a letter in the mail from a gal named Melissa who lived in Houston, TX. It was short and sweet, but the info was incomplete, so I was unable to reply. However, I kept that letter because I just knew that someday, I'd hear from her again. That day came 6 years later as we were both members of a pen pal club and I got a new letter with her complete info on it! I wrote her back immediately, but was so *excited* that I call Directory Assistance, got her home number and called to speak to her. I told her of her initial letter - which she'd forgotten about, and we talked for an hour! That truly began our friendship, but I consider we've been friends for 42 years now. We've met 3 times, as business had brought her to Chicago in the early 2000's. All because of Starlog! 😎😎💜💜✍✍🖖🖖

Great review! Reminded me of Ebert & Siskel tv shows, minus the "fucking cartoon" bit. LOL.

I was trying to rename my channel to "Film journal" so I just did a quick google search and found this channel. And I can see this becoming one of my favourite channels very soon! I usually watch the videos in 1.5x or 2x speed but your pacing is absolutely fantastic. I am going to make my channel but just not call it Film Journal. But I am definitely going to steal a lot of ideas from your video, especially the speed of how you talk! Loved the topic as Michael Crichton is one of my favourite sci fi authors although I haven't known a huge lot about him. Thanks for bringing his name back to my mind so prominently as Westworld (the first season) is one of my absolutely favourite with Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins! Looking forward to more essays!

Another awesome video!great job!you put out such intelligent content,you make me see aspects of movies ive loved my whole life,in a fresh way,and love them even more!,thank you,brother

Great thoughtful and articulate narration, and explanation with background. Continue to make thoughtful retrospectives.

Michelle phieffer was just stunning and eternally elegant in this movie.

You're wrong to dismiss Lord of Light as silly. It's one of the most celebrated SF novels of all time. The name Zelazny is pronounced as it's spelled. You switched the N and the Z around and called him Zelanzy. Read Lord of Light and you'll understand how someone could be inspired by it.

It feels like TCM is selling out the old look and Noir way and to over "inclusive" corporate greed. I miss Robert Osbourne TCM. Robert Osbourne is unreplaceable. The great thing about old TCM was that it felt like the past. I believe it was a better time than the present day. I long for those times again.

Really good video 👍 I’ve seen Saturn 3 about 25 times since a kid the eighties, and its a great bmovie. Never knew all that about Kietel etc

Was a uk magazine called star burst, just as good as star log

I always enjoy this. As elsewhere, thank you for your insights.

Never saw this but you've got me intrigued, thanks.

I’m usually not this mean on here, but I hate this review bc it’s the kind of cutesy academic word salad that serves only to nullify the anxiety this guy had while watching a movie about really tough manly men. It portrays something raw and real about male relationships and power that he cannot allow himself to entertain. I’m no tough guy either, I wouldn’t- couldn’t- hang with this biker gang. But I can’t imagine disparaging the movie and reducing it to a “deconstruction” of masculinity in the movies when clearly it’s about something so much more. This kind of analysis robs one of having a visceral reaction to a film and instead tucks art away into a little box where it’s not scary anymore.

I’m usually not this mean on here, but I hate this review bc it’s the kind of cutesy academic word salad that serves only to nullify the anxiety this guy had while watching a movie about really tough manly men. It portrays something raw and real about male relationships and power that he cannot allow himself to entertain. I’m no tough guy either, I wouldn’t- couldn’t- hang with this biker gang. But I can’t imagine disparaging the movie and reducing it to a “deconstruction” of masculinity in the movies when clearly it’s about something so much more. This kind of analysis robs one of having a visceral reaction to a film and instead tucks art away into a little box where it’s not scary anymore.

I’m usually not this mean on here, but I hate this review bc it’s the kind of cutesy academic word salad that serves only to nullify the anxiety this guy had while watching a movie about really tough manly men. It portrays something raw and real about male relationships and power that he cannot allow himself to entertain. I’m no tough guy either, I wouldn’t- couldn’t- hang with this biker gang. But I can’t imagine disparaging the movie and reducing it to a “deconstruction” of masculinity in the movies when clearly it’s about something so much more. This kind of analysis robs one of having a visceral reaction to a film and instead tucks art away into a little box where it’s not scary anymore.

I’m usually not this mean on here, but I hate this review bc it’s the kind of cutesy academic word salad that serves only to nullify the anxiety this guy had while watching a movie about really tough manly men. It portrays something raw and real about male relationships and power that he cannot allow himself to entertain. I’m no tough guy either, I wouldn’t- couldn’t- hang with this biker gang. But I can’t imagine disparaging the movie and reducing it to a “deconstruction” of masculinity in the movies when clearly it’s about something so much more. This kind of analysis robs one of having a visceral reaction to a film and instead tucks art away into a little box where it’s not scary anymore.

I’m usually not this mean on here, but I hate this review bc it’s the kind of cutesy academic word salad that serves only to nullify the anxiety this guy had while watching a movie about really tough manly men. It portrays something raw and real about male relationships and power that he cannot allow himself to entertain. I’m no tough guy either, I wouldn’t- couldn’t- hang with this biker gang. But I can’t imagine disparaging the movie and reducing it to a “deconstruction” of masculinity in the movies when clearly it’s about something so much more. This kind of analysis robs one of having a visceral reaction to a film and instead tucks art away into a little box where it’s not scary anymore.

I got here by way of Westworld. I enjoy Point Blank and you have excellent insights. I didn't even wince so hard at the neologism ""adaption."

I look forward to Coma. Unfortunately, I was distracted by your use of what I consider to be an unworthy and sneakily growing neologism, "adaption" rather than "adaptation." It does distress me and leaves me wondering if we'll ever swing the other way, seeing couples visit orphanages to "adoptate" children.

There needs to be a boxed set of blu-rays for Crichton's films ASAP

I used Jack Davis'artwork as my profile image on whattsapp

Apparently Crichton got the idea for Westworld when he visited the Pirates of The Caribbean attraction at Disneyland and wondered what would happen if the animatronics would revolt and would try to kill the visitors.

Hey George! Great video! I'm a TH-camr in a similar niche and wanted to connect with you about a potential collaboration or paid integration. I couldn't find your contact information, so I'm reaching out here. If you're interested, please let me know how we can continue this conversation. Thanks! :)

My cousin and I went to see this at the drive in when it came out. We had no idea about what we were getting into. A couple of six packs and a couple joints and we were laughing our butt's off. I don't recall seeing it since then, but I can still recall most of the movie. It was indeed a lost gem.

The novelizations of each of the sequels were awesome. If you can get your hands on them they are worth a read. And many of the holes that the films left open are filled in the pages of the books.

I really like your channel, and your focus on the Mad Max films recently. I'm by no means an expert and this is not a criticism - but there's a lot of 'Australian perspective' to the films, especially the first one, which was filmed in the country roads outside of Melbourne. And no the police cars weren't yellow! It's really a snapshot of late 70's Australia and notably the products of its car industry.

There are a lot of arguments that can be made whether civilization and progress are good, and forces for good, or forces of evil and degeneration. I'd like to see more videos on TH-cam exploring this theme.

Thulsa Dooms spell on Conan at the end was broken by the riddle of steel. “Not men, not women not beasts can you trust. This you can trust.“ He looked down, saw what remained of his father’s steel, and trusted it.

I bought every issue on the newsstand, starting with Issue 2. And I still have them in boxes. Never subscribed.

0:44 we need to stop calling it a remake. Villeneuve isn’t remaking Lynch’s Dune, he’s adapting the book

I never understood why they couldn't perfect hands. The entire human body replicated and with AI but they couldn't do hands. And Yul is a robot gunslinger. Hands are a gunslinger's livelihood.

Born 1968. More please.

Awesome video

Great channel, thoughtful and erudite analysis that, thankfully, isn't click-baity or 3 hours long. Few film suggestions for you Get Carter (1971) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Adaptation

Adaptation

Crichton’s ‘Andromeda Strain’ and ‘The Terminal Man’ were the first “grown-up” novels I read around the time ‘Westworld’ came out. I loved the paperback script of the film that came out that included a wonderful essay by Crichton on the process of making the film. As a kid it was exciting to read and helped flame my love of film.

Crichton could be quite a gimmicky writer. You often found Crichton had this issue with developing characters in books. This did translate to film. Jurassic Park is one example. Whilst not asking for the moon, stars, and the universe, you often find this becomes noticeable in the books. Crichton liked testing the waters with high concept ideas that he read about or got wind from close associates in certain fields of expertise, which certainly helped mould and develop the cementing of ideas in filmmaking. Airframe was an exceptionally complicated book to adapt to the screen, but I often found his characters lacked multidimensional thought. Though every idea Crichton had was in part compelling and measured. Had Airframe been made from book to screen, you would probably need an exceptionally well versed scriptwriter with a thoughtful and articulate visionary with an understanding of aeronautical engineering as a director. 😊

Good afternoon, to my fellow robot disrespectors only.

I was a big Crichton fan in the 90's and Runaway was one of my favorites in the 80's

Excellent video as always. Fun Fact: 1972's "Pursuit" was the first collaboration between Crichton's most regular composer, Jerry Goldsmith, who'd follow him onto films like "Coma," "The Great Train Robbery," and "Runaway."

Your thoughts on West World are spot on. They reflect my own very closely. I think Coma is a stronger effort and The Great Train Robbery does not get enough love either.

14:52 In your list of recognisable actors you missed the SS officer who also played Chief Bast in A New Hope.

Great review. You're right about Brynner's gunslinger being a precursor to The Terminator. Schwarzenegger even admitted that he copied Brynner's body movements and facial expression from Westworld for his role in The Terminator. *PS* I actually saw Futureworld (1976) at the cinema and was bitterly disappointed with it. Not only was Brynner's gunslinger only featured in a throwaway dream sequence (mis-sold in the advertsing and trailers), the entire movie was a snorefest for this particluar young kid in '76.

Great analysis. I still love this film, and watch at least once a year, but I think that has to do with how cool 13 year old me thought Elliott Gould was. And I agree with your assessment of Altman. It took me awhile to figure out why I admired the mise-en-scene of his style but not the films themselves: I don’t think he likes his characters very much. As I have gotten aged I have come to appreciate his contemporaries Mazursky, Ritchie and especially Cassavetes much more.

I loved this movie when released and appreciated its serious nature more than I did Dante’s and Landis’ more satirical and post-modern takes on werewolfdom. It also reminded me of one of my favorite films-Peter Weir’s The Last Wave-which probably helped my admiration. And Finney made so few films at the time, it was great to see him do a ‘70s cop film character in an original genre film.

Another thing worth mentioning is the great score by Lalo Schiffrin. Puzzling over how to craft the music, he came upon a brilliant concept. The urgent, propulsive music mirrors the questing, inventive, always moving nature of Charley's mind as he grapples to find tools to remain alive.

Great critique. The populist take is great and what really moves the film. From the perspective of 2024, the freedom that existed in those days -- to hide your identity, to buy explosives, to re-invent yourself, stands out. We can't be independent like that any longer.

2024 Great video thank you.

Laughlin was an amateur Jungian, not a Freudian, and his knowledge of the collective archetypes within narrative myths allowed him, years before George Lucas or George Miller did with their franchise creations, to tap into a specific hero story relevant to the audience of the early seventies. It is hard to explain how important Billy Jack was to us young folks in the early ‘70s because their appeal doesn’t transcend their era, like Star Wars and Mad Max were able to.