A Town Has Turned to Dust (1998)

Network: Sci-Fi Channel
Original Airdate: June 27th, 1998

Before the SyFy Channel (then Sci-Fi) produced A Town Has Turned to Dust in 1998, the original story and its many adaptations already had a long, and varied history. Originally conceived as a stage play about racial injustice, and inspired by the horrifying death of Emmett Till, Rod Serling wrote Noon on Doomsday, intending to showcase the power behind defying and inverting mob mentality to create a proper justice system. Although it was met with a bit of controversy, a recording of that play was produced by the United States Steel Hour and aired on April 25, 1956. This version was directed by Daniel Petrie and featured both Jack Warden and Lois Smith (I loves me some Lois!).

It was then restructured into a story about the lynching of a Mexican boy and how this act haunted the townspeople who did nothing to prevent it. This version, titled A Town Has Turned to Dust was produced as part of the Playhouse 90 series, and originally aired on June 19th, 1958. It also featured some fine people working on and off camera, including renowned director John Frankenheimer, and actors such as Rod Steiger, William Shatner and James Gregory, among others.

Then (are you following this?), Serling adapted his story yet again for a Twilight Zone episode titled Dust, which explores how the opportunistic prey on the desperate. This episode aired January 6th, 1961. (For more on Dust, check out Tom Elliot's amazing Twilight Zone podcast. Details with links can be found at the end of this review.)

Jump ahead some three decades later to a completely (well almost) unrelated event. In the early 1990s, the Sci-Fi Channel (I hate writing SyFy... whoops! There I go!) began producing original films, the first of which was titled Homewrecker (OAD: December 17, 1992), which debuted in their Planetary Premiere slot. The incredible Fred Walton (When a Stranger Calls) directed this telefilm about a computer who falls in love with its programmer, and features Robby Benson as the aforementioned hottie coding nerd, and Kate Jackson as the voice of the computer! Not that this film fared so well critically, but, following in the footsteps of the USA Original, it is a reminder of the early days of cable and how they took a page out of the book of old school network programming.

So, with all of that in mind, sashay up to 1998 when Sci-Fi gave yet another nod to golden age TV and re-adapted A Town Has Turned to Dust, restructuring it yet again as a post-apocalyptic tale about a beaten down town divided by the indigenous peoples and the settlers seeking mob justice (and, ultimately, the price they pay for such an act).

Whew! That’s a lot of history for what is a fairly by the numbers, but arguably watchable, made for television movie that essentially came and went. Director Rob Nilsson was a bit of a indie film scene renegade, pioneering the video to film transfer, which would help revolutionize the digital filmmaking of today. I remember Nilsson’s Heat and Sunlight (1987), which was completely improvised, and shot in black and white. And while, quite honestly, I wasn’t all that taken with the film, it would seem Nilsson was an incredibly interesting choice to direct Town. At this point, he had never worked in television (and as far as I know, had not worked in the sci-fi genre either), and was an indie filmmaker who thought outside the box. What better way to re-introduce Serling’s work than with another outsider who had a better understanding of film as art than most workmanlike TV movie directors (not a slate against my TVM guys, just to be clear).

However, maybe that was the issue. TV movies have to accomplish big ideas with very little time or money. For his part, Nilsson assembled a great cast, which includes Ron Perlman, Judy Collins (!), and Stephen Lang, but while it seems fairly faithful to Serling’s story at least in terms of themes (in fact, Serling gets sole writing credit), it just doesn’t click the way it should. Subsequently, Town was met with mediocre reviews, both People magazine and Entertainment Weekly were less than impressed with the final product, with People aptly synopsizing Town as a “disappointing trip back to the future.”

So, what went wrong? It’s hard to pinpoint. Town is not necessarily a bad film, but it’s not very good either. It lacks pacing, and doesn’t have the emotional oomph it should, especially considering the rich subject matter and source material. Part of the problem stems from its futuristic setting, because even with all that neat red dust and dystopian imagery, the story feels completely dated. There is an awkward mix of apocalyptic towns dubbed “New Angeles” and that old school approach to the themes of race and class.

What it does have going for it though is genuine performances from all involved. Lang is particularly good, even if the character isn’t all that memorable, and Perlman is appropriately sleazy. It’s really too bad that things didn’t work out for Town because although it is playing with traditional beats, it unfortunately presents what seems to be a timeless tale of marginalization and the sad state of mob mentality. Perhaps Town is due for another retelling, but instead of trying to update the story with spiffy modern visuals, it should concentrate on its original inspiration and reflect on whether or not the world has changed much since Till’s death. Now, that would be a chilling tale.

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This review was inspired by Tom Elliot's excellent Twilight Zone podcast. In the latest episode Tom takes an in-depth look at Dust, which is yet another adaptation of Town. You can download the episode via the site or through iTunes. (Also check out Tom's other podcast The Strange and Deadly Show while you're at it, cuz it's, like, the best thing ever!)

The USA World Premiere Movie Project: High Desert Kill (1989)

This review has been posted in conjunction with the Daily Grindhouse's year long tribute to the USA World Premiere Movie.   
 


Just like the characters in High Desert Kill, I was a witness… I was there… yet, I still don’t believe what I saw… I wonder if I will even be able to recount the story properly.

Maybe I should start here:


Before I even attempt to decipher this strangely intriguing 1989 sci-fi/adventure/thriller thingamabob, let me throw out some film references, which may or may not clear things up. High Desert Kill feels like Pray for the Wildcats meets Snow Kill if they went Into the Badlands. And sure, if you want to throw in a Predator along the way, I won’t argue with you… And you know what? I'll see your Predator and raise you A Nightmare at Bitter Creek while we're at it.

Does that help? OK, let's try this: High Desert Kill is a mixed bag of small screen suspense blended with a touch of tentacle-esque sci-fi (maybe that’s a Cthulhu reference?)… And Marc Singer. Is it must see TV? Probably not, but it is mesmerizing in its own bizarro world way.

Anthony Geary is Dr. Jim Cole, a pretty serious guy who enjoys spending one weekend a year exercising his macho muscles with his two best buds, Brad and Paul (a bug-eyed machismo afflicted Marc Singer and the sternly handsome Vaughn Armstrong). Unfortunately, Paul recently passed away in a strange electrical accident (!), so his male model nephew (!!) Ray (Micah Grant) is taking over the hunting buddy role. Once this motley trio is placed firmly out of society’s reach and into the wild, they run into a curmudgeonly grizzled professional hunter named Stan (Chuck Connors), and the four attempt to forge a relationship based mostly on who can arm wrestle the best.

However, this is not a simple beer-guzzling-look-how-big-my-gun-is weekend. Someone else is stalking these campers, and It has the ability to control their minds, bringing out the, ahem, beast within. This makes them drink a lot, screw the neighboring womenfolk, as well as eat raw bear liver! Is it an ancient curse? Is it a ghost? Is something in the water? Is it alien mind control? Did I just see Chuck Connors and Marc Singer make out with the same woman… at the same time…?

I. Don't. Know. What. Has. Happened. To. My. Brain.

High Desert Kill is absolutely one of the weirdest films I have ever seen. It’s got some mind-boggling moments (the infamous party scene is the stuff legends are made of), but it’s also fascinating and, at some points, quite effective. The location shots are gorgeous and through most of the film, the nuttiness works in its favor. But I’m still not sure what the point is. At times it seems Marc Singer's only intention was to prove how buggy he could make his eyes. And a blood-smeared Geary chowing down on bear liver is… ummm, something.

Based on the title and the above referenced party scene (which, by the way, made my Top 10 OMG moments in small screen films), I thought High Desert Kill was a slasher film, and it definitely hits a few of those beats: People are dragged away in the middle of the night, there's random body placement in a weird ancient ruin, and so on. But then it switches gears, and switches them again... and again... and the brain goes plop.

The reason why any of High Desert Kill works is because it was directed by the stalwart Harry Falk (his last directing credit, actually), a self-assured but primarily episodic director who brings a sense of style and tension to much of his work (OK, maybe The Flying Nun isn’t so tense, but work with me). The cast is also good, with Geary coming in a little subdued, which probably anchors Singer’s more emphatic (but fun) performance. Connors, of course, is great, even if he’s not given a whole heck of a lot to do. But the surprise here is Grant, who is undeniably likable and charming despite the fact that he’s the top male model for High Desert Fashions! I mean, you're sure that guy is going to be a jerk, right? You are so wrong.

High Desert Kill was met with mixed reviews. TV Guide loved it! Entertainment Weekly did not. However, both were kind with their critiques, which is something that is mostly missing on the viewers' reviews on the IMDb page. Maybe it's because we're looking for something to make fun of. Don't get me wrong, there are indeed a few hysterical hijinks in this strange concoction, but it's also genuinely earnest even if T.S. Cook's screenplay (based on a story by Mike Marvin and Darnell Fry) is all mish-moshy and lacking reason.

 
So what do we have? A brain melting genre bending script that aims too high and ultimately lacks a clear focus, a game cast, a competent director, a fashion shoot, something that looks like a giant roach, a force field that covers a Pueblo Indian ruin, actresses with the last name Birdsong, disappearing horses, guys who pull out guns in the middle of the gym, and lots of whiskey. Maybe not a good time for everyone, but definitely worth a go if you are interested in seeing how the direct to video market may have influenced the small screen fare of the late eighties.

Wide World: Mystery - Alien Lover (1975)

Network: ABC
Original Air Date: November 25th, 1975

Confession: I take my TV movies very seriously, sometimes too seriously. Many years ago I watched Danielle Steel’s Daddy, which featured Kate Mulgrew as Patrick Duffy’s ice princess wife. Her character is supposed to just abandon Duffy so the audience can see how he struggles to raise his family and find a new love, but Mulgrew really hit that one out of the park because from that moment on I hated her. I dislike her enough that I cheer whenever she is uncovered as the killer on Murder, She Wrote, because it only reassures the idea I have of her as a heartless bitch. Well, fast-forward to today and I have to say now I think I adore Kate Mulgrew. I know I’m certainly mad about Alien Lover and her performance in this offbeat film. So I guess I have to tear up my hater card and move on. Life is funny sometimes.

Mulgrew is Susan, a pretty but somewhat disturbed teenager who understandably went a little bonkers after her parent’s death. She’s just been released from the sanatorium and her Aunt Marian (Susan Brown) takes her in. However, it looks like Marian’s husband, Mike (Pernell Roberts) is less interested in his niece’s mental health and more concerned with her hefty inheritance. Their son Jude (Steven Earl Tanner) is a boy genius who has gained early entry into college. He’s coming home to greet Susan and he brings along his hottie roommate Richard (Harry Moses) who develops a crush on her. Jude has converted his attic into a makeshift lab where he works on all kinds of electronics. Susan uncovers Jude’s homemade TV and also finds a little man living inside of it. He's handsome, likes poetry and he tells Susan she is beautiful as he attempts to satiate her deep-seated loneliness, but everyone else outside of the television set thinks Susan is one tube short of full frequency.

Taking its cue from Twilight Zone, Alien Lover is pretty weird stuff. Most of the film follows Susan and her possible dissent into madness. The first half of the film proficiently casts suspicion on Susan’s potential lunacy, tossing the viewer’s sympathies back and forth. The second half makes it all even weirder, although we are pretty sure we know what’s going on. While the ending might not be a total surprise, those last few frames are a doozy! The small stage-like sets create a palpable sense of claustrophobia, as Susan's mind closes in on her, and the shot on video quality makes the whole event even more surreal, in that way only the 1970s could handle.

Alien Lover makes an interesting comment on the phenomenon of finding solace on the small screen. Susan has a hunky love interest, but she constantly turns to the man in the TV because he claims to understand the lack of wholeness within her. He recites poetry with her and plies her with compliments, creating the fantasy of the perfect man, while making himself seem unthreatening because the television screen holds him back from initiating physical contact. The natural awkwardness and fear of going into a first romantic relationship after the loss of a great love is captured rather nicely, while still delivering a sweet late night creepfest that can be enjoyed without all the critical theory!

The only other credit Mulgrew had when she did Alien Lover was as Mary Ryan, on Ryan’s Hope, a part she played for about 14 years! But probably the most interesting soap casting was that of Susan Brown and David Lewis, who would both become stars on General Hospital. I’ve said this before, but I think soap actors were such a good choice for the more surreal of television movies because they could manipulate melodrama into something tangible and interesting. Also, they could work on the shortest of time schedules, which only benefited the lower budgeted productions of late night TV. And again, as I’ve said before, I’m a pretty big Pernell Roberts fan, but his part here is only to serve as a voice against Susan. He’s given little depth, although he does make the selfish bad guy role into a truly unlikable character without a lot to work with.

ABC’s Wide World: Mystery is, well, a mystery to me. It featured many original films and some reused episodes of the classic British series Thriller and, for the most part, has lingered as a small historical footnote as far as documentation goes. Non-talk show late night programming had its heyday in the 70s and 80s during the reign of the made for television movie and both ABC and CBS tried their hand at this kind of line up. The CBS Late Movie featured the greatest programming title in the world, Crimetime after Primetime (oh, yeah) and they were both a sort of a hodgepodge of movies and reruns of popular shows. It was a great venue for the tele-film but most likely because it was littered with a lot of previously available material, it faded into obscurity. Since then, ABC Wide World: Mystery remains a distant boob tube memory of some fantastic films. Alien Lover is one of the more well known (and as far as I know, sought after) titles from this program.

Biddi, Biddi, Biddi: Oh, Buck!

When I think of Buck Rogers I think of those warm summer days and nights of my childhood, where Twiki was a hot topic and Princess Ardala was one scary Draconian Princess! Although it only ran two seasons, Buck and his merry day-glo band left a deep impact in my heart. As an adult I see why, although I'm sure I didn't catch a lot of the suggestive humor or camera trickery. Nor did I truly appreciate the awesomely awesome costumes which adorned such lucky actresses as Erin Gray and Pamela Hensley (btw, did they sew Erin Gray into that super tight blue thing she always wore? Holy cow). But now that I'm revisiting the series via Netflix I am reassessing all things late 70s spacey.

The episode Escape From Wedded Bliss isn't necessarily better than any of the other episodes, but it left me gobsmacked by the colorful cornucopia of glittery royal bikini wear (really Princess Ardala, that's just a bathing suit with a sparkly hat and cape) and the bright, bright lights of New Chicago. If you remember Buck and think you might not find the show as much fun in your adult years, I think you should go to Netflix now and get your Dr. Theo-on because it's even better now. Or maybe I'm just remembering it better now... who knows? At any rate, I encourage one and all to re-fall in love with all things Buck!

  Never, I repeat never bother Princess Ardala when she's getting a rubdown by slavegirls! 

  Did you know that in the future they will get rid of roller blades and go back to roller skates! Oh yes, they will! 

  This is seriously the most suggestive space ship landing I have ever seen! 

  Princess Ardala whips out the royal bikini wear for an auspicious occasion 

  Col. Wilma Deering decides to go undercover as a creamsicle 

  Tiger Man: Fashion Forward 

  Space age roofie! 

  Space age girdle? 

  Princess Ardala's faboo bikini wedding wear! 

  Shotgun wedding! Ha! I'm here all weeks guys! 

The highlight of the episode was that they actually featured a scene with Twiki acting! I'm not kidding. He's all upset that Buck won't take him on an adventure so he starts to mope (in the dark no less). Buck finally feels the guilt and invites Twiki along for the ride. Here are two of the more moving moments from the episode:

Twiki Sad 

  Twiki Happy 

  And one last thing: Dr. Theo = Adorable 

Mork + Mindy = Mearth... WTF?!?

OK, so out of the blue I started to think about Mork and Mindy and the wild decline from hit show to total miss. While I still find many of the episodes after Season One quite entertaining, the whole Mearth thing was... ummm... just weird. Now that I am older, I have been able to put those obtuse thoughts I had as a kid into some kind of words.

Mork laid an egg.

The look on Exidor's face explains it all

Even as a kid watching the fourth season of Mork and Mindy I knew something was not only wrong with Mork’s pregnancy, but also with the concept of an earthling and an alien mating. I can accept an alien wanting to get it on with Pam Dawber… just look at her… but Pam wanting to do it with an E.T. left a strangely uncomfortable feeling inside me. Plus he wore those horrible suspenders… And now I find myself wondering how Mork got Mindy’s DNA (and/or egg!). I mean, what exactly did he snatch (!) from her during those... ummm... copulatory sessions of love? I keep having visions of Mork drinking with his finger. OK, I refuse to even try to wrap my brain around that…

The craziest Easter Egg hunt ever!

Mindy even discusses how she is missing out on the wonder of childbirth and like any awesome sitcom, her trauma is quickly glossed over as Mearth is hatched from a giant egg. Eventually, he gets a creepy pair of overalls and learns to call her "Shoe." How sweet parenting can be.

The fourth season of Mork and Mindy was an undisputed bomb, landing in 60th place! I think pairing Jonathan Winters with Robin Williams was an ingenious bit of casting, but suffice to say Mork not only laid an egg, but so did the show.

No caption needed!
Oh yeah, and Mindy had the best apartment ever.

I have not seen the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but here is an article explaining why the movie will never be as good as Mork and Mindy.

And is it just me, or does Mearth remind anyone of The Baby? I mean, minus the electric cattle prod.

TV Movie Watchin' - Netflix Style!

Oh man, thank heavens for Netflix! I had one of those rare open weekends where popcorn-eating-soda-drinking awesomeness commenced. Although I added about 100 movies to my queue, I was only able to get three down... but it was a good three... mostly.


A Matter of Sex (1984): This was the first, and best of the bunch. A Matter of Sex is based on the true story of the Willmar 8, who were a group of a women working in a bank in a small Minnesota town that got fed up with sex discrimination. Jean Stapleton leads the small and passionate brigade, and the film works as a really interesting time capsule reminding us that while women still have some way to go in the world of equal rights, we have also come really far. Some of the stuff the boss says is just outrageous. While this didn't make me want to grab my sisters' hands and sing We Shall Overcome, it still really made me proud of what some people have done to equal the playing field.


Dinah Manoff is a standout here in her dramatic turn as a country mouse turned labor union organizer. Jean Stapleton is of course fantastic too, and overall the eight women are wonderful in their parts.

Although the film takes place in Minnesota, some of the Canadian accents and faces will get you. I noticed Jeannie Elias from The Pit and Peter Spence from Crazy Moon! Lee Grant, who I worship as an actress, made a documentary on these women called The Willmar 8 and then she adapted her doc into this movie which she also directed. I'm telling you, women are doing it for themselves!


Forbidden Love (1982): This one was up next and yet again we've got another May/December romance where the older, sophisticated women falls in love with a much younger man. Yvette Mimieux is Joanna. She's outrageously fashionable, has the body of a teenager and a crazy sexy way about her. Andrew Stevens is Casey, a handsome medical intern who comes from very little and works hard for his money. The sparks are instant (they meet at a ski resort which is so friggin' 80s I could die! ) but once they get the van-a-rockin' they soon find out not everyone is copacetic on this whole unholy union.


While I liked this movie, it has all of my favorite elements - an oversized and ridiculously glamorous house, fantastic clothes, beautiful men - I didn't like the story (or the chemistry) as much as I enjoyed Anatomy of a Seduction, although one could argue they are basically the same film (For the record, Anatomy is also streaming on Netflix). I'm not exactly sure what was missing in the formula, but it was still a fun watch. Jerry Houser, who played Wally on The Brady Brides, is one of Casey's BFFs and I just love seeing that man in anything!


Condor (1986): In the somewhat near future (or maybe even our past, I think this movie takes place around 2000), there are lots of things that are futuristic but look like 1980s LA. Throw in a robotic fast food employee and a lady in silver spandex and you've got... well it still looks like 80s LA. Ray Wise is Christopher Proctor, an employee at a covert crime fighting company called Condor. His partner is killed and he's saddled with a lovely female robot named Lisa Hampton (Wendy Kilbourne). They are hot on the heels of an escaped prisoner named Rachel Hawkings played by Carolyn Seymour (get it... Hawkings vs. Condor?!? HA!). Apparently she did some really bad things and is now back at it, and she works as the madwoman behind a large glowing light computer. Oh man, the futuristic 80s was so good!


I really wanted to like Condor and it's not like it's bad or good, it's just kind of there. I had a hard time following the story and I kept getting put off by the female robot doing stuff like sleeping. I know she's supposed to be all human and everything but those little tidbits distracted me. I did like Proctor's cat though... Adorable! Also, it was nice to see Craig Stevens from Peter Gunn but he looked like he'd rather be elsewhere. Wise is good in the part, but this is really not his film...

I kept wondering where I recognized Wendy from. She was in North and South and married her co-star James Read. She has quit acting and the two are still married. Awwww! I love happy endings!

And I have to say, that's really how my weekend ended... happily.