Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

If you've seen The Absent Minded Professor (1961), you'll have a leg up on this comedy-fantasy by producer William Castle.

The emphasis is on laughs, as our absent minded professor, aptly played by Tom Poston, finds an ancient coin and translates what's written on it.

When he first speaks the magically word Zotz! Lighting and wind appear in the dark skies, it is just a storm outside? or something more else?...then comes a knock at his living room window, it's a woman, she's soaking wet and doesn't have a stick of clothing on!

OK, so this is 1962 and we don't actually see Julia Meade in the buff, but our professor does and being a gentleman, like myself he offers her his coat and invites her into his home.

Tom Poston was funny in this, and he paired well with Julia Meade who we later find out is a new to town, college professor. Yes, you guessed it, romance ensues. But this ain't no romantic movie...oh no, see the professor finds out that if he points a figure at someone they double over in pain! If he says Zotz! time slows down, and if he points a figure and says Zotz that person kicks the bucket!

So that's where the comedy comes from. To that mix we add Jim Backus (Mr Howell from Gilligan's Island) as an underhanded fellow professor who wants the Deans job. And we have a cute college age niece who's there to get in harms way from the secret spies.

That's right it's 1962 at the height of the cold war, so our professor heads to the Pentagon to help America with his Zotz power, and when he's not believed he's kidnapped by Soviet agents.

So there you go, this is a fun, non-horror film from Mr Castle.

That's a nod to The Magnificent Seven (1960), only this time it's set in space. It even has Robert Vaughn reprising his role from that movie. This time around the classic tale, which is based on the original Seven Samurai (1954), is done as a space adventure and rather low budget, but with a good dose of kitsch added in just for fun.


See that weird looking orange ship? It's called Nell, and supposedly that's the first time a sci fi ship talks in a movie. That's what Richard Thomas said in an interview...I know HAL in 2001 talks of course, but Nell isn't just a ship's computer, but is the entire ship, a decidedly feminine ship. Take a look at the hull of Nell, does that look like anything you recognize?

And fun is the reason why you should watch this! It's fast paced, with some pretty darn good sci fi special effects being done on a shoe string budget of 3.5 million. Compare that to 11 million for Star Wars (1977). A BIG reason why the film looks as good as it does is because of a young Art Director working on those cool looking ships, James Cameron.



Heading up the cast is a surprisingly likable and effective Richard Thomas (John-Boy Walton) paired up with a pretty girl, ex model Darlanne Fluegel...they have good chemistry together. Add to that mix Robert Vaughn, John Saxon, George Peppard and a hot looking space babe, Sybil Danning, and you got yourself 104 minutes of spacial fun.

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