Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Space: 1999

Back to the Future Discussion and Space 1999 Preview

Time got away from us last night, as we realized we were cresting two hours in our discussion of “Back to the Future” (1985). There’s got to be some irony in that. And there was still plenty left on the table.

This last of a golden age of summer blockbusters was the time travel movie we didn’t know we needed. Now who would want to do without it?

You can watch the entire conversation, with viewer comments, at the link. And make a mental note to change your clocks tonight, as we “fall back!”

Whereas this week’s show went by like a flash of lightning meeting a DeLorean tearing down Main Street at 88 m.p.h., next week may wind up being a bit of a slog – at least for Classic Ross Amico, who is no big fan of “Space: 1999.” Gerry Anderson’s “The Day After Tomorrow” (1975) looks to be cut from the same cloth.

At least it’s directed by Charles Chrichton, who directed “The Lavender Hill Mob” and “A Fish Called Wanda,” and surely anything with Brian Blessed is worth watching. It’s only 47 minutes long – actually a pilot for a projected TV series – so hopefully I’ll be able to make it through, provided I can find it streaming anywhere.

My enthusiasm is not assured on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. Please bring your insights to the comments section, so Roy has something to play off of, when we livestream on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, next Friday evening at 7:30 Eastern STANDARD Time.

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner/

November 5, 2022
Man Who Fell to Earth Deep Dive & Space 1999 Con

It may have been a new, somewhat disorienting format, but our conversation about “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976) was up to the usual Roy & Ross standard.

Last night was my first experience with StreamYard, with all the bells and whistles, including scrolling ticker, text banners, and a panoramic view of my CD library. (One viewer compared the effect to VistaVision.) But the content is only as strong as the talking points and the viewer comments that propel the dialogue.

There were a number of very perceptive, and often hilarious insights. My pick for the week goes to Randy Piazza, who defined the film as an example of “the rarely-explored post-Watergate government distrust arthouse avant-garde sex sci-fi genre.” That, folks, is the movie in a nutshell. We could have closed-up shop and got on with our lives at the 22-minute mark.

But if you’re curious to see the whole thing, it’s archived on the “Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner” Facebook page.

For any of you who are fans of the television series “Space: 1999,” you will be interested to know that there is a virtual convention being held this weekend, “Destination: Moonbase Alpha,” and Roy will be among the interviewers. The schedule is chock-full of talent associated with the show (including series stars Barbara Bain and Nick Tate and award-winning special effects artist Brian Johnson). It’s a two-day event, beginning this afternoon at 1:00 EDT. You’ll find details at the link.

https://www.facebook.com/Destinationmoonbasealpha

Roy and I will reunite for a discussion about the spy-fi parody “Our Man Flint” (1966), with flinty James Coburn in the title role. The Bond will be strong, when you join us in the comments section for another Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, next Friday evening at 7:30 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

September 10, 2022
Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner Classic TV Themes!

Roy and I were on a mission from God last night. Fueled by porter and whatever it was that was in Roy’s mug, we tore up a whole lot of forbidden road as we celebrated classic television themes on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner.

The file is now archived in four tattered parts (with one missing) and some of the content silenced. I wouldn’t count on it sticking around, so if you want to try to piece together some of the fun we had before the program disappears entirely, you’d better head over ASAP and have a look around.

In situations like this, I’m always sorriest to lose the viewer comments. While we burned, we burned very brightly indeed. We put the pedal to the metal for the first hour or so. Then we got to Henry Mancini. This is the one that tripped the sensors.

The show’s four surviving segments:

Part Four is gone!

If the idea of Tie-Dye with your coffee appeals to you, join Roy tomorrow, bright and early, for a special edition, to enjoy a chat with Warren Friedrich and Suzanne Peterson. Friedrich is deeply involved with “Space: 1999” fandom and the planning of the conventions, and Peterson participated as a stand-in during the actual making of the show.

This is after the time-change, mind you, as we spring forward into Daylight Saving Time. So if it sounds like your thing, set your alarm for the Facebook livestream, this Sunday morning at 10:00 EDT!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

March 12, 2022
Flash Gordon Camp Classic or Space 1999 Lost Universes

When “Flash Gordon” was released in 1980, many were inclined to view it as a “Star Wars” cash-grab. George Lucas’ interstellar success may have made a feature length “Flash Gordon” possible, but in no way is “Flash” attempting to track the Millennium Falcon through hyperspace.

On the contrary, the film revels in its comic strip origins, as a gaudy spectacle that is all about elevating camp production design and celebrating its own proto-pop pulpiness. Like the overripe performances of the actors themselves, “Flash” knows just what it is all about, with a deliberate tongue-in-cheek vibe and a subversive, foreign film sensibility – a surreal blend of high and low style, go-for-broke fashion, Mediterranean sensuality, and kink.

The heightened artificiality and lightness of touch make the film seem like one big party, underscored by Queen’s giddy, hilarious soundtrack. FLASH! AH AHHHHHHHHH!!

Clearly, there’s a lot to say about Flash Gordon – wholly befitting of the savoir of the universe. Enjoy last night’s overstuffed conversation, with special guest Jon Haag – and collectibles – here:

Join Roy tomorrow at a special time, as he welcomes authors David Hirsch and Robert E. Wood, who will talk about their new release, “To Everything That Might Have Been: The Lost Universes of ‘Space: 1999.’” The book draws on recently-discovered documentation and correspondence regarding the early days and development of the cult-favorite TV series, shedding new light on how exactly “Space: 1999” came to be.

“Space: 1999” fans will be over the moon for the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. Bring your Eagles to roost in the comments section, when they livestream on Facebook, THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT 3:00 EST!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

March 5, 2022
The Shining Layered Horror or Gilded Lily?

Is “The Shining” (1980) the most layered horror movie ever made? Or is it one of cinema’s most flagrant examples of gilding-the-lily? Are the two necessarily exclusive?

Roy and I grope our way through some the film’s dichotomies, as we talk “forever and ever and ever” about Kubrick, cast, and music. You might say we take a shine to “The Shining” during last night’s discussion, on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, archived here:

Tomorrow, Roy will fly solo as he welcomes guests David Hirsch and Tim Mallett, who will talk about their work on “Super Space Theater,” a collection of high-definition restorations of four “Space: 1999” movies. Learn more about it, when they livestream on Facebook at a special time, this Sunday afternoon at 3:00 EST!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

February 5, 2022

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