Disc Reviews

When I first got this DVD with my stack to review I treated it like I do with most films; I go in with little to no expectations, and whatever the result is at least I can’t be left too disappointed.  I love action films, and I’m a big fan or martial arts films, so when I see the name Gordon Liu in the credits, well, I at least know I have a little something to get excited about.  After all, Liu kind of has a cool pass in my book since doing The 36^th Chamber of Shaolin movies. But to deliver a good movie, you need more than just an appearance by a martial arts legend, and really that’s all Blood Money brings to the table.

The plot consists of members of the Columbian crime family trying to move a couple tons of cocaine. The move is a little complicated since it has stops in Miami and Australia, then eventually it should make its way to Hong Kong for the Triads to do with as they please as soon as the Columbians get their money.  The drug dealers/kingpins are throwing around numbers that just are too unreal.  Really, one dealer apparently fetched over 700 million in one year?  Where are these guys when Forbes is putting out their magazine with most successful business leaders?  I’m sure these guys make some good money, but this just seemed too fairy-tale for my taste.

"At the dawn of the 23rd century the world is on the verge of environmental collapse. Mankind's only hope for survival lies 85 million years in the past."

You think dinosaurs are dangerous. Expectations are dangerous. Expectations can kill like a bullet straight to the brain. Expectations are merciless. Some say it was a huge meteor that took out the dinosaurs, but it wasn't a meteor at all. This time it was ... wait for it.... expectations.

"I'm Jimmie DeRamus. Folks call me Big Daddy. My family's been in Louisiana since before the Civil War. Today we run one of the largest pawn shops in the South. Where I live there's no such thing as business as usual. I'll buy and sell anything. And by that I mean anything."

The formula worked for the guys in Vegas for several years, and it's still bringing in a solid number of viewers. Like any successful series, someone decided that two shows would be twice as good. Someone was wrong.

"Ancient monuments precisely aligned to celestial events. History written in stone honoring otherworldly rulers. And a calendar accurately predicting shifts in the Earth's axis every 26,000 years. Did the Mayans of Central America really create one of the most advanced civilizations of ancient times? Or did their intelligence originate somewhere else? Perhaps out of this world."

Ever since Eric von Daniken released his speculative book and its subsequent 1970 film Chariots of the Gods, there has been an entire field of study created around something commonly called Ancient Astronaut Theory. The idea is that extraterrestrials have visited many of our ancient civilizations. The theory continues that these visitors had a hand in shaping our development, whether it be through technology or even manipulation of our very DNA. These believers point to a world of evidence to support their claims. There are tons of images from earlier civilizations that could certainly be interpreted as depicting modern devices, concepts, or even space men. There is plenty of speculation that some of the knowledge and accomplishments of these peoples could not have been possible without some outside interference. There are even those who believe that aliens best explain our religious beliefs, and that God himself was/is an extraterrestrial being. Whatever your own beliefs on the subject, there are certainly some fascinating points to be made. There is no question that the speculations and observations bring up some interesting queries that deserve our attention. This series attempts to document much of this evidence and the beliefs these findings have inspired.

Not too long before he was heading Impossible Missions, Peter Graves spent a television season in Australia on the western series Whiplash. It was a traditional western in the sense that all of the standard elements were there. There were outlaws and saloons, posses and gunfights. What made this half-hour series stand out was the genuine Australian locations. The show was filmed in the Outback and was even aired on Aussie television. The locations gave the show a unique backdrop and a scenic look that certainly set it apart from the many American westerns on television at the time. Rivers were filled with crocodiles and even sharks. Instead of Indians there were Aborigines.

Graves played Christopher Cobb, an American who started the first stage coach line in Australia. The part was actually based on the real person, but any similarities likely ended with the name. Just like in America, Cobb had to deal with an unforgiving frontier, bandits, and the usual characters who would seek to hire him. His lead driver was Danny (Wickert), who was also a pretty good draw with his gun. But guns weren't the only weapons used in this western. Look for whips and boomerangs to fly from time to time.