SILENT RUNNING: The Sci-Fi Feels

SILENT RUNNING (Blu-ray Review)

1972 / 90 min

From ARROW VIDEO

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😹

Silent Running is the first movie that ever gave me a case of ’the feels,’ as my daughter calls it.

I was just a wee one when I caught it on NBC on a Friday night, after the preceding TV spot had me anticipating an exciting sci-fi adventure. However, I got more than I bargained for.

Bruce Dern stars as Freeman Lowell, a botanist onboard the Valley Forge, one of several cargo ships carrying the last of Earth’s plant and animal life (enclosed in massive glass domes). When the crew is given orders to jettison and destroy the domes and return the ships to commercial use, Lowell goes to extremes to save the lone remaining forest, killing his crewmates and changing course in hopes of disappearing. A majority of the film consists of Lowell and two endearing little drones (Dewey & Huey) maintaining the forest, when we grow to love this de facto family. But when a rescue team discovers their whereabouts, Lowell is forced to make some heartbreaking decisions in order to save the forest.

And heartbreaking this movie is. Silent Running turned out not to be the action-packed extravaganza I signed-on for at the age of 10. It’s a shamelessly manipulative film which forces us to not only condone Lowell’s murder of his crewmates, but feel an enormous sense of loss with every exploding dome. Additionally, Silent Running has us more emotionally invested in the fates of two faceless, emotionless robots than most of the human characters. These elements, along with the tragic conclusion, were total Kleenex fodder, which I wasn’t expecting. By the time the end credits rolled, I was practically bawling and thankful everyone in the family had already gone to bed. It was the first movie that ever actually made me feel anything. But despite my sorrow, I liked how it made me feel.

Lowell's favorite pastime...watching grass grow.

Revisiting the film for the first time in years with this new Blu-ray, I still found myself choking-up from time to time. Not just because I was once-again invested in the plight of its characters, but that its none-too-subtle message seems alarmingly more relevant now. Some of its flower-power environmental sermonizing probably seemed a bit heavy handed back in ‘72 (when most of us kids associated ‘climate change’ with snow days). But 48 years later, the world is arguably closer to the bleak future depicted in Silent Running than the advanced optimism of 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

In addition to its sobering themes and pessimistic view of humankind, Silent Running remains one of the more technically impressive sci-fi films of the pre-Star Wars era, especially when one realizes it had a budget of only a million dollars. One of only two films directed by FX-whiz Douglas Trumbull, the visuals are simple yet effective, and hold up pretty well even today. 

Silent Running has since become a cult classic that belies its age with a timely message and an affecting story. Arrow Video does right by the film with an outstanding video & audio transfer that’s a huge improvement over the 2015 Universal Blu-ray. All the bonus features from that disc are included here, along with a great batch of new ones, making this edition a must-own for fans. The only thing missing is a box of tissues because it’s still one of the most bittersweet sci-fi movies ever made.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NEW: “NO TURNING BACK” - Music historian Jeff Bond discusses the unusual film score and songs.

NEW: “FIRST RUN” - This is a video essay - with storyboards - which reveals how the first draft of the screenplay was much darker (and more violent).

NEW: AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critics Kim Newman & Barry Forshaw

NEW: ISOLATED MUSIC SCORE

NEW: BEHIND-THE-SCENES GALLERY - Over 600 pictures, though many of them look like still from the film itself.

“THE MAKING OF SILENT RUNNING” - Archival documentary

“SILENT RUNNING BY DOUGLAS TRUMBULL” and “DOUGLAS TRUMBULL: THEN AND NOW” - Individual archival interviews.

“A CONVERSATION WITH BRUCE DERN” - Archival Interview. Bruce has fond memories of this film, and especially Trumbull.

TRAILER

SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKLET - Includes two essays, “Silent Running: Douglas Trumbull’s Visions of Nature,” by film writer Barry Forshaw,” and “Bruce Dern’s Star Turn Among the Stars,” by author Peter Tonguette; cast, crew and restoration credits.

REVERSIBLE COVER - With new and vintage artwork. We kind-of prefer the new cover.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEE-OW! LIKE BEING TURNED LOOSE IN A BIRD SANCTUARY.

SILENT RUNNING: Sci-Fi Kleenex Fodder in 4K

SILENT RUNNING (4K UHD Review)

1972 / 89 min

FROM ARROW VIDEO

Review by Mr. Paws😺

I’ve loved Silent Running since childhood. It was the first movie ever to make me cry.

Bruce Dern stars as Freeman Lowell, a botanist onboard the Valley Forge, one of several cargo ships carrying the last of Earth’s plant and animal life (enclosed in massive glass domes). When the crew is given orders to jettison and destroy the domes and return the ships to commercial use, Lowell goes to extremes to save the lone remaining forest, killing his crewmates and changing course in hopes of disappearing. A majority of the film consists of Lowell and two endearing little drones (Dewey & Huey) maintaining the forest, and we grow to love this de facto family. But when a rescue team discovers their whereabouts, Lowell is forced to make some heartbreaking decisions in order to save the forest.

Silent Running is a shamelessly manipulative film that forces us to not only condone Lowell’s murder of his crewmates, but feel an enormous sense of loss with every exploding dome. Additionally, Silent Running has us more emotionally invested in the fates of two faceless, emotionless robots than most of the human characters. These elements, along with the tragic conclusion, are total Kleenex fodder. It was the first movie that ever actually made me feel anything. But despite my sorrow, I liked how it made me feel.

"I thought I asked you two to scoop that up."

Revisiting the film in 4K, I still found myself choking up from time to time. Not just because I was once again invested in the plight of its characters, but that its none-too-subtle message seems alarmingly more relevant now. Some of its flower-power environmental sermonizings probably seemed a bit heavy-handed back in ‘72 (when most of us kids associated ‘climate change’ with snow days). But 50 years later, the world is arguably closer to the bleak future depicted in Silent Running than the advanced optimism of 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

In addition to its sobering themes and pessimistic view of humankind, Silent Running remains one of the more technically impressive sci-fi films of the pre-Star Wars era, especially when one realizes it had a budget of only a million dollars. I gotta say, though, that while this 4K restoration is impressive, the 2160p transfer tends to render some of the special effects a bit more quaint looking than they did on Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release a couple of years ago. On the other hand, the details of Valley Forge’s interiors (and inside the domes) are sharper. The mono audio is identical to the one found on the Blu-ray, as are all of the bonus features. Even the artwork is the same.

 

This means the only real upgrade is the picture, which of course will be enough for videophiles. For everyone else, the 2020 Blu-ray edition - which features a pretty great video transfer in its own right - is a less expensive option. Whatever the case, Silent Running is a cult classic worth having in any collection. Just make sure you have some tissue handy.

EXTRA KIBBLES

“NO TURNING BACK” - Music historian Jeff Bond discusses the unusual film score and songs.

“FIRST RUN” - This is a video essay - with storyboards - which reveals how the first draft of the screenplay was much darker (and more violent).

2 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By critics Kim Newman & Barry Forshaw; 2) By Douglas Trumbull and Bruce Dern.

ISOLATED MUSIC SCORE

BEHIND-THE-SCENES GALLERY - Over 600 pictures, though many of them look like still from the film itself.

“THE MAKING OF SILENT RUNNING” - Archival documentary

“SILENT RUNNING BY DOUGLAS TRUMBULL” and “DOUGLAS TRUMBULL: THEN AND NOW” - Individual archival interviews.

“A CONVERSATION WITH BRUCE DERN” - Archival Interview. Bruce has fond memories of this film, and especially Trumbull.

TRAILER

SUPPLEMENTARY BOOKLET (Not reviewed)

SILENT RUNNING and the Kleenex Confession

Starring Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint. Directed by Douglas Trumbull. (1972, 89 min).

Being a guy, I don’t like to be seen crying. I’m pretty certain most other guys feel the same. Sure, we know it’s perfectly okay (and healthy) to let go of our emotions this way; it’s not a sign of weakness or vulnerability. But with the possible exception of funerals, most of us will still try like hell never to be seen with tears rolling down our cheeks. It’s okay to cry when you’re little, but the onset of puberty must awaken some dormant gene which tells our brains to keep that shit bottled-up in the company of others.

Suppressing such emotions is stupid and irrational, but I still waited until I was all by myself to tearfully mourn the deaths of Dale Earnhardt & Ronnie James Dio. I didn’t want my wife or kids to see me cry, probably because there was no way I could explain tears shed over people I didn’t know personally, no matter how important they were to me.

Then there are life’s moments which encourage happy tears, such as when my daughters were born, or their first steps, or their first choir concerts. Did I cry? Nope…not with all these people around.

That solitude is an important thing. This may be presumptuous, but I think most guys actually do appreciate rare moments when they can open the floodgates all by their lonesome. I know I do. In fact, I must confess there are times when I go out of my way to experience tearful sorrow or joy. I usually do this late at night after the family has gone to bed and allow a movie to manipulate my emotions. Yeah, movie weeping is technically a “chick thing,” which is why it’s my dirty little secret.

I blame the first movie that ever made me cry, a 1972 sci-fi film called Silent Running, in which Bruce Dern stars as Freeman Lowell, a botanist onboard one of several cargo ships carrying the last of Earth’s plant and animal life (enclosed in massive glass domes). When the crew is given orders to jettison and destroy the domes and return the ships to commercial use, Lowell goes to extremes to save the last remaining forest, killing his crewmates and changing course, hoping to disappear. A majority of the film consists of Lowell and two totally-endearing little drones (Dewey & Huey) maintaining the forest, where we grow to love this little family. But then a rescue team discovers their whereabouts, and Lowell is forced to make some heart-breaking decisions in order to save the forest.

And heart-breaking this movie is; Silent Running turned out not to be the sci-fi extravaganza I signed-on for at the age of 10 when it aired on TV. It’s a shamelessly manipulative film which forces us to, not only condone Lowell’s murder of his crewmates, but feel an enormous sense of loss with every exploding dome. Not only that, Silent Running makes us care more about the fates of two faceless, emotionless robots than most of the human characters. These elements, along with the tragic conclusion, were total Kleenex fodder for me, which I wasn’t expecting. By the time the end credits rolled, I was practically bawling and thankful everyone in the family had already gone to bed. It was the first movie that ever actually made me feel anything. But despite my sorrow, I liked how the movie made me feel.

"I'm wearing nothing under this robe."

Even today, forty years later, that ending still gets to me. I’m an English teacher, and I recently showed it to my seventh graders as part of a persuasive writing unit (where they write reviews giving their opinions of a film). Most of them were bored, even at the end, when I still had to duck out of the classroom so none of them would see my eyes welling up. Crying in front of a bunch of seventh graders would be catastrophic to my classroom management efforts. Still, I was surprised that none of them felt like I did when I first saw it. Was it because people today are more jaded & cynical, or was it me, who had since learned to happily allow movies to manipulate my emotions?

Like the few movie comedies that have truly made me laugh out loud, my list of movies which render me tearful every time is very short:

Silent Running
The Plague Dogs
Field of Dreams
The Lion King
Forrest Gump
Schindler’s List
The Iron Giant
Monsters Inc.
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Toy Story 3

With the exceptions of The Plague Dogs & Schindler's List (both of which I’ve vowed never to see again…too devastating), these are movies I prefer to watch alone because I get weepy every time. Sure, some are effective only to me because of my headspace at the time. But others, like Field of Dreams, are a different story. Ladies, if your man isn’t vainly-attempting to mask his tears while watching this one, it’s probably time to break up with him.

Which brings me to another point, intended just for fellow emotionally-stunted guys reading this. Listen, we all know women love their men to be sensitive, so doesn’t it stand to reason letting go of our emotions over something as innocuous as a movie date would be to our advantage, especially if we haven’t previously opened up during the relationship? I know this is hard - hell, it’s difficult for me and I’ve been married 25 years - but what if you arranged an in-home date night, rented Bambi and squeezed-out a single tear when his mother gets shot? Odds are you two will be naked on the couch before the end-credits roll.

Still, we hesitate. Allowing ourselves to cry during something as meaningless as a movie remains especially forbidden, even though doing so would likely get us laid six ways from Sunday.

I have Silent Running in my collection, and successfully fought tears when I introduced it to my wife several years ago. Still, I sometimes wonder what would happen if I popped it into my DVD player tonight. She’d likely be in the same room, engrossed in a Charlaine Harris novel. If I started to openly weep during the climax, I’d like to think she’d be so enamored with my sudden display of sensitivity that she’d toss aside her book to engage in some red hot monkey sex.

Alas, that remains a dream, because I still can’t bring myself to cry around her.

SILENT RUNNING Blu-ray Giveaway

FREE KITTENS MOVIE GUIDE is giving away a Blu-ray copy of Universal’s classic sci-fi film, Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern, Huey and Dewey! 

In the not-so-distant future, Earth is barren of all flora and fauna, with what remains of the planet s former ecosystems preserved aboard a fleet of greenhouses orbiting in space. When the crews are ordered to destroy the remaining specimens, one botanist, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern, The Burbs), rebels and flees towards Saturn in a desperate bid to preserve his own little piece of Earth that was, accompanied only by the ship s three service robots. Featuring a captivating central performance by Dern, visual effects that rival anything in 2001 and a powerful ecological message, Silent Running is a haunting and prescient sci-fi classic that resonates even more strongly today than it did at the time of its original release.

Silent Running has since become a cult classic that belies its age with a timely message and an affecting story. Arrow Video does right by the film with a newly remastered video & audio transfer, along with a great batch of new & vintage bonus features, making this one a must-own for fans. 

TO ENTER:

Shoot us an email at freekittensmovieguide@gmail.com

CONTEST ENDS 1/11/21

MAMA and an Unexpected Bit of Symmetry

Starring Jessica Chastain, Nikoaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Carpenter, Isabelle Nelisse, Daniel Kash. Directed by Andy Muschietti. (2013, 100 min).

As I’ve documented numerous times, my youngest daughter, Lucy, is my little Friday night horror buddy. We’ve been watching all kinds of scarefests since she was about 7, sometimes to the chagrin of my wife. Even though Lucy is now nine years old and fairly seasoned in many sorts of cinematic mayhem, Francie still expresses occasional concern over what we watch, and usually insists I preview anything I plan on subjecting our child to in advance. I comply most of the time, but usually only if said-movie is R-rated. That policy has occasionally come back to bite me in the ass, since a movie’s rating generally has little to do with how scary it is, especially to a kid. I brought home Insidious one time and, though the movie is bloodless and sex-free, it scared the living shit out of Lucy. While that movie resulted in me spending several nights on the living room sofa because she wanted to sleep with Mom, Lucy loved Insidious and is now fully-expecting me to take her to the theater to see the sequel this fall.

Anyway, about once a week I venture down the road to a tiny store that sells used video games and movies. Sometimes I find good discs really cheap. One of those was Mama, which Lucy was actually more excited about than the movie I brought back especially for her, Brave (after watching it myself, I can kind-of understand. It’s good, but doesn’t hold a candle to Pixar’s greatest films).

Lucy had seen the trailers for Mama on TV a few months before and really wanted to check it out. So did I. Did I expect something as terrifying as The Exorcist or The Descent (the last movie to truly scare me)? No, but since Mama was getting decent reviews above and beyond the typical horror fare that’s usually dumped into theaters in January, my interest was piqued. Still, catching horror films during their theatrical runs is a dicey endeavor, so it wasn’t worth the risk (there’s nothing worse than paying 12 bucks each for a horror movie that isn’t scary). But for an eight dollar Blu-Ray…why not?

Once again, Francie was concerned that we were gonna watch it sight-unseen. I assured her I’d shut it off if it started freaking Lucy out the way Insidious did. Lucy even promised she’d sleep in her own bed afterwards, no matter what.

"Ahhhh! Homework!"

Mama surprised both of us. We were expecting the usual jump-scares and ominous signs & symbols which come with modern supernatural fare. And indeed, this tale of a psychotic spirit who saves two abandoned toddlers from starvation, then becomes murderously overprotective once they are rescued and brought back to civilization five years later, serves up all the usual horror trappings. We didn’t expect the melancholy tone permeating the entire film. Yeah, the ‘Mama’ character is scary, but we also kinda sympathize with her, as well as the two misguided children she’s trying to ‘nurture.’

The film comes to an inevitable-but-sad conclusion (which I won‘t reveal) that ultimately raises Mama above the fray, and when I looked over at Lucy, tears were running down her little cheeks. The movie has more than its share of jolts, but packs an unexpected emotional wallop at the end, which Lucy found harder to deal with than the scares. I wasn’t prepared for watching the first movie which truly made my daughter cry.

I remember the first movie that made me cry. It was called Silent Running, a sci-fi film about a lone conservationist (Bruce Dern) onboard a spaceship housing what’s left of the world’s wildlife. Only he understood the enormity of his moral task, forced to kill his shipmates in order to save what could not be replaced, with only the help of a few robots (two of whom develop such endearing personalities that their fates are heartbreaking). His last suicidal act of conservation made me feel the same way Lucy did at the end of Mama…logical, yet hard-to-handle without bursting into tears.

Here’s the really weird part…while Lucy and I were watching Mama, there’s a scene where the main character, Annabel (Jessica Chastain), is lying in bed watching a movie. That movie is none other than Silent Running. I don’t claim to know the filmmakers' agenda in choosing this particular title (other than it’s also a Universal Picture), but it does seem like more than a coincidence they’d choose a tearjerker disguised as sci-fi to be featured in a tearjerker disguised as horror. Whatever the case may be, the fact that the first film to make Lucy cry features the first movie to make Dad cry has an interesting bit of symmetry.

The next day, Lucy went to her mom to reassure her that Mama was rated PG-13 because of, and I quote, “ultimate sadness.”

THE POOP SCOOP: Furry Fun for the Fall

SILENT RUNNING on Blu-ray from Arrow 11/17

The first movie that ever made us reach for a tissue! In the not-so-distant future, Earth is barren of all flora and fauna, with what remains of the planet's former ecosystems preserved aboard a fleet of greenhouses orbiting in space. When the crews are ordered to destroy the remaining specimens, one botanist, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern, The 'Burbs), rebels and flees towards Saturn in a desperate bid to preserve his own little piece of Earth that was, accompanied only by the ship's three service robots. Featuring a captivating central performance by Dern, visual effects that rival anything in 2001 and a powerful ecological message, Silent Running is a haunting and prescient sci-fi classic that resonates even more strongly today than it did at the time of its original release. IN ADDITION TO A NEW 2K RESTORATION, THE DISC INCLUDES A VARIETY OF NEW AND VINTAGE BONUS FEATURES.

THE IRISHMAN on Blu-Ray from Criterion on 11/24

Martin Scorsese's cinematic mastery is on full display in this sweeping crime saga, which serves as an elegiac summation of his six-decade career. Left behind by the world, former hit man and union truck driver Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) looks back from a nursing home on his life's journey through the ranks of organized crime: from his involvement with Philadelphia mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) to his association with Teamsters union head Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) to the rift that forced him to choose between the two. An intimate story of loyalty and betrayal writ large across the epic canvas of mid-twentieth-century American history, The Irishman (based on the real-life Sheeran's confessions, as told to writer Charles Brandt for the book I Heard You Paint Houses) is a uniquely reflective late-career triumph that balances its director's virtuoso set pieces with a profoundly personal rumination on aging, mortality, and the decisions and regrets that shape a life. AS USUAL, THIS CRITERION DISC IS LOADED WITH BONUS FEATURES.

TRAIN TO BUSAN presents PENINSULA on 4K UHD/Blu-ray from Well Go USA on 11/24

The long-awaited sequel to, in our humble opinion, the greatest zombie movie of the 21st Century. Four years after South Korea's total decimation in Train to Busan, the zombie thriller that captivated audiences worldwide, acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho brings us PENINSULA, the next nail-biting chapter in his post-apocalyptic world. Jung-seok, a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation with two simple objectives: retrieve and survive. When his team unexpectedly stumbles upon survivors, their lives will depend on whether the best—or worst—of human nature prevails in the direst of circumstances.

THE HAUNTING (1999) on Blu-ray from Paramount on 10/20

Paramount Home Media Distribution has officially announced that it will release on Blu-ray Jan de Bont's film The Haunting (1999), starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, Lili Taylor, and Bruce Dern. The release, which will be part of the studio's recently launched series Paramount Presents, will be available for purchase on October 20. Synopsis: For over a century, the foreboding Hill House mansion has sat abandoned…or so it seemed. Intrigued by its past, Dr. Marrow lures three subjects to the site for an experiment. But, from the moment of their arrival, as night descends, the study goes horrifyingly awry, and Hill House unleashes its supernatural wrath on the unsuspecting subjects.

 

Robbed at the Oscars, CRUEL JAWS on Blu-ray from Severin Films on 9/29

He defied all laws of good taste and international copyright with SHOCKING DARK and ROBOWAR. He reset the bar for batsh*t crazy ItaloHorror with RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR and HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD. And in 1995, legendary director Bruno Mattei – here as 'William Snyder' – stunned the civilized world with this ultimate sharksploitation saga that liberally borrows characters, plot and footage from Joe D'Amato's DEEP BLOOD and Enzo G. Castellari's THE LAST SHARK (and that's just the tip of a very litigious fin). Filmed in South Florida with a cast of now-ashamed unknowns that includes a Hulk Hogan lookalike, experience "the epitome of outrageous thievery cinema" (All Movie) – actually released in some countries as JAWS 5 – now remastered uncut in HD for the first time ever.

 

5-25-77 is an Affectionate Piece of Nostalgia

5-25-77 (Blu-ray Review)

2022 / 132 min

FROM MVD VISUAL

Review by Fluffy the Fearless😺

The title refers to the date the original Star Wars was released. The film, of course, was a cinematic milestone. For better or worse, it changed how movies are made, marketed and watched. To truly appreciate its massive cultural impact - especially on us impressionable kids - you really had to be there.

Writer-director Patrick Read Johnson was there. In fact, as a teenager, he was apparently the first person allowed visit ILM and see an actual workprint of Star Wars. How cool is that? While that moment is the lynchpin of this semi-autobiographical film, it isn’t what drives the narrative. In a way, Star Wars could be viewed as this film’s MacGuffin.

Instead, 5-25-77 is a whimsical recollection of an awkward teenager whose obsession with watching and making films isn’t appreciated - or understood - by his peers. This was back when being a sci-fi geek tended to make one sort of a pariah in certain social circles. Star Wars would go a long way in changing that perception, but until then, Pat Johnson (John Francis Daley) feels somewhat isolated. Though he has friends, they're typical of everyone else in his tiny hometown, content to spend the rest of their lives doing the same thing every weekend. No one can relate to his aspirations of being a director. To them, making movies is simply a hobby Pat should have outgrown by now.

Dave Bowman's morning commute.

Though it apparently took him several years to complete, Patrick Read Johnson has put together a perceptive, charming love letter to a bygone era and packed it with a shitload of film/TV references old school sci-fi fans are sure to get a kick out of. But what makes 5-25-77 somewhat unique among coming-of-age films are the technical aspects. Scenes are frequently enhanced by iconic vehicles, spaceships and objects from films which influenced the main character (such as 2001, Duel and Silent Running), symbolizing the many narrative turns and Pat’s tumultuous headspace. While the intentional ‘phoniness’ of the special effects reflect the technology of the era, they also help the film achieve an almost dreamlike atmosphere.

The film is wonderful during those sequences. Elsewhere, it tends to drag at times, particularly Pat’s interactions with a few haphazardly-realized supporting characters (not helped by some pedestrian performances in key roles). And at 130 minutes, it’s way too long. You could easily trim a half-hour - including an entire teen party sequence - without adversely affecting the narrative. But for the most part, 5-25-77 is a congenial, affectionate piece of nostalgia about how a pivotal moment in movie history changed a kid’s life. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

2013 FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL Q&A - With writer-director Patrick Read Johnson.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer-director Patrick Read Johnson, moderated by Seth Gavin.

CAST/CREW GALLERY

LOCATION GALLERY

MINIATURES GALLERY

The BEST & WORST Stuff We Reviewed in 2020

Without going into yet-another diatribe about the shitstorm that was 2020, I will say that the ongoing global pandemic has affected the content we’ve shared. As a relatively small site that primarily covers physical media, Free Kittens Movie Guide reviewed far fewer titles from various studios than previous years. Still, we’ve managed to put together decent lists of the best and worst.

PURR-R-R...THE BEST: We reviewed some good stuff this year, but the following titles were better than taunting a mouse to death:

10. THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER (PopMotion) - Now that Blockbuster has become the very mom & pop video store they all-but put out of business to decades ago, this might be the most ironic documentary ever made.  Informative, congenial, funny and surprisingly affecting, the film is most-highly recommended for anyone nostalgic for the weekends when they walked out of their local video store with an armload of tapes. 

9. THE MORTAL STORM (Warner Archive) - Obviously not a feel-good film, but the performances are excellent and the story itself is relentlessly compelling, mainly because we know this happened to countless real families. We see the dark side of human nature, where people’s worst tendencies surface through sheer manipulation. Probably the only chance you’ll get to witness a beloved TV dad (Robert Young) totally nail-it as a despicable Nazi. Who knew he had it in him?

8. SHUDDER ON BLU-RAY (RLJE Films) - Somewhat fittingly, 2020 was a pretty damn good year for horror movies, with a surprising number coming from the streaming service, Shudder. While not everything they pumped out on disc was worth the effort, films and TV shows like Scare Package, The Beach House, Blood Quantum, The Room, Cursed Films, The Dark and the Wicked and Creepshow Season 1 are worth having in any horror collection.

7. POSSESSOR (Well Go USA) - A chip off the old block, Brandon Cronenberg also demonstrates a penchant for combining uninhibited, wince-inducing violence with a sharp, challenging story. A potential cult classic, Possessor is a superlative example of sci-fi body horror, courtesy of a director who probably grew up around it.

6. PICARD Season One (Paramount) - Think back to some of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s best episodes, the ones which have the most intriguing stories, terrific character exposition and a far-reaching impact on the direction later seasons - as well as the subsequent movies - would take. Picard plays like one of those classic episodes, only it happens to be eight hours long. It’s also the best Star Trek series since TNG.

5. BEYOND THE DOOR (Arrow) - Whether one considers Beyond the Door a terrifying treasure, crazy campfest or ridiculous rip-off, this is a beautifully-packaged set with considerable historical importance for horror buffs. Extensive bonus features offer an in-depth look at both the film and the opportunistic Italian auteurs who briefly started a movement. The fold-out poster is awesome!

4. ANTEBELLUM (Lionsgate) - While everyone's entitled to an opinion, I wonder if the critics who panned it watched the same movie I did. First-time writer-directors Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz built a wonderfully-structured narrative, punctuated by atmospheric cinematography, authentic production design and a powerful performance by Jenaelle Monáe as the main protagonist.  Antebellum completely blindsided me with one of the most unexpected plot twists I’ve seen in a long time.

3. SILENT RUNNING (Arrow) - A cult classic that belies its age with a timely message and an affecting story, this disc has an outstanding video & audio transfer, along with a great batch of new and vintage bonus features. The only thing missing is a box of tissues because it’s still one of the most bittersweet sci-fi movies ever made.

2. THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (Criterion) - If not the quintessential alien invasion movie, The War of the Worlds is certainly one of the most influential. In addition to what might be the best restoration of a film I've ever seen, the disc includes many new bonus features, as well as a few archival supplements and – of course – Orson Welles' original radio broadcast from 1938. An essential film for any collection.

1. TREMORS (Arrow) - Arrow Video saved their best release of 2020 for last. It’s been released on Blu-ray before, but never quite like this Limited Edition boxed set. In addition to the terrific 4K restoration, it’s loaded with a ton of entertaining bonus material, much of it brand new, and just about everyone else who was essential to the film’s success are featured in revealing interviews, from it’s conception through it’s disappointing theatrical run and eventual popularity on home video. 

HONORABLE MENTION: The Captain (Well Go USA), The Sin of Nora Moran (The Film Detective), Roman Holiday (Paramount), The Dead Ones (Artsploitation Films)

BLEH...THE WORST: As much as we love movies, there are times when reviewing them feels like an actual job. The following titles deserve to be buried in the litter box:

10. THE HONEYMOON PHASE (Dark Sky Films) - A derivative sci-fi-horror film that has a few interesting moments, but hampered by a muddy narrative, erratic pacing and two main characters who are dull-as-dishwater from the get-go, a definite liability considering it’s just the two of them in nearly every scene. It also seems to draw a lot of inspiration from The Shining, which includes blatantly ripping-off one of its key scenes. As the “antagonist,” actor Jim Schubin Is certainly no Nicholson, playing Tom with all the menace of an obnoxious house guest.

9. THE TRIP TO GREECE (IFC) - Steve Coogan & Ray Brydon’s week-long road-trip through Greece. Along the way, their semi-antagonistic banter covers a variety of topics, sometimes related to Greece, but more often about each other. These guys seem reeeeeally impressed with themselves and it soon becomes apparent the film is gonna be more about them than the country they’re visiting. In fact, Greece often feels like an afterthought. 

8. THE BARGE PEOPLE (RLJE Films) - This is a drab rip-off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only with slimy, fish-faced mutants whose diet happens to consist of dull twenty-somethings.The film largely depends on tired tropes and the stupidity of its characters to move the plot along. Unlike Tobe Hooper’s perennial classic, this one substitutes gore for shocks and suspense, but even the death scenes are repetitive and dull.

7. FIST OF FEAR, TOUCH OF DEATH (The Film Detective) - “Brucesploitation” at its most shameless. Vultures had already been picking at Lee’s corpse for years, cobbling together new movies with unused or existing footage from other films, but this pseudo-documentary takes it to another level, not-so-much a movie as patchwork of unrelated sequences in search of a plot. 

6. PLAYING WITH FIRE (Paramount) - The bloopers are the funniest part of Playing with Fire. The rest sinks under the weight of its own stupidity, an almost plotless parade of broad slapstick, obnoxious caricatures and heavy-handed sentimentality, squandering the comic talents of John Cena, John Leguizamo and Keegan-Michael Key, dumbfounded straight-men to three troublemaking kids whose “mischief” would make Mike & Carol Brady consider infanticide. 

5. ABIGAIL (Well Go USA) - A hodge-podge of the usual steampunk tropes: quasi-Victorian setting, waistcoats, biomechanical headgear, goggles, gas-masks, gear-driven machinery and, of course, airships that resemble sadistic colonoscopy tools. It’s all very pretty, but not enough to compensate for the terrible dialogue, dull characters, histrionic performances and a plot so murky that it’s difficult to figure out what the hell’s going on half the time.

4. MIKEY (MVD) - Desperate to be The Bad Seed for a new generation, this rotten relic is undone by unimaginative direction, stupid characters and a story that ain't remotely plausible. The entire film coasts on the conceit that simply showing a marginally-talented child actor doing the killing is inherently terrifying. Dumb enough to make Sleepaway Camp look like Rosemary’s Baby.

3. EDGE OF THE AXE (Arrow) - Edge of the Axe was released direct-to-video in 1989, long after the genre’s glory days were over. Though director Jose Ramon Larraz is somewhat respected in European horror circles, he brings nothing new to the table. That’s not necessarily a deal-breaker, but not only is the film highly derivative, it’s erratically-paced, illogical, poorly acted (even by slasher standards) and packed with more red herrings than a London supermarket.

2. AMERICAN ZOMBIELAND (Mill Creek Entertainment) - American Zombieland eschews brains for a non-stop parade of screaming characters, fat jokes, bodily functions, drugs, boobs, beer and, of course, buckets of blood. Much of the humor is intentionally tasteless, which would be fine if it was actually funny. Even the revealed cause of the zombie outbreak is painfully stupid.

1. GHOST KILLERS VS. BLOODY MARY (Dark Sky Films) - With geysers of blood, gore and a variety of other gross-out gags involving bodily functions, there’s an air of desperation in the film’s constant attempt to shock the viewers, as though over-the-top outrageousness is inherently funny. Tossing-in heavy-handed self-awareness and pop culture references doesn’t elevate this film above any other calculated bid to amuse 15 year old boys.