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Ridley Scott’s epic Exodus: Gods And Kings opens in theaters in three weeks.

Jessica Chastain currently stars in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar where she plays a scientist trying to save humanity from extinction.

One year from now, Scott and Chastain, along with Matt Damon, come together in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming sci-fi film The Martian.

“Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.”

During her recent visit to The Daily Show, the Oscar-nominated...

By Todd Garbarini

Actor Victor Lundin, best known to film fans for his portrayal of Friday in Byron Haskin’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), passed away on June 29, 2013 at age 83 after an undisclosed illness. News of his passing first came to Cinema Retro via Cinema Epoch’s Director of Acquisitions Douglas Dunning, who was a personal friend of Mr. Lundin’s. It was also confirmed by John Sempre, Jr.’s Facebook page (Mr. Sempre interviewed Mr. Lundin and this audio interview can be heard in part one and part two on Vimeo) as well as Zachary Lundin’s Facebook page (Victor’s son).

In addition to this film, Mr. Lundin appeared in the 1966 film version of Beau Geste, and appeared on television in episodes on some of our favorite shows from the 1960’s, including The Time Tunnel, Get Smart, Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,...

DVD Playhouse: January 2011

By

Allen Gardner

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (20th Century Fox) Sequel to the seminal 1980s film catches up with a weathered, but still determined Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, who seems to savor every syllable of Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff’s screenplay) just out of jail and back on the comeback trail. In attempting to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan), Gekko forges a reluctant alliance with her fiancé (Shia Labeouf), himself an ambitious young turk who finds himself seduced by Gekko’s silver tongue and promise of riches. Lifeless film is further evidence of director Oliver Stone’s decline. Once America’s most exciting filmmaker, Stone hasn’t delivered a film with any teeth since 1995’s Nixon. Labeouf and Mulligan generate no sparks on-screen, and the story feels forced from the protracted opening to the final, Disney-esque denouement. Only a brief cameo by Charlie Sheen,...

Chicago – A fascinating B-movie gem from 1964, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” gives modern viewers an idea of what America’s collective imagination (concerning space travel) looked like during that brief moment in time. As an entertainment, it’s hokey and creaky beyond belief, but as a cinematic time capsule, it’s quite a trip.

The film begins with the most heartbreaking bait and switch in camp movie history. Two years before his success with “Batman,” Adam West shows up as an astronaut orbiting Mars. The deadpan earnestness of his performance is priceless right from the beginning, as he scolds a floating monkey with the line, “Listen Mona, this banana paste is meant for your survival only!” Sadly, the ship is soon forced to evacuate, killing off West and leaving only disgruntled monkey Mona and West’s crewmate, Kit, played by Paul Mantee. Seriously, it’s like being promised Keir Dullea and getting Gary Lockwood.

Robinson Crusoe on Mars Directed by: Byron Haskin Written by: Daniel Defoe (novel), John C. Higgins, Ib Melchior Starring: Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin and Adam West With a title like Robinson Crusoe on Mars [1], it's easy to lump in Byron Haskin's [2] quiet and deliberate survival film with sci-fi b-movie fare like Santa Claus Conquers the Martians [3] or Mars Needs Women [4]. While I don't think it's so horrible to hold company with goofy films such as those, Robinson Crusoe on Mars certainly excels beyond Saturday Matinee fare and gives us an interesting spin on a classic tale, resulting in a film that's both entertaining and scientifically accurate (sort of). The film is a sci-fi retelling of Daniel Defoe's original novel, Robinson Crusoe [5], substituting a tropical island for a harsh Martian landscape. When Commander Christopher 'Kit' Draper (played by Paul Mantee [6]) and his co-pilot Colonel Dan McReady (a pre-Batman...

The first thing that came to my mind after only a few minutes of watching Criterion's new Blu-ray transfer of Robinson Crusoe on Mars was Forbidden Planet. This isn't exactly a mind-blowing revelation. In fact it's a rather elementary observation at best, which is exactly where my knowledge of old school sci-fi films lies.

I like old school science fiction, but I don't have the patience to search out the quality amongst the crap. I'm a huge fan of the original "Star Trek" television series, I enjoyed Forbidden Planet and had fun with director Byron Haskin's Robinson Crusoe on Mars, but Haskin's original War of the Worlds did very little for me. I know in some circles this is probably considered blasphemy, but if it helps any Steven Spielberg's remake, while I admit to enjoying it when I saw it the first time in theaters, hasn't been a...