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The Return (1980)

 
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 3:28 pm    Post subject: The Return (1980) Reply with quote

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This was released in the same year as Greydon Clark's other directorial effort, Without Warning, which also had an alien threat, but this entry lacks the direct, visceral threat of the other film.

It starts out as another effort in the UFO sub-genre of sci-fi, very popular in the wake of Close Encounters (77), but soon degenerates into a confusing mystery about an unlikely local killer (Vincent Schiavelli in an early role) who uses this alien wand to fry cattle and later, people.

The whole story begins in a small town in New Mexico with the two main characters as kids. A local boy and a girl passing through town witness a large alien spacecraft moseying overhead. Many years later, the boy is the local deputy Marshall (Jan-Michael Vincent) while the girl works as a cosmologist (Cybill Shepherd) in a California city under Raymond Burr.

Of course, she ends up back at that town, investigating strange occurrences, and develops a relationship with the deputy — the two only realize later that they met years back as kids.

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Martin Landau also stars as Vincent's boss, the Marshall (he also starred in Clark's Without Warning), and there's also Neville Brand as a hostile rancher (he had a bit part in Without Warning). The pic is obviously low budget and slow-paced. There's even one shot in the final act which is improperly exposed but (I guess) had to be kept in because there was no other footage shot.

BoG's Score: 3.5 out of 10
    Goldweber, David Elroy (2012-06-14). Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film: A Complete Guide: 1902-1982 (Kindle Locations 59770-59783). David E. Goldweber. Kindle Edition.

    It's difficult to understand how so many talented actors were persuaded to join this confusing sci-fi mystery. Dialogue is awful and repetitive, never serving to develop the characters. It feels at first like Close Encounters, but later like a 70s cop movie, then later like a gory exploitation flick.

    The killer mutilates cattle (and people) with a mini light saber. I would rate the gore higher, but gore is no fun when surrounded by empty pseudo-serious drama. VideoHound gives zero stars, calling it "a mess with no idea of what sort of film it wants to be."

    Some particular moments are good — especially the vortex in the mine at the climax — and the general story is interesting for the first half. But the ultimate explanations (the few that come) are feeble, even annoying. It really is pointless.


BoG
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
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~ Cybill Shepherd recalled in her autobiography "Cybill Disobedience" (2000) that it was "not quite the worst movie ever made but close" and that the cast were "a rather sad group of actors, all trying to resurrect our diminished careers. [Raymond Burr] read his lines off a TelePrompter."

Note from me: This certainly doesn't encourage anyone to watch this movie. Sad

~ One explosion in the film turned out to be much bigger than planned. The resultant fire from said explosion burned out the electrical wires in the town where the movie was shot on location, thus causing a power outage which lasted for two hours. Greydon Clark subsequently had to pay for two hours worth of lost power.

Note from me: I'm sure the penalty included the replacement for all damages, but I'm not sure how the cost of "two hours worth of lost power" would be calculated.

~ Jan-Michael Vincent had problems with his alcoholism during the making of this film. For example, when Vincent failed to show up for work one day, director Greydon Clark had to convince Cybill Shepherd and Martin Landau to work on that day even though they weren't originally scheduled to do so.

Note from me: Jan-Michael Vincent was an appealing young actor, and he's well remembered for his starring role in Airwolf.

~ Jan-Michael Vincent did his own stunts for the scene in which he's attacked by a dog. Moreover, Vincent also did the bulk of his own motorcycle riding.

Note from me: Well, he might have been a boozer, but he was a ballsy one!

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Krel
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
~ One explosion in the film turned out to be much bigger than planned. The resultant fire from said explosion burned out the electrical wires in the town where the movie was shot on location, thus causing a power outage which lasted for two hours. Greydon Clark subsequently had to pay for two hours worth of lost power.

Note from me: I'm sure the penalty included the replacement for all damages, but I'm not sure how the cost of "two hours worth of lost power" would be calculated.

It can be figured out by comparing costs for the power consumption same time of day, and averaging it out compared to other days.

But what I want to know, is to whom was the payment made? The power company, or the poor people that went without power. I wonder if it really meant that he had to pay for the repair costs?

After the last hurricane in Louisiana, we were without power for six days, so i feel for those poor people.

I watched this on cable decades ago, but I don't remember much about it. That should tell you how memorable it was.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Good question. I don't think the reimbursement would go to the customers, because neither got nor paid for electricity during those two hours.

But of course, the power company didn't produce electricity for those two hours, so they lost revenue as a result. Therefore I suppose they would get reimbursed, based on your suggestion above. Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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