ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

What John Travolta did NOT do in Battlefield Earth (star in a good movie and display his awesome acting talent), he DID do in this one.

In spades.

John is slicker than snot on a doorknob in this lively movie, a villain so evil and crafty that we can't help but love him. We fully understand why Christian Slater yearns for John's approval, even when he finds out he's as twisted as a licorice Twizzle!

Samantha Mathis is the perfect home-grown honey for the role of heroine, although the glamor shot below demonstrates just how well she hid her light under a bushel 'a corn so she'd be believable as a dedicated Park Ranger who took a dim view of nukes that might mar the beauty of the American Midwest!


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The climax aboard the nuke-carrying train is brilliant, and Slater's slow-motion dive out the door of the box car is poetry in motion! Travolta accepts his just deserts with a smile that's damn-near Satanic — which is perfectly consistent with the character he's created in this great action film.

If you haven't seen, you're in for a treat. Here's the trailer.


___________________ Broken Arrow - trailer


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

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has 54 trivia items for this movie. Here’s a few of the ones I found the most interesting, in the blue text.
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John Travolta was given the choice of playing either Deakins or Hale in the film. He chose the villain Deakins.

Note from me: I'm glad John realized how good he be at playing the villain, and left the role of the good guy to Mr. Slater. I can't image is working nearly as well the other way around.

Popular movie-news Web site Ain't It Cool News got its name from a line in the movie.

Note from me: I remember that line very well, along with John's line, "Hot damn, what a rush!" when the shock wave from the underground nuclear explosion made a "wave of dirt" flow past his vehicle.

The deep reverberating guitar solo in the recurring musical cue was performed by Grammy Award winner Duane Eddy.

Note from me: I still have about six 45 rpm's of Duane Eddy's singles from the 1950s.

When I taught 2nd grade from 2008 to 2012, I occasionally played tapes of oldies rock 'n roll in my classroom. I taught the kids how to tell the difference between Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, along with the difference between a tune by Duane Eddy and one by Chet Atkins. Chet usually has a orchestra backup with strings, like in this one called Jitterbug Waltz (written by Fatz Waller).

_______ CHET ATKINS ~ THE JITTERBUG WALTZ


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But the Chet Atkins tune below is an exception (no orchestra), and it was one of the kids' favorites. You'll know why when you hear it.

_____________________ Chet Atkins - Slinky


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Duane Eddy's records can be identified by the way he often has one of the guys in his group — The Rebels — doing Rebel yells in the background during a sax solo in the middle.

Duane's version of the title theme to the film Because They're Young (with Dick Clark doing a great job as a High School teacher who helps troubled teens) is an exception to that rule: no sax solo and no Rebel yells.

But ironically, this Duane Eddy piece has a stringed orchestra backup, like Chet Atkins did!

Because They're Young has a special significance for me. In the late 1950s, three friends and I wrote words to it that celebrated our imaginary superhero personas — Bolt, Streak, Mercury, and Sarney (a boy from Saturn).

I still remember the words.

____ _____ Duane Eddy - Because They`re Young


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