Black Horizon | Paul Michael Robinson, Hannes Jaenicke | another entertaining Fred Olen Ray joint

Black Horizon | Paul Michael Robinson, Hannes Jaenicke | Worst Movie In All History of All Planets of All...

DVDs:

Black Horizon

	Black Horizon Paul Michael Robinson, Hannes Jaenicke Lions Gate, 2004 average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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another entertaining Fred Olen Ray joint

I was initially attracted to the films of director Fred Olen Ray due to the casting of Fred "The Hammer" Williamson in his movie ACTIVE STEALTH. I soon realized the Fred Olen Ray doesn't only have the savvy to utilize a legendary actor like "The Hammer," but Ray is a fine filmmaker in his own right. Ray's movies (especially with a director's commentary track on the DVD) are very entertaining... don't expect the big-budget fireworks of ARMAGEDDON, SPACE COWBOYS, or INDEPENDENCE DAY, but prepare yourself for a fun 90 minutes anyway.

BLACK HORIZON concerns a rescue effort in space. The Russian space station AVMA is in trouble. A team of astronauts, including Michael Dudikoff and retired Navy diver (?!) Hannes Jaenicke, visit the space station on the rescue mission. Meanwhile, the reentry codes have been stolen or changed by some opportunistic Russian. Here on Earth, Ice T pursues the Russian scoundrel to get the reentry codes.

The acting is spotty. I thought Dudikoff's acting was convincing and edgy. The female lead, Yvette Nipar, was very good. The rest of the acting varied from fair to poor. Usually Hannes Jaenicke does a better job.

Essentially, BLACK HORIZON is a low-budget action movie. Sometimes the pace drags, and sometimes (like when during a meteor storm all hell is breaking loose aboard AVMA), it's quite exciting.

The inclusion of a Director's Commentary track from Fred Olen Ray was a must. Ray, as always, is a barrel of laughs. He talks about how various scenes were shot and what locations were used. He pulls the rabbit out of the hat--special effects are demystified and explained. It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of low-budget movies, and all aspiring filmmakers should experience some of his commentaries.

Also check out the DVDs for ACTIVE STEALTH and VENOMOUS, two other Ray-helmed flicks. Each is available with a commentary track.

Ken Miller

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Worst Movie In All History of All Planets of All...

I rented this because of Michael Dudikoff. I realize his career is on the skids, and he'll agree to any job, but this is just awful.

I cant count the number of times I saw stock footage. They stole a scene from "Space Camp" where the NASA computer was calculating the chances of thermal curtain failure. You can even seen Jinx in the reflection. I also saw the F16/F15 swap. And what about the Space Shuttle scenes where it's the Enterprise, the Columbia, and the Atlantis?

There was a budding romance that quickly ended in the vacuum of space right when it was getting interesting. They also blew up the shuttle in the fakest explosion I've ever scene. Looks like a sparkler. The same goes for when they blew up the station. And what about the artificial gravity? I might have believed it of the station (even though it wasnt rotating), but they had this space elevator that also had artificial gravity. It was just killing me. And this is a recent film!

Doctor Who was far better filmed. This movie now rates worse than "Clockwork Orange" and "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask". I demanded my money back when I took it back to Blockbuster, and they gave it to me. This movie should be reported to someone for copyright infringement. Space Camp was never listed amongst the credits.

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