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When Bette Met Mae (2014)

Not Quite A "Bumpy Night", But

I had no idea this film existed until I came across the DVD at Amoeba records. I was excitedly intrigued by the belief that this was a filmed account of an early 1970's meeting between Hollywood Icons Mae West and Bette Davis. Upon popping the disk in, I was immediately disappointed to learn that it was a reenactment synced to an audio recording of the event. However, I was quickly WON OVER – the performances of Karen Telhia as "Bette" and Victoria Mills as "Mae" caused me to do double– takes. Visually they are AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to their subjects. Their perfect execution of mannerisms and superb lip-syncing absolutely compliment these compelling performances. Don't let the somewhat less- effective still photos of the actresses in character throw you. These women could easily make a few bucks on the side appearing in character. I'd love to have Ms. Telhia come to a party as Bette! And shame on LA Weekly writer Martin Tsai for calling the performances "cringe-worthy" – he's clearly not a big enough fan of Bette and Mae to know how they looked and behaved in the 70's. Everything works – even the soft focus on "Mae" – which is how she preferred to appear on that era's talk shows.

Since this is a review for your benefit, I should share a bit of criticism. The conversation upon which this is all based is somewhat superficial. One wonders if it's worth all the fuss. For the most part, the two women compliment each other throughout, Bette aggressively so. There are no revelations, just general anecdotes about their lives and observations on their industry – the sort of banter one might share with another not personally known. It is interesting to observe that neither woman is particularly familiar with the life and career of the other. By the time Bette briefly speaks of her marriages and the unusual death of second husband Arthur Farnsworth, you may find yourself shouting questions of your own, wishing for elaboration. However, anecdotes provided from both the spoken narrative and interviews with incidental figures nicely flesh out the discussion with background info.

Despite the lack of any real profound gossip, this is a fun watch. Clocking in at just over an hour, it also an easy one. It's quite obviously a passion project, a labor of love that in my opinion, succeeds. It feels like we are witnessing these two legends in a private setting, meeting for the first time, surrounded by apparent yes-men and a star struck bartender. Above all, in an industry that often seems careless as to who they throw into the roles of beloved icons, it is the superb casting and costuming that makes this a "must see".

The Shape of Things to Come (1979)

Lost gem for OG Sci Fi geeks of the 70's!

If you were a kid in the seventies and loved Star Wars and the cheesy derivative clones it inspired, from 'Jason of Star Command' to 'Galactica', then this is for you. Of the bigger Star Wars-inspired space fantasies of the era, 'Shape of Things to Come' may have the most most in common with 1979-1981's 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' movie and TV series. Though Buck's budget had the advantage, the overall look is quite similar. The cheesy "futuristic" art design, materials and props that were available and may have looked 'far-out' to the 1980 eye are all in place. The lead actress has Erin Gray's 'Wilma Deering' hairdo, and, hey, there's Jack Palance, who played an evil villain in a Buck Rogers 2-parter, playing, well, a evil villain, in a, well, very similar costume. Having Barry Morse from the popular 70's British show 'Space:1999' also thrown in makes for good measure. There's the oh-so-imitated renegade robot, with his domed head and oddly 'Robby the Robot'-esquire body. He's the comic relief. Noting a theme? It's the era. Appreciation of this film is probably purely generational, because the movie is BAD. But it has immense charm. Watching this for the first time in 2009, at age 41, I felt as if I were watching a perfect spoof of the genre I am so nostalgic for.

• Brooke Ellis

Star Trek: New Voyages (2004)

Unfortunate casting hurts this spectacular effort!

Damn! With the faithful and impressive recreations of the sets and costumes, this effort was truly promising. At first, I just assumed it was supposed to be a new crew, complete with a Vulcan and Black female Communications officer, which was fine with me because the show is so visually pleasing. Then - wait - they're supposed to actually be the classic characters? In that case - with the amount of time and money that must've went into this, the creative forces behind it should have thrown the casting net wider - a lot wider. I almost feel bad saying it, but the lame performances and outright bad acting make this a wasted effort (with the exception of Chekov - he's a keeper). Also, the audio is too dry (or are the actors just that flat?) throw in a little reverb on that opening! Also the live action video is too crisp, isn't there an effect used to make digital look like film? Regardless I applaud the awesome resurrection of the Enterprise Bridge, the colorful uniforms - everything that isn't acting! Way to boldly go!