the recent version of Dune was financed as a TV movie by Hallmark , I think, so it would never have been in theatres. You know, it really wasn't that good; was ok for telly but would have bombed on general release. They are very different mediums, crossover is often a difficult process. While I enjoyed it and certain parts were excellent and well worth watching (Harkonnen bombers and the attack on Arrakeen in particular were well conceived) I still thought that David Lynch's film version had the edge on visual spectacle and entertainment - he's a much better director.

but the cgi/sfx were good. Some of the acting was terrible, much of the rest was mediocre, and the love story and intrigue around Irulan was just stupid and made a mockery of the original novel. As was the final confrontation with Alia, that was complete guff.

Now, a film that again was made for TV but was good enough to release in theatres, i reckon, was Robert Harris' "Fatherland" with Rutger Hauer and Miranda Richardson - but with the extra 20mins that finishes the story when he finds the remains of Auschwitz, not bleeding to death in a phonebox in Berlin.

Das Boot - orginally made for TV but released as a film. The Director's Cut in particular stands out, before that I would only watch the tv version (12.5 hrs of it)

Band of Brothers - with good editing there's enough material there to make a cracking film.

usually however it's very difficult to translate between tv and film, because tv is a very forgiving medium visually wheras film is not. its a q of scale and format - close-ups work on tv because the smaller viewing area and consequent loss of detail amd scope make it possible, plus because of the limited camera angle of vision (tv is usually shot on video not film) you don't need to spend as much on sets. Also screenplay breaks for editing mean that action/tension scenes don't go on as long in tv productions as they do in film.

Edited by - Tawakalna on 6/3/2004 1:19:29 AM

Hey, Time Cop, Universal Solider both were good. Some sequils may do good, but the producers don't want to waste money with theator copys. Shawshank Redemption was a sleeper, but turned around on video, became a great seller.

Edited by - Finalday on 6/3/2004 3:36:18 AM

I agree with Highlander series...there shouldn't have been any sequels at all, I believe the first would have been even more of a classic if it hadn't been slaughtered with the sequels.

And Dune...I never saw the remake, although I've heard good things about it, I'm happy with the Lynch version though so I'd prefer not to see it.

In the early nineties there was a tv movie called "By Dawn's Early Light" starring amongst others, James Earl Jones. That film had a huge effect on me as a teenager and I really wish they'd released it on the cinema. It deserved it. And because it wasn't, there are no plans for a DVD release (unless anyone knows otherwise) which guts me somewhat.

On a similar vain, there was a programme called "End Game" that came out in about 1990 on british tv and ran for three episodes - it would have made a superb film....although luckily it gained a cult following, so its now available on dvd as a boxset.

"By Dawn's Early Light" is still available on VHS. I thought it was very good too but (having a grainy copy taped off ITV yonks ago) it wouldn't have worked as a theatrical release due to it's low budget constraints. Having said that, on TV it works great. And a not very happy ending, which is always good.

Fortunately the Wing Commander film went straight to video in the UK, although there was a brief flirtation with it on Sky pay-per-view (I paid, I viewed, I regretted - it was bloody cr*p) God only knows how it got a theatrical release in N America (and WCNews tried to make out it wasn't as bad as everyone said - no, it was worse!)

Battlestar Galactica, there's another one - all the feature releases have been edited together episodes. Worked the first time, wasn't so good for later ones.

Shaun of the Dead - great stuff, loved it, v funny - but does it deserve, or even technically carry off, a theatrical release? C'mon this thing is tv/dvd fare, much as I enjoyed it.

I liked the new Dune, but it's too long for a theatre. It makes a good TV dealy. Speaking of straight to DVD stuff, any one hear anything on Starship Troopers 2? That was a pretty awesome movie that I feel does well in both medians, but how well it's sequel puts up is another question. --- VH16

I am Nobody; Nobody is Perfect; Therefore, I am Perfect

I picked up Starship Troopers 2 yesterday. Not too bad for direct-to-video. Acting-wise the only one worth mentioning would be the lead character, played by Richard Burgi. Special effects-wise it's pretty decent. Storywise-it's kind of creepy, but it's stuff that I've seen before. The director is Phil Tippett, the special effects wizard who did the special effects for the original movie. Starship Troopers 2 is his directing debut. It's about a half-hour shorter than the first movie. It's less action-packed but suspenseful. Unfortunately, it's somewhat predictable. The weapons are absolutely pathetic. The gore is definitely on par with the first one. It even takes some of it a step further. This is definitely NOT a movie for kids. Or for those with weak stomachs. Certainly not a bad effort, but I still prefer the original movie. Of course, I prefer the orginal book by Robert A. Heinlein over the first movie.


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