Marooned

Description

Three American astronauts are stranded in space when their retro engines won't fire. Can they be rescued before their oxygen runs out? Stars screen greats Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman, Lee Grant and Richard Crenna. Directed by John Sturges (The Eagle Has Landed).

Customer Reviews:

brings back memories.......2007-08-01

This is one of the first movies I ever saw, and while the special effects are definitely 60s, the story is great. A little like Apollo 13.

A Human Drama at the Outset of the Space Age.......2007-04-03

This may indeed be though of as a "space movie" because much of it takes place in space but to do so is to miss the point. It is a human drama.

An Apollo capsule has been in space for a while and the crew are tired and worn out. They are finally returning to earth but something goes wrong. Houston, we have a problem. At first, it is treated as just a temporary glitch but the glitch defies resolution. It becomes apparent that the astronauts run a real risk of running out of air.

Gregory Peck plays the NASA director. He is a tough man motivated by the best interests of the program. He does not see a real way to rescue the marooned astronauts. It is pointed out to him, however, that failure to even try will spell the doom of the program. Once he gets on board, he does so with every resource he can muster. Unfortunately, there is a hurricane heading for the cape. That makes launching a rescue even more problematical.

Meanwhile, on the stranded ship, the astronauts have their own problems. They realize they are on borrowed time and there is not a thing that they can do to help themselves. Saying goodbye to their families exhausts their capabilities.

It is a sad tale extremely well done. It does not focus on the machinery, instead it focuses on the people.

The thinking man's disaster movie.......2007-03-29

This thriller came out months before Apollo 13 was launched and while it could be said it is an omen, really this is a white knuckle thriller.
Three astronauts are trapped in space after their retro's won't fire to let them come home. The rest is a race to try to save the men even though most think it is a lost cause. Simple as that,but the thrills all stem from that and if you let it will pull you in and make you sweat.
The cast is great and the F/X are great,so sit back and see how to make a thriller that doesn't relie on guns and explosions to keep you engrossed!

Moves as slowly as an astronaut d-r-i-f-t-i-n-g..........2007-02-11

This was a pretty bad movie. It suffered from the same problem as all space movies up to that time -- inability to realistically simulate zero-G. But that is the least of the film's problems. The main flaw: It's BORING. Long stretches of the movie consist of astronauts sitting in their capsule, or moving v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, while breathing very loudly. THe film's climax is also a pretty lame attempt to show that the Russians were not the bad guys -- they were great pals who would help us out in a pinch, and doubtless for selfless reasons.
All in all, an extremely forgettable film.

when critics once wrote about science fiction as silliness, movies like this only fed them fodder.......2006-10-06

a generation after "destination moon", and a year after "2001", this was the type of garbage that hollywood still was turning out and branding as "science fiction". obviously made to capitalize on that years moon landing (but before the next years eerily similar apollo 13 mission), this cannot be a bright spot on the resumes of actors like gregory peck or gene hackman or richard crenna (as for david janssen, hey, who cares?). rent some buster crabbe for a better plot and better effects.

Average customer rating:

Typical Ghobadi
non-stop screaming
"We can always say we're on tour."
Puts a face on a "faceless" people
Across the Border: Three Kurdish Musicians' Road Movie

Marooned in Iraq
Starring: Shahab Ebrahimi , Faegh Mohamadi , Allah-Morad Rashtian , Rojan Hosseini , and Saeed Mohammadi
Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Manufacturer: Fox Lorber
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AKCLX
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Description

During the Iran-Iraq war, an aging Iranian-Kurd musician hears that his wife, a singer with a magical voice who deserted him for his best friend and fled Iraq, is in trouble. He cons his two sons into acompanying him on his search for her, and they embark on an adventure filled with music, romance and danger. Acclaimed Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi's (A Time for Drunken Horses) award-winning film uses humor and wit to dramatize the plight of the Kurdish people.

Customer Reviews:

Typical Ghobadi.......2007-02-07

Not as impressive like "A Time for Drunken Horses" or "Turtles also can fly", but still a great testimony of the life in Kurdistan.

non-stop screaming.......2005-12-09

Sure the film is about hardship in a very difficult place, wonderfully shot, and all. but the film will assault you with NON-STOP SCREAMING. I love difficult cinema but this kind of screaming-dialogue is insane! The characters scream at each other constantly. Screaming in pain, screaming for love, screaming for vengence, screaming for ice cream! The film makers would have done us a favor if they would've included a second audio track of pure high-pitched white noise.

"We can always say we're on tour.".......2005-11-07

The Kurdish film "Marooned in Iraq" from director Bahman Ghobadi is set shortly after the first Gulf War. An elderly Kurdish musician named Mizra (Shahab Ebrahimi) lives in a remote village in Iran. Mizra receives a vague message for help from his ex-wife Hanareh--a woman with a beautiful voice who left Iran where "singing is forbidden for women" to take her chances in Iraq. After receiving the message, Mizra gathers up his two middle-aged sons Barat (Faegh Mohamadi) and Audeh (Allah-Morad Rashtain) and they head into Iraq. It's an arduous, dangerous journey. They pile into Barat's old motorbike and sidecar, and leave the relative safety of their primitive village--equipped with little more than their musical instruments. Audeh complains loudly that he doesn't want to leave his 7 wives and 11 daughters. Barat, on the other hand, is happy to accompany his father--although he doesn't understand why Mizra making a near-impossible journey to help a woman who ran off with his father's best friend 23 years earlier.

On the way to Iraq, Mizra and his sons encounter hardship and adventure--including an aggressive bridegroom, camps of orphans, and marauding bandits. Mizra is famous among the Kurdish population for two things--his music and his cuckoldom. And these two things go hand in hand--the acclaim of the former soon brings on the memory of the latter. Whenever the three men stop and take out their musical instruments, crowds instantly gather. Misery and suffering take a back seat--at least temporarily--to the rare opportunity to experience the joy of music. The film does not contain a great deal of dialogue (Persian and Kurdish with English subtitles). The plot is sparse, and intense--yet the infusion of humour and hope combine to make "Marooned in Iraq" a superb film.

"Marooned in Iraq" stands as a testament to the crimes against the Kurds conducted by Saddam Hussein, and for anyone interested in how Saddam was given chemical weapons in the first place, I recommend "Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White House Illegally Armed Iraq" by Alan Friedman--displacedhuman

Puts a face on a "faceless" people.......2004-10-06

This film gets you up close and personal with the Kurds, a people with no country of their own. It gives you a glimpse of their suffering at the hand of Saddam's regime, their hopes, dreams and the geography that they call their home. Some very funny parts too... like the scene with the young lady telling off the old guy with too many wives. The brick factory scenes constitute some particularly interesting camera work.

Across the Border: Three Kurdish Musicians' Road Movie.......2004-07-13

The Kurdish film director Bahman Ghobadi ("A Time for Drunken Horses") gives us his second film, about three musicians, the aged father and his sons, who are going to find the father's wife who left him long time ago. The film is benefited from the beautifully shot pictures, with a clear-cut portraits of the main characters. And this is rare with films from Iran (where the director was born), but the film has enchanting ethnic music which is not to be missed.

During the time of the war between Iraq and Iran, Mirza, once very popular singer, receives sad news: his wife Hanareh, who eloped with another musician and went to Iraq years ago, is in great trouble. Mirza, living in Iran, decides to see her, but that means he must cross the border, where the snow-capped mountains prevent the access. So he summons his sons, Audeh and Barat. Barat happens to have a motorcycle, and Mirza takes no for answer even if Barat and Audeh (they are not Hanareh's sons, and think her as disgrace to the family) refuse to accompnay him.

So they start the journey to Iraq, hearing the incessant, terrifying noise of jet fighters. The film traces their travel sometimes with a comical touch, but it ultimately raises its tone to the very somber feeling at the end where Mirza comes to know what happened to Hahareh, and other thousands of the Kurdish people in Iraq.

The film is made with an agenda, which is not hidden at all, but thankfull it is free from any obvious political messages or preachy words. Anyone who are interested in the Middle East must know the sad history of the Kurdish people, and the film uses the knowledge as the backdrop against which the three convincingly made characters move. They are all flawed, often bickering to each other, but eventually overcome the obstacles set in their ways, if not the harsh reality surrounding them.

The film's great merit is its music. In fact, the three main leads are all played by the real musicians, and the film occasionally allows them (and other Kurds, who are really enjoying the sound) to play some tunes, which are fascinating. The film eloquently shows that the Kurdish people are in a way characterized by their music and the joy, which cannot be taken away even by the bombers or dictators.

The film is slow-moving, but the move is steady and skillful, with the visual flair of the director. "Marooned In Iraq" is a simple and beautiful film with its understated but clear message.

Product Description

When teenagers Alex Gordon and Dale Arden are stranded in space they find an adventure as they vow to destroy the evil Ming, the Merciless, and save the universe in this.

System Requirements:

Running Time 75 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

Not the best cartoon series spin-off, but not the worst either.......2006-07-31

Do NOT dismiss this updated rehash of a space-cruising youth trying to spoil the plans of an alien warlord. I didn't get the chance to fully enjoy this short lived series when it was on TV. But, I was instantly hooked by the openning and its theme music. And, then I became guilty of chasing the harder to find toys. If you liked the 80s cartoon Droids, Don Bluth's Titan AE or Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys(one of my latest favorites), then you will probably like this series. Like the latest incarnation of the 80s bonanza He-Man and the Masters of the Universe which depicts the main character as the teen he was supposed to be, this variation on Flash Gordon takes away the semi-goofy spandex tshirt image of a middle-aged man and puts in a younger man and his teen girl friend which is far more believeable and appealing to youth in the age of Xtreme sports.

Coming from the generation bombarded with cartoons geared toward selling mass reproduced toys with goofy gear and playsets, I can either hate this cartoon for being a dying effort to continue this tradition or I can smile at what I think was a short-lived series with potential. Sure, it pales to the original for those die-hard Flash fans. But, come on! The original concept is a little hard to swallow anyway. An athletic all-star and his girlfriend go flying in a rocket to stop some Alien Warlord from destroying earth with a nutty professor? And, then all the other races in space and all the sexy fem-fatale alien queens want him like a Tag bodyspray ad? And, people say He-Man was cheesy. This is a playful fantasy concept much like Buck Rogers or Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.[I mean who thought of THAT one? It's the stuff Calvin of Calvin and Hobbs dreamed of.]

I already own this video and await the entire series. I will buy both the 79 series and the newer one for the basic value of inspiration. Neither these nor the old movies remain a very believable concept, but the 90s series would have been more inspiring to me as a kid than just another old guy hero. It holds up to such other successors of the young hero genre like Batman Beyond and Static Shock.

"The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979)" to be released on DVD July 18, 2006 (region 1).......2006-04-28

BCI Entertainment is releasing the complete series of "The New Animated Adventures of Flash Gordon" July 18th, according to tvshowsondvd. This 1979 series is going to get the Deluxe (fantastic extras) DVD treatment. Fans, the wait is over.

Flash, Dale, and Ming return in that awesome rotoscope style!

As for "Flash Gordon: Marooned on Mongo - The Animated Movie", I have no comment.

wrong moive........2006-04-27

This is a sad, sad show.
I thought it was the filmation flash gordon movie.

This is AWFULL !!!!!.......2005-09-09

The only thing this has in common with the original is the character names. Flash and Dale are snotty skateboarding teens. The story, what there is of it , is week. This actually makes the old Buster Crabbe serials look like masterpieces. Wish i could give this a zero star

Average customer rating:

brings back memories
A Human Drama at the Outset of the Space Age
The thinking man's disaster movie
Moves as slowly as an astronaut d-r-i-f-t-i-n-g...
when critics once wrote about science fiction as silliness, movies like this only fed them fodder

Marooned [Region 2]
Starring: Gregory Peck , Richard Crenna , David Janssen , James Franciscus , and Gene Hackman
Director: John Sturges
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00020JQEY

Customer Reviews:

brings back memories.......2007-08-01

This is one of the first movies I ever saw, and while the special effects are definitely 60s, the story is great. A little like Apollo 13.

A Human Drama at the Outset of the Space Age.......2007-04-03

The thinking man's disaster movie.......2007-03-29

Moves as slowly as an astronaut d-r-i-f-t-i-n-g..........2007-02-11

when critics once wrote about science fiction as silliness, movies like this only fed them fodder.......2006-10-06

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