Movies

The Locked Room (1929) Complicated melodrama in which most of the trouble is caused by people trying to protect someone else's honor. Barbara Stanwyck in the leading role and Zasu Pitts as minor comedy relief. Pretty archaic. 6/10

Message From Space (1978) Of all the cheap Star Wars copies three stand above the rest: Battle Beyond the Stars from the U.S., Italy's Star Crash, and this from Japan's second-string studio Toei. Star Wars gave permission to jumble together any crazy sci fi looking stuff with a bunch of mystical magical fantasy and say it was science fiction. This has a strong infusion of the aesthetic of Japanese children's adventure shows in its crazily costumed silver-faced horn-helmeted villains, but there is the usual abundance of ray guns, sword fights, explosions, and model spacecraft zooming nonsensically around. Sonny Chiba and Vic Morrow lend their star power. It seemed a bit more interesting when I saw it in the theatre but if you want to see one of these things it will do fine. 7/10

Veteran (male) character actor Eisei Amamoto as the

Grand Empress in the best electric wheelchair ever.