The Robots of Death

The TARDIS deposits Leela and the Doctor deep into the bowels of a mining ship on a barren desert planet. Soon after their arrival, members of the ship's crew start to turn up dead. The Doctor and Leela are immediately suspected of the murders but we, the audience, know that a robot is the real killer. But how can that be? Robots are programmed to be incapable of harming humans. Could it be that someone has reprogrammed the robots? Will anyone survive these automated assassins? The Robots of Death is a great serial. It marries classic sci-fi tropes with Agatha Christie-style plotting. Imagine And Then There Were None on a spaceship. The robots look great and the mining ship's miniature is also very well done. Leela is definitely coming into her own as a companion even though the Doctor remains rather cold with her.

Rating: Bumblebees%

One Crazy Summer

John Cusack stars as Hoops McCann, an aspiring animator in search of inspiration and romance. He ends up finding a little bit of both after accepting an invitation to spend the summer in Nantucket. One Crazy Summer is an 80s movie through and through: it’s got a rich, blonde bully, a greedy real estate developer and a winner-take-all race at the finale. It also has a lot of personality; the movie is filled with absurdist gags and blink-and-you’ll-miss-them visual jokes. The cast is great too, with performances from Cusack, Demi Moore, Bobcat Goldthwait, Curtis Armstrong, Joel Murray, Joe Flaherty, Jeremy Piven, Taylor Negron and the mean guy from that Twisted Sister video. One Crazy Summer has it all: comedy, romance, cartoon rhinos, crossbows, cute fuzzy bunnies, a giant dolphin with rabies and a guy stuck in a Godzilla suit destroying a model village. Truly, something for everyone.

Rating: 71%

(Image from Wikipedia)