John Scott Martin Movies

A hectic caper flick with farcical overtones, Bullseye! doesn't quite hit the....oh, you know. Government scientist Michael Caine and his titled pal Roger Moore plan to auction off a cold fusion formula to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, a pair of con artists-also played by Caine and Moore-impersonate the scientist and his friends in hopes of getting a piece of the action. This leads to an unending supply of comic complications, deadly encounters, wacky recurring characters and Sennett-style chases. Is louder and faster really funnier? You be the judge (but you'll have to catch the film on home video, since it never received a US theatrical release). Roger Moore's real-life daughter Deborah Barrymore shows up as a CIA agent. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Little Dorrit was intended as the cinematic equivalent to the mammoth, eight-hour Royal Shakespeare Company's staging of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickelby. The film was released to theaters in two parts, each running approximately three hours. The first part, subtitled "Nobody's Fault," introduced us to the seamstress title character (Sarah Pickering), who chooses to live in debtor's prison with her father (Alec Guinness). Good Samaritan Arthur Clennam (Derek Jacobi) endeavors to help both father and daughter. The second part, also known as "Little Dorrit's Story," details Dorrit's escape from penury to lasting happiness. Eschewing the usual 19th century-style British music often heard in Dickensian adaptations, director Christine Edzard creatively -- and effectively -- opts for the strains of Giuseppe Verdi. Edzard's eye for period detail is also deserving of unbounded praise. Unfortunately, part two of Little Dorrit spends nearly half of its running time recapping part one, utilizing much of the same footage. For those familiar with "Nobody's Fault," "Little Dorrit's Story" is more a redundancy than a continuation. Still, taken together, parts one and two all fully deserving of the enthusiastic critical commentary that greeted them upon their original release -- not to mention the multiple Academy Award nominations bestowed upon the project and its participants. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the third episode of the four-part story "Remembrance of the Daleks," the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) tries to prevent a civil war between two Dalek factions in 1963 London. To that end, he reprograms the Hand of Ortega, a remote interstellar device, intending to hand it over to the "right" Dalek faction. This action would seem to suggest that the Doctor has taken leave of his senses: Why surrender a device capable of destroying not only both Dalek armies, but also all of Mankind? First telecast October 19, 1988, "Remembrance of the Daleks, Episode 3" was written by Ben Aaronovitch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

It started as a 1960 Roger Corman horror comedy, filmed in two days; it then inspired a lavish 1982 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Finally in 1986, Little Shop of Horrors (1960) graduated into a multimillion-dollar, all-star film musical. Rick Moranis plays nebbishy Seymour Krelborn, who works in a rundown flower shop on Skid Row. While his boss (Vincent Gardenia) bemoans the lack of business, Seymour seeks a way of bringing the shop -- and himself -- fame and fortune. He purchases a strange plant from an even stranger oriental street vendor (Vincent Wong), naming the plant after his girlfriend Audrey (Ellen Greene, one of the few carry-overs from the Broadway version). Gradually, Seymour learns to his horror that "Audrey II" (given the voice of R&B performer Levi Stubbs) craves blood and flesh. With each of Audrey II's "FEEED MEEE"s, Seymour must scare up human food to satisfy the plant's appetite. One such victim is dentist Steve Martin, a leather-jacketed Elvis type (the dentist's ultra-masochistic patient played by Jack Nicholson in the 1960 original is here impersonated by Bill Murray). The lighthearted tone of the film darkens as Audrey II grows in monstrosity, but the unhappy ending of the Broadway version is avoided herein. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of the Doctor Who adventure "Revelation of the Daleks," the Doctor discovers that Tranquil Repose, a colony of cryogenics on the planet Necros, houses the supposedly dormant body of Davros (Terry Malloy), creator of the Doctor's perennial adversaries, the Daleks. It is thus up to the hero to "neutralize" Davros before he can foment a full-scale Dalek resurrection. Complicating matters are the entrepreneurial Kara (Eleanor Bron), who uses the bodies of cryogenically frozen people as fuel for her protein factory, and a mercenary bounty hunter named Orcini (William Gaunt). Written by Eric Saward, the two-part "Revelation of the Daleks" was originally telecast on March 23 and 30, 1985. This final adventure of Doctor Who's 22nd season was later re-edited as a four-chapter cliffhanger for American TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The title tells all in the Doctor Who adventure "Resurrection of the Daleks." Caught in a time corridor, the Doctor (Peter Davison) discovers that his old nemeses, the Daleks, are back in business. This time, however, the Daleks are led by a human villain, the power-hungry Commander Lytton (Maurice Colbourne) -- and the worst is yet to come. Written by Eric Saward, "Resurrection of the Daleks" was originally broadcast in England as two 50-minute episodes, the first of which aired on February 8, 1984. It has since been re-edited into a four-part cliffhanger for American television. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Doctor Who celebrated its 20th anniversary with the 90-minute special "The Five Doctors." The life of the present Doctor (Peter Davison) is jeopardized when his four previous incarnations -- played by William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, and Tom Baker -- are taken out of time by an illegal Time Scoop. Even worse, the five doctors are confronted by a seemingly endless series of past enemies, included Daleks, Cybermen, and Yetis. The climax takes place in the Forbidden Zone on Gallifrey, where the instigator of the aforementioned time-scooping forces the five doctors to engage in the potentially deadly Game of Rassilon. Can any of the doctors save themselves -- and if not, will robot dog K-9 come galloping to the rescue? The late William Hartnell appeared only in clips from the second-season episode "Invasion of Earth: Flashpoint"; he was replaced in the body of the 20th anniversary special by Richard Hurndall. Written by Terrance Dicks, "The Five Doctors" was first presented in America on November 23, 1983, two days before its British TV debut. Since that time, it has been reedited into a four-part cliffhanger for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the third episode of the four-part story "The Invisible Enemy," the miniaturized clones of the Doctor (Tom Baker), Leela (Louise Jameson), and robotic dog K-9 continue their "fantastic journey" through the real Doctor's blood stream, endeavoring to locate and destroy the infectuous space virus called the Swarm. Alas, the virus manages to escape the Doctor's body and grows to full size, the better to replicate itself many times over -- and then to take over the Universe. Written by Bob Baker and David Martin, "The Invisible Enemy, Episode 3" originally aired on October 15, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

On the planet Karn, mad doctor Mehendri Solon (Philip Madoc) is keeping alive the brain of Morbius, the most evil of the Time Lord criminals. Fortunately, the Doctor (Tom Baker) arrives on Karn, and immediately sets about to destroy the brain. Unfortunately, he may well end up housing the brain himself, if Karn, and a mystic cult known as the Sisterhood, have any say in the matter. Beginning its four-episode run on January 3, 1976, "The Brain of Morbius" was written by Terrance Dicks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the fourth episode of the six-part story "Genesis of the Daleks," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his friends are still stranded on the war-ravaged planet Skaros, sometime in the distant past. Their principal nemesis is Kaled scientist Davros (Michael Wisher), who alone possesses knowledge of the mutation process that will eventually create the dreaded Daleks. Welcoming this disastrous metamorphosis, Davros intends to use whatever means possible to prevent the Doctor from destroying the Daleks before they can be unleashed on the universe. First telecast on March 28, 1975, "Genesis of the Daleks, Episode 4" was written by Terry Nation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of the six-part story "Genesis of the Daleks," the Doctor (Tom Baker) at last has the means to destroy the mutant Daleks created by evil genius Davros (Michael Wisher). Suddenly, however, the Doctor begins to ponder the long-range consequences of his actions. Can it be possible that the universe would be even worse off should the Daleks not survive? A satisfying if not entirely happy ending caps Terry Nation's teleplay for "Genesis of the Daleks, Episode 6." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the third episode of the four-part story "Death to the Daleks," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is caught between two warring factions on the planet Exxilon. Helped by rebel leader Bellal (Arnold Yarrow), the Doctor and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) continue their search for a plague that threatens the entire galaxy. But the dreaded Daleks put a crimp in the Doctor's humanitarian scheme. Written by Terry Nation, "Death to the Daleks, Episode 3" first aired on March 9, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Unable to control the TARDIS, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) materialize just outside a huge "living city" on the planet Exxilon. The Doctor soon discovers that, in a manner of speaking, he has been brought to the planet for a purpose: to locate the missing antidote for a galactic plague which has been brought about by the dreaded Daleks. Written by Terry Nation, "Death to the Daleks" lasted four episodes. The first of these was originally broadcast by the BBC on February 23, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi