Monday, August 29, 2011

s1e01 - The Pilot Episode

The first episode of the first season of MacGyver begins, like a number of the early episodes, with a James Bond style pre-credit sequence.  Somewhere in Central Asia, a USAF airplane has crash landed and the Communists were able to salvage a classified missile. MacGyver has been sent behind the lines to disarm the missile and rescue the pilot.


After climbing to the cliff-top Mac locates the captured pilot and disarms the missile. To free the pilot, he needs to create a diversion and we get MacGyverism #1. Using an AK-47, some twine, a stick, a tree and a book of matches, MacGyver rigs the gun to fire, creating his diversion. The pilot escapes from his cage and by way of MacGyverism #2, a flare-gun is turned into a rocket thruster to propel the two men off the side of the cliff. MacGyver deploys his parachute and the two men float to safety. And so the pilot episode of MacGyver is off to an action packed start...


Dr. Marlowe has come to a top-secret laboratory in the Arizona desert to visit his friend and colleague Dr. Steubens. After passing through the elaborate security systems, he is escorted down to the lab on level 3 by Barbara Spencer, Dr. Steubens' assistant. About a half hour into their visit, a series of explosions rock the laboratories and an acid tank is ruptured. Since the odds of success are slim, MacGyver is flown in aboard Blue Thunder to break his way into the labs and rescue the people trapped inside.

It turns out that the sulfuric acid leak is working its way down to the aquifer, which leads to the Rio Grande. In a little under five hours, the place is going to be flooded with sodium hydroxide (the stuff used to clean the flesh off skeletons) to neutralize the acid and stop it from contaminating the water supply.


Since this is a high-security lab, MacGyverism #4 comes in handy. The elevator shaft is guarded by an elaborate laser security system. Using three cigarettes to be able to see the laser beams and a binocular lens, Mac short-circuits the system and can now climb down to the level 2 labs. It isn't long before it's time for MacGyverism #5. Using his trusty Swiss Army Knife, MacGyver cuts the end off a fire hose which he ties a knot in the end of and buries underneath a girder that is blocking the way. He turns on the water, the hose fills and lifts the girder a few inches. Hoping his back doesn't give out, MacGyver pushes the girder out of the way and finds a room full of scientists, including Barbara Spencer; who is going to guide Mac down to level 3 of the facility.

Our pair head off down a shaft and are soon caught in an airlock and it's here we learn that in a half hour, the military is going to fire off an underground missile at the base of the lab to fuse the bedrock to stop the acid from leaking into the aquifer. And MacGvyer lost his two-way mic while escaping from the airlock!

Using chocolate bars to stop stop the acid leak (MacGyverism #6), the two make their way to the lab next to the one in which the Nobel Prize nominated scientists are trapped. MacGyverism #7 will do the trick. Emptying a cold capsule and replacing the medicine with sodium metal, and placing that into a quart sized jar of water creates an instant bomb which blows open the wall. Steubens pulls a gun on our heroes as it was he who set off the bomb. He couldn't stand to see his research perverted and used as a weapon. Barbara is shot, Steubens is subdued and Mac races to the power room where he cuts the lights out in the building and uses light pulses as Morse code to let everyone know that the acid leak has been stopped and the scientists have been rescued. The missile launch is aborted in the knick of time and so ends the pilot episode of MacGyver.


As pilot episodes go, this one was quite well done. It co-starred Dana Elcar (in a role other than Pete Thornton) and Darlanne Fluegel as Barbara Spencer. It setup the series nicely and gave us a look at what the series has to offer. It's also one of the few times that MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, is actually seen firing a gun. A few of the effects are a little dated and Mac slips into an odd Southern accent a few times, but it's a lot of fun and a great start to the legend that is MacGyver.

 

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Conan: King of Thieves

With all this Conan around, it got me thinking of that stack of Starlog magazines sitting by the a/c unit; that and the fact that I had to move them as the thing sprung a leak. Here's a little something from the May 1984 issue about the upcoming movie Conan: King of Thieves...

Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Complete Barbarian

A look back in humor by America's favorite bodybuilder-turned-actor, now battling swords and sorcerers as Conan: King of Thieves.
by Brian Lowry

If you don't agree with the slogan "money talks" - particularly in the film industry - just listen to Arnold Schwarzenegger: "Every decision is based on money." he says emphatically.

And if you don't agree with Arnold Schwarzenegger when he sounds emphatic - well, it's your neck, you tell him.

Actually, the Austrian-born actor would probably only laugh if you did. He has reason to smile these days, for money - to the tune of more than $100 million worldwide - has talked producer Dino De Laurentiis and Universal Pictures into mounting a sequel to 1982's Conan the Barbarian filmed down Mexico way and slated for release later this year.

Only Schwarzenegger is returning in this follow-up; most of the original cast (James Earl Jones, Sandahl Bergman, William Smith) were hacked to pieces in the first adventure. This time, the supporting barbarians include Wilt Chamberlain, Grace Jones and Sarah Douglas.

Surprisingly, one person left standing on the sidelines is writer/director John (The Wind and the Lion) Milius - of whom Schwarzenegger has said "There never would have been a Conan movie without him." Milius, who once avowed that he could go on making Conan movies for the rest of his life, is not involved in the sequel. Director Richard (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) Fleischer replaces him.

Additionally, this sequel will seek a PG rating rather than its forebear's R badge of butchery. The first film's violence and bloodshed has been cited as a reason for its relative dearth of merchandising spin-offs and its limited number of under-18 admissions, both of which reduced potential income. Conan: King of Thieves will be an adventurous tale of fantasy, according to Universal, rather than a violent quest for revenge.

Roy Thomas, who helped revitalize interest in Conan by bringing Robert E. Howard's pulp hero into Marvel Comics stardom in 1970, co-wrote the screenplay with fellow comic book writer Gerry Conway. The two also scripted Ralph Bakshi's Fire & Ice. Final polishing of the screenplay was done by Stanley (Firestarter) Mann.

The script of Conan, Conan: King of Thieves reportedly underwent various revisions, in an effort to keep the barbarian chained within a PG-rating.

Schwarzenegger has strong feelings about playing a less savage Cimmerian. "I think it's a mistake," he says. "I know Sylvester Stallone made an extra $20million because he got a PG-rating for Rocky Ill, but it's a matter of how much you want to stay within the character's reality.

"Can you slaughter people and never see blood? Is it possible? You must have battles. That's part of life, war and Conan."

  
The Candid Cimmerian
It quickly becomes apparent that Schwarzenegger is remarkably frank, good-natured and affable. And after looking at him, it's not all that hard to understand. He can afford to be. Although now out of bodybuilding and into acting, Schwarzenegger, at 6'2", is still a formidable sight. When he walks into a room, he looks like a tank camouflaged in a business suit.

And business is certainly what his screen career has been all about.

"Since I didn't have financial troubles, I didn't have to go out and act to make a living. I could wait for projects which would help me one way or another with my career," he explains. "Even when I did The Villain - I read the script and knew it was not interesting -I thought I would love working with Ann Margret and Kirk Douglas; I could learn from them. I wanted to work with Hal (Megaforce) Needham, because he's a very different kind of director and I would learn.

"This is the way I chose my roles: I had to find something in the package that interested me or which could slowly move me up."

After receiving positive reviews for Stay Hungry and Pumping Iron, his waiting strategy paid off with Conan the Barbarian, a serious part suited to his physique - which, he admits, isn't that of the typical leading man. Earning $50 million domestically, Conan really reached blockbuster status thanks to its performance abroad, as it became the highest-grossing film in the history of Germany and Austria. As a native Austrian (who recently became a naturalized American citizen), did Conan's success in his homeland spell any special significance?

"Anywhere it did well makes me happy," he says booming with laughter. "Doing a sequel usually means they're pretty happy with the first one. And Conan has been very profitable to everyone involved."

There won't be just one sequel, however. Present plans - and Schwarzenegger's contract - provide for Conan: King of Thieves and four subsequent adventures. On the tourism front, Universal has added to its studio tour "The Adventures of Conan," a $3 million stunt-and-special effects attraction, which features fierce sword fights, laser beam sorcery and a 17-fool mechanical dragon. The studio also recently announced they have  urchased film rights to all the Conan novels and short stories by Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter and others.

"I thought that [the tour] was a pretty good sign," says Schwarzenegger, who had been previously uncertain about the barbarian's future in the jungles of Hollywood. "It shows that Universal is really committed to Conan. I am.

"He is a fun character to play, to bring to people. I could see myself playing him until Conan X. I could do a Conan every few years and other projects in between them."

Nine sequels? "That's up to Dino," Schwarzenegger admits. "It was a fact that Rocky III was the last Rocky movie, and now, they're working on Rocky IV; First Blood was supposed to be one movie, and now, there will be a second one, maybe Second Blood.

"So, it all depends. If Conan V makes $100 million, they'll probably be stupid enough to do a sixth one."
 

The Bandaged Barbarian
Listening to Schwarzenegger talk about innumerable sequels is remarkable when you realize the experiences he underwent during the first one. Due to his massive physique, finding a stunt double to match was all but impossible. Instead, the actor did almost all of his own stunts - leaping off a 50-foot tower, getting mauled by wolves and wrestling a 36-foot, hydraulically-operated snake.

Additionally, Schwarzenegger was bitten on the head by the camel he punched out, fell down and cut his forehead badly in the cave where he discovered the Atlantean sword, and was nearly decapitated while lensing the orgy chamber battle. When the axe wielded by former Oakland Raider Ben Davidson was parried by Schwarzenegger's sword, the axe blade flew off, striking Schwarzenegger's shoulder and missing his head by inches.

Still, when it comes to finding the bright side to such a situation, Schwarzenegger seems more like Little Orphan Annie than barbaric Conan. "The only way you could do the role is by going through the physical pain in reality, to really get its feeling," he explains, noting the difference between acting and reality. "Then, you don't have to fake the facial expressions. I mean, if you get attacked by wolves, you look scared - you don't have to make funny faces anymore.

"The same goes for the snake, which could lift 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of weight. It really could throw me around and I really was struggling with it.

"But I was never too concerned about the dangers. I always thought, 'Well, if I have an accident, to hell with it, I have an accident. And Milius would always tell me, 'Whatever accident you have, remember the pain is temporary, the movie is permanent."

He survived - and the movie became a success. According to Schwarzenegger, based on the feedback he has received: "Not one guy who is a Conan fanatic or a Robert E. Howard freak, didn't like the movie. That's the biggest compliment you can get - to please the people who know the stories and love the character."

This fan response to his barbaric portrayal, the actor quickly points out, is "unlike the Flash Gordon situation (also produced by De Laurentiis), where the fans hated the result. That's why it bombed, and that's why it was important for John Milius not to let Dino interfere.

"Dino didn't want me to be in the movie," Schwarzenegger contends. "He didn't like me playing the part. He thought that I had a Nazi accent, he didn't like the way I talk. And then, Milius said, 'Well, listen, if we don't have Arnold play Conan, we have to build one; so, if you have time to build another Arnold, then go ahead."

De Laurentiis reluctantly agreed to the casting, but remained constantly concerned about the project's costs. Milius wrapped Conan the Barbarian with a $19 million price tag. That's not much, Schwarzenegger notes, compared to the $24 million De Laurentiis spent remaking King Kong, with a mechanical ape that didn't work.

"Those are the things which are important to Dino," Schwarzenegger says. "The biggest gorilla in a movie or the longest snake."

The actor largely attributes Conan's international success to director Milius, whose contractual obligations to several other film projects apparently precluded his involvement in Conan: King of Thieves. Ultimately, Conan the Barbarian is Milius' film - and a hodgepodge of cinematic elements from similar movies, from Kirk Douglas in The Vikings (directed by Fleischer) to Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's samurai films (whose The Seven Samurai proved especially Inspirational).

"Milius is such a strong director that Dino couldn't fight him," Schwarzenegger comments. "In Europe, Milius bought a lead statue of Mussolini. And then whenever he would have a meeting with Dino, he placed Mussolini on the desk in front of him. He would say, 'Dino, while you talk to me, look at this."


By design, Schwarzenegger said relatively little in the first film, speaking softly and carrying a big sword instead. "Milius never wanted Conan to talk that much," Schwarzenegger explains. "He would say, 'Look, there's nothing to be said; all you have to do is kill this guy.'

"We always wanted to make Conan the Barbarian more of a silent movie, rather than sitting around as if it was Kramer vs. Kramer."

The role's physical requirements, meanwhile, kept the actor more than busy. Aside from taking lessons in kendo, the Japanese art of sword-fighting, Schwarzenegger and co-stars trained for months with broadswords and perfected their horseback riding technique. Schwarzenegger, judged somewhat "over-muscled" by Milius, resorted to swimming and other exercises to make his ample bulk look more natural, less the product of bodybuilding.

Although Milius is out of the picture, Schwarzenegger seems unconcerned about the future direction of the Conan saga. He's quite happy to be involved in a solvent project, which hasn't always been the case. Some 12 years ago, he flexed his pecs as "Arnold Strong" in Italy for Hercules Goes Bananas, a cheesy, silly comedy recently re-released in Europe to cash in on his current popularity.

The flick's overseas success had prompted interest in its possible American distribution - to the dismay of the producers of Hercules, which toplines Schwarzenegger's Pumping Iron co-star Lou Ferrigno. The prospect of competing Olympian escapades - and decreased box office revenues - didn't thrill anyone.

Schwarzenegger, for his part, is generally unconcerned. He doesn't list the movie among his credits, but he also doesn't regret making it, though he admits that he can't see much value in its American release.

"Of course not," he says, ridiculing the notion. "It wasn't made for theaters. It was made for Italian TV on a $300,000 budget. How could it be any good in theaters?"

Still, his Hercules heroics are well behind Schwarzenegger, as are any aspirations about the field which launched his career: bodybuilding. The winner of five Mr. Olympia titles, he is no longer a competitor, but still a patron of the sport. He has also moved behind the camera as executive producer of Pumping Iron II, inspired by the original bodybuilding documentary which convinced Conan producer Edward R. Pressman that he had found the man who should be Conan. In an egalitarian twist, this follow-up focuses on female bodybuilders.

Schwarzenegger says he has no intention of appearing in the film "unless maybe I emcee the competition." He laughs. "I guess I'm relegated to emceeing now."

He remains a highly sought after presence in front of the cameras, too. Currently, Schwarzenegger is negotiating for a movie adaptation of "Big Bad John," Jimmy Dean's story song classic about "a giant of a man" and his self-sacrifice in a mine cave-in.

Whatever his film future holds, Schwarzenegger is convinced that he should hold out and wait for more "serious" roles in movies produced by major studios like Universal. The  offers to do Tarzan spoofs and the like keep rolling in, but he plans to avoid involvement in "some $3 million Italian operation. There are other bodybuilders they could use for those things," he grins.

That may be true, but there are few with the fame and physique that Schwarzenegger brings to a role. Yet, that's the dilemma which has plagued him in his bid to become a "serious" actor: his build is more suited to a bit part as the sultan's bodyguard than the leading man roles he desires. With Conan, Schwarzenegger seems to have carved himself a niche where he can be a bit of both, a sword-and-sorcery hero of mythic proportions and a serious actor as well. Like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger has a character he can return to if all else fails and, more importantly, a barbaric hero to help all else succeed.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Conan Update

Why couldn't this be the cover art?

What do you know, the Conan the Destroyer Blu-ray arrived in today's mail so here's a little more information on the featurettes on the disc.

Basil Poledouris: Composing the Conan Saga (17 minutes)
Featurette / Interview with Basil Poledouris about working with John Milius on Conan the Barbarian, composing music for film in general and his work on Conan the Destroyer.

Conan: The Making of a Comic Legend (14 minutes)
The title to this featurette is rather similar to that of Conan: The Rise of a Fantasy Legend, so I was wondering if this might be the same featurette with a different title. This is not the case. Comic Legend is an interview with Roy Thomas (creator of Marvel Comics' Conan the Barbarian series) and Gerry Conway (Marvel Comics writer). They talk about the history of Conan and Marvel Comics and their experiences while writing the story for Conan the Destroyer.

Conan: The Rise of a Fantasy Legend is available on the UK blu-ray of Conan the Barbarian.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

When the Oceans Drank Atlantis

The two Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan movies have recently been released on blu-ray; so it's time for another special features comparison.


Both the single release and the Complete Quest release of Conan the Barbarian contained all the same special features, which were:

Commentary with director John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Conan Unchained: The Making of Conan (53 minutes)
Deleted Scenes (6 minutes)
Special Effects Split Screen Comparison (2 minutes)
The Conan Archives Still Gallery (12 minutes)
2 Theatrical Trailers (4 minutes)


In addition to all the special features listed above, the two disc Conan the Barbarian: Definitive Edition Steelbook, released in the UK, had a few more extras that weren't on the Region 1 release.

Conan: The Rise of a Fantasy Legend (18 minutes)
A featurette covering the creation of Conan by Robert E Howard, the comic books and the making of Conan the Barbarian.

Well, I guess there's only this one extra. The packaging lists a "brand new documentary about fantasy films," but I can't find it anywhere on the discs.


The blu-ray retains all the special features from the previous Region 1 releases (Conan: The Rise of a Fantasy Legend is not included) and two new extras.

Art of Steel: Sword Makers and Masters (14 minutes)
A featurette on Albion Swords and the making of the Atlantean Sword and Conan's Father's Sword.

Conan: From the Vault (10 minutes)
Vintage interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Sandahl Bergman and John Milius.

The UK blu-ray has all the special features from the US release, the Fantasy Legend featurette  and is Region B locked.


While not a great movie, Conan the Destroyer hasn't gotten any love here in the United States. Both releases (this one and the Complete Quest) only have a single theatrical trailer.


The blu-ray continues the tradition and ports over the same theatrical trailer.


However, all is not lost. The above pictured release is from Hong Kong, is Region A and contains some nice special features. Well, my copy hasn't arrived yet, but they sound nice anyway. If anyone is interested, I ordered my copy at YesAsia.com.

Commentary with Director Richard Fleisher
Commentary with Olivia d'Abo and Tracey Walter
Basil Poledouris: Composing the Conan Saga
Conan: The Making of a Comic Book Legend
Original Theatrical Trailer

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Chicago Comic Con


This past weekend, the Chicago Comic Con and Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors were both in town. As I could only attend one event, the choice became obvious after comparing the guest list; I would be attending the Chicago Comic Con.

The last con I attended was the 2009 Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, so I guess I had some unrealistic expectations for this show. I knew the actors would be in the vendor's room so I was prepared for the inevitable long lines. What I wasn't prepared for was the confusion on the part of the people running the show and the complete debacle of the guest panels. At all the other shows that I've been to, the guest panels have always been handled the same way. There was assigned seating up front for those who chose to purchase it and then, everything else was general admission. The room was open and you could come and go as you please. This was not the case here. 
 
I had everything planned out before I arrived at the show. I knew which panels I would go and see and which autographs I would get. The first panel I wanted to attend was Julie Benz at Noon, however I was still waiting in the autograph line when it started, so I missed out on that one. No big deal, at least I would get my movie poster signed. After getting the autographs I came to the show for, I decided to beat the rush and head upstairs to get an early seat to see Sir Patrick Stewart. I went up at 1:15 for the 2:00 start and here is where the trouble began. 

The DeLorean Time Machine
 
You see, the powers that be decided to clear the auditorium after each panel. At this time, the line for Patrick Stewart was already wrapped around the entire floor... twice. Now, there were multiple lines for multiple events and very few Comic Con Employees who knew which line was which and were it went - not many people in line knew the answer to those questions either. Needless to say, Patrick Stewart's panel started about fifteen minutes late, which made it run fifteen minutes longer, which left no time to find the second room to see LeVar Burton. They put him in a room about one fifth the size of the main auditorium. It was a sight to see everyone try to squeeze into this smaller room which was already full to begin with.

Lamont Cranston
 
After this panel concluded with news of a new Reading Rainbow being produced, it was time to find the line for Christopher Lloyd back in the main room. At this time, the line to see Bruce Campbell, which was immediately after the Christopher Lloyd panel, appeared to be just as long as Patrick Stewart's line was, and this was over an hour in advance. The panel started late, which was expected due to the mismanagement, but what wasn't expected was that they decided to cut Christopher Lloyd's panel short because they were so far behind schedule. At this time, they kicked us all out of the room once again and there looked to be little hope at getting back in to see Bruce Campbell, so I didn't even try. I just checked out the DeLorean, looked around the vendor's room and decided to call it a day.

But what I found to be most disappointing with whole event, wasn't all the waiting in lines or all the mismanagement. It was the "feel" of the whole show. I don't really know how to express this. The Star Trek show in Vegas had this unique feel, it was a type of camaraderie and good will that was nowhere to be found at the Comic Con. It was like we were all there for the same reason and we all were having a great time (I guess it didn't hurt that I was there for the whole four day event and it was a non-stop party). This feeling wasn't present at Comic Con. It was just hurry up and stand in line and then stand in the next line. I don't know, I probably wasn't able to get this down right; and I probably had unrealistic expectations. At least I got that movie poster signed...



Saturday, August 6, 2011

Those Damn Dirty Apes

 Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
Published by Signet in November 1964 (1st Printing)

Planet of the Apes hurtles the reader into a distant simian world. With delicate irony Boulle dissects the stupidity of established authority, the vanity of human ambition, and the nature of our society. Here is a harrowing, hypnotic novel as meaningful as any of the great masterpieces of satiric literature.

"...respectfully descended from Swift on one side, and Verne on the other." -The Atlantic Monthly

"A fast-moving story, told with irony, subtle wit and imagination." -San Francisco News-Call Bulletin


 
Beneath the Planet of the Apes by Michael Avallone
Published by Bantam Books in April 1974 (3rd Printing)
 
...in the buried ruins of what was once New York City, lived an incredible race of men, mutated beyond belief by the effects of the ancient Holocaust.
 
...in the ashes of atomic dust, chimpanzees picketed for peace while their gorilla leaders prepared for war.
 
...where a great church once shone in the sunlight, dark religious ceremonies paid tribute to the Great Bomb, bringer of life and death.
   
This is the Earth, thousands of years from now, and this is the story of two men from the 20th century who somersaulted through a time warp into the most plausible and yet most fantastic adventure ever conceived.
  

  
Escape from the Planet of the Apes by Jerry Pournelle
Published by Award Books in 1973
   
The time indicator raced back through the years - from 3955 to 1973. The spacecraft held the Earth's future inhabitants - three survivors of a devastating cataclysm.
 
The capsule's occupants included Cornelius, his mate Zira, and Dr. Milo - three Apes, the thinking, speaking descendants of the species that had dominated Man and the Earth for centuries.
 
The world of 1973 welcomed them at first, pampered them when it realized their unusual qualities, threatened them later when it was learned that Zira carried the seed of the future ascendance of Ape over Man. They had to be killed! But first...
 
One of the most exciting and inventive movies becomes an enthralling book - Escape from the Planet of the Apes.
 

 
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes by John Jakes
Published by Award Books in 1974
 
The Time:  1990
 
The Place:  A gray, tightly computerized city-state, somewhere in North America
 
The Inhabitants:  Apes who serve as terrified slaves, Men who function as brutalized masters
 
Until the Apes revolt... in a battle as savage and monstrous as the bondage they'd been forced to endure for decades!
 
Don't miss the spine-tingling novel based on another in the fantastically successful Planet of the Apes film series!
 

 
Battle for the Planet of the Apes by David Gerrold
Published by Award Books in 1973
 
It was a quiet, peaceful city.
It was a city ruled by apes and served by men.
It was a city unaware of an angry band of vicious gorillas anxious to revolt and an insane cadre of mutated humans hungry to kill.
It was a city on the brink of an horrendous destruction that had happened once - and was suddenly, inexorably, happening again...
 
The apes are back in anew shocker from Twentieth Century-Fox.
 
 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Moonraker Conundrum

 

A long time ago... when DVD was a brand new format, MGM started to release a few of the Bond films. One such release was this THX version of Moonraker. The interesting thing about this release is that it contains a hidden trailer that is only available on this release and something listed as an Exciting "Making of Moonraker Featurette." 

I came across this release at a used record store that I frequently check out. This was the first time that I've ever seen it in person, so I couldn't pass it up. The case and disc are in immaculate condition, but there's a bit of a problem. I can't get any of my machines to read the bloody disc. I've tried it on both of my DVD players, my blu-ray player and my computer - all with the same results. The disc spins up, but the players don't recognize that a disc has been inserted.

So I need your help. First, is there anything that can be done to get the disc to play? The thing looks brand new without a single scratch or scuff mark. The other thing I'd like to know about is that Exciting Making of Moonraker Featurette. This disc was released before the special editions so I know that this featurette is not the Inside Moonraker Documentary which was produced specifically for the special edition release. Does anyone know what it is?  Is it the 007 in Rio featurette that is on the blu-ray? Help me internet friends, you're my only hope...