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      Mark R. Leeper

      Mark R. Leeper

      Tomatometer-approved critic
      Biography:

      In and out of science fiction circles Mark and Evelyn Leeper are one of the best known writing couples on the Internet. Mark became an avid science fiction fan at age six with TV's "Commando Cody." Both went to the University of Massachusetts in 1968. There Mark introduced Evelyn to the Science Fiction Society and fandom. Both were active members and officers of the society. In 1978 they founded the Bell Labs Science Fiction Club and their own weekly fanzine, now called the MT VOID (pronounced "Empty Void"). In the early 1980s their writing found its way to the Internet where Mark is now the longest-running regularly published film reviewer. They are widely traveled. Mark is best known for his film reviews and analysis, his weekly editorials, his travel writing, and for fannish origami.

      Favorites:

      QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1968), LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, SCHINDLER'S LIST, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

      Publications:
      Critics' Group:
      Official Website:

      http://www.geocities.com/markleeper

      Movies reviews only

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      Rating T-Meter Title | Year Review
      6/10
      The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023) THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER starts out narrated by the "angry Black girl" of the title. The story follows the plot of FRANKENSTEIN, with director Story staying closer to the plot of the Shelley novel than either James Whale or Terence Fisher did. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Jun 18, 2023
      6/10
      Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story (2022) A lot of people these days on the Internet and elsewhere seem to have an unquenchable thirst for celebrity biographies. In this regard, HOLLYWOOD DREAMS & NIGHTMARES is just feeding that appetite. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Jun 13, 2023
      7/10
      Blood Relatives (2022) BLOOD RELATIVES is definitely a new take on the vampire mythos. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Nov 19, 2022
      7/10
      Jungle Cruise (2021) JUNGLE CRUISE (the movie) was based on "Jungle Cruise", a Disneyland ride, so I wasn't expecting much, and was definitely pleasantly surprised. All in all, this is a fun movie. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      9/10
      Last Night in Soho (2021) LAST NIGHT IN SOHO looks back at the 1960s through the dreams--often nightmares--of Ellie, a would-be fashion designer (played by Thomasin McKenzie), in the present-day. This is a surprising film with enough ideas for two films. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      9/10
      House of Gucci (2021) This is more than a film about fashion; this film is an Italian family epic in much the same style as THE GODFATHER, but based on a true story. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      9/10
      Nightmare Alley (2021) NIGHTMARE ALLEY is described by its makers as a new adaptation of the book by William Lindsay Gresham, not a remake of the 1947 classic film noir version, and everything about this new production is top-notch. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      6/10
      Acasa, My Home (2020) ACASA, MY HOME is a documentary about a family which has been living in the Bucharest delta for twenty years with few modern conveniences. Then the government turns the delta into a nature preserve and the family must leave the delta and live in the city. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      6/10
      Swan Song (2021) Cameron (Mahershala Ali) is dying, and to save his family from grief, he agrees to being cloned with all his memories except the ones that would tell him he is a duplicate. The plot has similar ideas to FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, and also MOON. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      6/10
      Wolfgang (2021) In the 1970s, being a chef was a blue-collar job. The owner of a restaurant might be known, but not the chef. Food in the United States was fairly terrible (think TV dinners). Puck changed that, and this documentary shows how. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      6/10
      Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021) KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME, a biography of Kurt Vonnegut, has most of his early life told with home movies. Later the narrative is from photos of his articles, books, first pages of manuscripts, and footage shot by director Robert B. Weide and others. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      6/10
      Needle in a Timestack (2021) NEEDLE IN A TIMESTACK is based on a story by popular SF author Robert Silverberg. Though he has been a prolific author for the last 70 years, little of his work has been filmed (the major exception is THE BICENTENNIAL MAN, based on "The Positronic Man"). - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      8/10
      Playing With Sharks (2021) PLAYING WITH SHARKS--THE VALERIE TAYLOR STORY, from National Geographic, tells the story of Valerie Taylor, who has worked to educate the world about sharks, and to promote conservation efforts for them. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      7/10
      Wife of a Spy (2020) We have seen a lot of spy thrillers set in Europe, usually with American or British spies, but WIFE OF A SPY is a bit different. This, the latest film from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is set in 1940 in Japan, and has as its spy a Japanese businessman. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      9/10
      Worth (2020) WORTH, a film about the September 11 Victim's Compensation Fund and the work of Ken Feinberg in assigning compensation amounts to the victims' families, uses two very good actors (Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci) in a strong and even riveting conflict. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2022
      8/10
      Midway (2019) The Battle of Midway is one of the most amazing stories in military history and I was very pleased to see a new film featuring that story. MIDWAY (2019) is the rare war film that gets more points for historic accuracy than for entertainment. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 16, 2022
      5/10
      The Nowhere Inn (2020) There are aspects in THE NOWHERE INN reminiscent of SYNECDOCHE and of THE TRUMAN SHOW. This film is semi-autobiographical; it is also somewhat self-referential. - rec.arts.movies.reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 16, 2022
      4/10
      Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021) This seems to be the year for documentaries about celebrity chefs, with ROADRUNNER released at the same time as WOLFGANG. However, Bourdain has a natural feeling for the obnoxious and while we can compare the two, Bourdain's manner defeats his style. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 16, 2022
      6/10
      Becoming Cousteau (2021) BECOMING COUSTEAU is a biography of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Caveat: The subtitles for French-speakers are very badly done, with white-on-white making them hard to read. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 16, 2022
      8/10
      Being the Ricardos (2021) One suspects that BEING THE RICARDOS will have more appeal for those who remember the original "I Love Lucy" show, but there is also reasonable coverage of the technical aspects of rehearsing and filming an episode at that time. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 16, 2022
      9/10
      The Thing (1982) THE THING (1982) was not exactly John Carpenter's breakthrough film, but it may well be his best film. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      7/10
      Cyrano (2021) Kudos for the very detailed sets and production design of CYRANO, a good production even if still not up to the 1990 version of the story with Gerard Depardieu. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      7/10
      The Rescue (2021) THE RESCUE is a documentary about the rescue of a Thai boys' soccer team trapped in Tham Luang Cave in June 2018, when an early monsoon rainfall blocked many of the entrances and would soon flood the cave. - rec.arts.movies.reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      7/10
      Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen (2022) FIDDLER'S JOURNEY TO THE BIG SCREEN is more than a "making-of" documentary; the people involved with making the film talk not just about making the film, but their own backgrounds and emotions, and how they affected their work. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      6/10
      Destination Moon (1950) DESTINATION MOON (1950), the film that probably should have led off the Fifties science fiction cycle, actually is still an enjoyable adventure film even if parts are a little dated. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      5/10
      World Without End (1956) WORLD WITHOUT END could tell us a good deal about the early science fiction transitioning to more recognizable modern science fiction films, but that still does not make it a particularly notable film. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      6/10
      The Black Scorpion (1957) THE BLACK SCORPION is actually a better monster movie than I had remembered. True, there are a few embarrassing touches, but there are also some subtle touches in the script, and it boasts the effects work of Willis O'Brien, creator of KING KONG. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 14, 2022
      6/10
      Monkey Business (1952) A somewhat half-hearted film at that, neither good science fiction nor good comedy. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 11, 2022
      10/10
      Forbidden Planet (1956) One of the great and iconic science fiction films of all time. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 11, 2022
      9/10
      The Fly (1958) THE FLY (1958) is a film that surprised even its producers. I would contend that the reason this film had the impact that it did is that it really is very much an archetypal story, an "Oedipus Rex" for the scientific age. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Aug 16, 2022
      6/10
      The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is a sentimental favorite among Fifties science fiction films. It is certainly good but not nearly as good as its reputation would make it. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Feb 14, 2021
      1/10
      From Hell It Came (1957) The idea of a tribal folklore monster coming to life would not be a bad one, but that is about the only thing that is good about this often genuinely incompetent film. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Feb 14, 2021
      8/10
      Them! (1954) THEM! was one of the better Fifties science fiction films and one of only a handful that are still fairly effective forty years after it was made due in large part to some very intelligent script choices. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Feb 14, 2021
      6/10
      The Lodge (2019) Compared with old Hammer horror films, there is more atmosphere, but the same or less character development. While not quite up to Hammer's LET ME IN or THE WOMAN IN BLACK, it has its moments. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Feb 12, 2021
      6/10
      M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity (2018) The film covers Escher's entire career, from early "realistic" works through his branching out into more mathematical and surreal art, always in woodcuts, lithographs, or drawings rather than paintings. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Feb 12, 2021
      7/10
      Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) This is certainly one of the most fondly remembered of the science fiction films of the 1950s. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 18, 2020
      7/10
      All Hail the Popcorn King (2019) A study of the surrealist writer Joe R. Lansdale; his coterie of twisted but loyal fans makes for a fun film. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Aug 21, 2020
      6/10
      Color Out of Space (2019) The latest film adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's horror story of a meteor strike in the Massachusetts back woods... - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Jan 31, 2020
      7/10
      The Mortal Storm (1940) THE MORTAL STORM (1940) is a jaw-dropper about when Fascism comes to a village in Germany. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Dec 08, 2019
      9/10
      The Aeronauts (2019) With a little flare borrowed from Jules Verne, we get a story of two mid-19th century explorers who attempt to travel by balloon higher above the Earth than any humans had ever been to that point. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Dec 06, 2019
      8/10
      Woman in the Moon (1929) This was the first science fiction film to try to be serious and accurate in depicting celestial travel. While it is not too hard to find, few science fans and science fiction fans have actually seen it. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Dec 02, 2019
      5/10
      The Dead Don't Die (2019) The Dead are yet once again back from themselves when the Earth pitches a little off its axis and in zombie movie scientific logic this causes the Dead to return to life in a rural central US town. This was probably more fun to make than it to was watch. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Oct 27, 2019
      8/10
      The Riot Act (2018) While the writing could have used more work, the production designer makes a small budget work double time; the look and feel of 1901 and 1903 Arkansas feels authentic to me... - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Oct 08, 2019
      8/10
      The Day Shall Come (2019) Watching the film one is never sure what group will be skewered next by Chris Morris' bitter, toxic wit. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 30, 2019
      4/10
      The Bestowal (2018) "Steven and Death have a long (and often tedious) metaphysical discussion about questions that intrinsically have no answer." - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 30, 2019
      7/10
      Auggie (2019) The self-same story could have been told without any science fiction. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 15, 2019
      7/10
      The Magnetic Monster (1953) gives no evidence anyone knew [science] - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Sep 09, 2019
      7/10
      Driven (2018) a fast-paced joyride of a film based on the DeLorean legal case that took the attention of the country. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Aug 13, 2019
      7/10
      Ode to Joy (2019) This is a subject matter that creates some unique writing problems for the writer, Max Werner. - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Aug 06, 2019
      7/10
      Creating Woodstock (2019) It is not about the music; it is about how a group of unprepared people produced one of the biggest music events in history - Mark Leeper's Reviews
      Read More | Posted Jul 12, 2019
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