Nicholas Meyer’s Time After Time was released today, lost in the shuffle amidst the Simpsons and LOTR releases. Never a smash hit, the movie has always had a solid cult following thanks to cable and rental. I’ve always loved it, and I can’t wait to own the DVD.
For those who haven’t seen it, it’s an engaging time-travel/mystery/romance starring Malcolm McDowell as H.G. Wells and David Warner as Jack the Ripper. Wells actually invents a working time machine, Jack steals it and escapes into 20th century San Francisco, and Wells must follow him and track him. Lots of great little bits, including Wells trying to order food in a McDonald’s, and finding himself a pair of spare glasses in a desk at a Wells exhibit at the museum.
I’ve always wanted to see the whole thing, having caught bits and pieces of it over the years on television. Never watched it from beginning to end. Wonder if my local video store will have a copy for rent? (Probably not, it’s a lousy store.)
It’s a great movie. I really liked it. McDowell did an especially good job at portraying an intelligent man dropped into the future. At first, he’s totally befuddled, but he ‘gets it’ fairly quickly and manages to get himself around pretty well over time.
And David Warner plays a really frightening bad guy. He was great in ‘Straw Dogs’.
One of McDowell’s few protagonist roles (that I can recall off the top of my head, anyway), and so contrary to his usual characterization. He pulls it off well, IMO. I keep getting this truly bizarre image in my head of H.G. and Alex (Clockwork Orange) when I watch this flick.
I’m also with Sam Stone on David Warner. This guy was just born to play the heavy. He’s so damn good at it.
Thanks a heap, pldennison, now I’ve gotta go dig up the videotape and watch this one again. Shouldn’t take me more then an hour or so to find the bloody thing…
I must have watched this movie 20 times or more on HBO as a kid. I haven’t seen it in over 15 years, I’m sure. I always loved it. I’ll have to pick this one up.
Is there a database or list of where you guys find out what is on DVD, what’s being released, and so on? I’d like a good reference for things like this.
Argh! I was at Best Buy today and they didn’t even have it. I was so disapointed. I must have stood in the Sci-Fi section staring in between The Time Machine (2002) and The Time Machine (the 60s version) and beyond, seeing if it was wedged out of sight. But alas. Not even the video store had it.
A friend of mine bought me Time After Time and I watched it as soon as it got here today and made everybody else watch it too.
Yesterday it was LoTR, which was delivered from Amazon before noon (I’m getting the Super Duper Edition for an early Christmas present, but I’m horribly impatient)
Tomorrow, Clash of the Titans. God, I love that bad movie.
