Such a frustrating disappointment

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Every so often a film comes along and this is a film. Earth Minus Zero is, without question, one of the towering cinematic achievements of the late 20th century. Back in the mid 90's there was a time when it seemed like everyone was saying 'when will Pat Morita make a film about an alien building an intergalactic zoo'. So it was with some excitement when director Joey Travolta - one of the true cinematic visionaries who is only equalled by Kubrick, Scorsese and Lynch – agreed to make such a movie. With the colossal talents of Pat Morita and Joey Travolta it really can be no surprise that Earth Minus Zero turned into the complex, multi-layered masterpiece it was. Its failure to even be nominated for any Oscars whatsoever is a disgrace that the Academy has only recently recovered from. Laughably the big awards that year went to films such as The English Patient, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Secrets and Lies and Shine – all films that have been more-or-less forgotten, while Earth Minus Zero continues to top critical film lists and influence film-making. Without Earth Minus Zero would we have had The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Yes in fairness we probably would have but that's not really the point.Most people remember the movie for primarily two things. One, Pat Morita's multi-nuanced performance as the midget doctor. And secondly for its ground-breaking special effects. When you watch this film you really are taken into another world. You see little people next to giant clothes pegs and books and you immediately think 'there's some little people next to giant clothes pegs and books'; it really is that brilliant in its authentic rendering of it's fantasy world. The effects are often used metaphorically, such as the memorable sequence when one of the characters enters the television set and battles with a dinosaur - that was probably a metaphor for something. Special mention must also be made in regard to the performance of Monty the Dog – he really captured the essence of what it is to be a dog in a world full of shrunken people and in many respects puts Lassie, Benji, Hooch and K9 in the shade.In the final analysis, Earth Minus Zero remains an incredible monument to what can be achieved when image and sound travel together in unison. Joey Travolta never did top this film of course, even if he did go on to direct the outstanding Enemies of Laughter. And even though Pat Morita continued to give quite brilliant performances in films such as Bloodsport 3 and The Karate Dog, this is the movie that everyone will remember him for.

Let me say this from the start. This is not a good movie. But it is an entertaining one. Just the sheer shoddiness of some of the effects, acting and directing make this film worth watching, if only so you can make fun of it with a bunch of friends. It has some genuinely funny (if unintentionally so) moments and as long as you don't spend any large amount of money to watch it (I got my copy for 97p) then it is a delightful romp of crappyness.Personal highlight: when the shrunken father (played by Sam Jones of Flash Gordon fame) is inhaled up his pet dogs nose. Also, the inconsistency of the size of shrunken characters provides an endless source of amusement.

I was half asleep, on a warm lazy sunny Sunday June afternoon when thing thing caught my eye. I couldn't figure out where I'd scene the woman acting like, I guess, some kind of a reporter. She looked familiar. I waited for the credits. How long could this movie be? I checked the channel info. Ugh. A hour and half, just about.It's intriguingly incompetent. The plot, such as it is, is about an alien (who, according to my 3 year old looked more like a robot) who comes to earth to collect specimens for a zoo. I will give you the whole movie but watch out SPOILER WARNING:*SPOILER WARNING* Most of the action takes place in one family's Liviing Room, specifically, inexplicably, inside of their TV, or in the case of Pat Morita and Sam Jones, I guess *under* the TV (it's very difficult to tell). Then a horribly, hideously bad special effect happens and the picture is all wavy and suddenly a snowstorm happens somewhere else (another movie as far as we can tell) and then a dinosaur eats a wavy worm and then I guess the credits came on. *END SPOILER*The woman was Rhonda Shear, of USA Network's 90's show "Up All Night" (sorta) fame. You can look her up, right her on IMDb.com.You could probably get a similar movie by giving a 3 year old a camcorder, and shouting directions at Trees and Mice.

An alien lands on Earth, seeking to capture a few humans for its intergalactic zoo. One of those films which inspires phrases like "all manner of chaos", "hapless hero", "light-hearted family adventure" and "where's the remote"? And that's all it inspires. Some star names for you: Pat Morita, Brock Pierce, Marcia Strassman and Sam Jones. Get the picture?