Kommentary Korner

I enjoy a feature-length comedy sci-fi romp just as much as the next person, but do those Hollywood bigwigs honestly expect us to believe Robert Zemeckis' 1985 film "Back to the Future?" Honestly, I can handle an acceptable amount of far-fetchedness, but BTTF maxes out the bogus-o-meter big time. For example, at the beginning of the movie the credits roll as the camera pans slowly over the interior of Dr. Emmett Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) house. What the viewer sees is clock after clock. Doc Brown's house is literally filled with clocks! Does anyone seriously have that many clocks? When was the last time you entered a house filled with clocks? I find it insulting that executive producer Steven Spielberg would trick the public into thinking someone could fit such an unacceptable quantity of clocks into only one house. This film's far-fetched aspects don't end with the clocks. The producers of BTTF continue to exaggerate reality in the next scene when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is late for school. While traveling down the street on his skateboard, Marty decides to accelerate his journey by grabbing onto the back of a car and having it tow him. Yeah right! That would knock you on your ass, and you'd probably get run-over. In the real world, Marty would have died in a grisly road accident, not gotten to school faster. A third and final scene that further emphasizes the outlandishly unbelievable nature of "Back to the Future" is a scene back in 1955 when Marty is being chased by Biff (Thomas F. Wilson) and his cronies. Marty is too swift for his pursuers and causes them to drive their car into a manure truck which promptly empties onto the passengers. A manure truck parked right in the middle of a downtown square? Give me a break! This is by far the most unrealistic aspect of "Back to the Future." I could handle the clocks and the skateboard shenanigans, but the manure truck pushes it over the edge. If you happen to see a truck filled with cow leavings parked smack-dab directly in the middle of a city, please let me know. But I know you'll never let me know because you'll never see one because it’s a stupid, made-up thing that's too ridiculous even for the movies. I could go on all day about BTTF, but I feel like I've made my point adamantly clear. So, Hollywood, here's my message: next time you make a movie about time travel, make it true to reality! --Peter Doe