Demolition Man, a $70 million futuristic fantasy starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes, gives in to the pods with no evidence of a battle. Call it the Frankenstein of action thrillers, since it's stitched together out of pieces from better movies. Stallone is John Spartan, a loose cannon at the LAPD (Lethal Weapon) with a bent for property destruction (Lethal Weapon 2). Snipes — sporting Dolph Lundgren hair — is Simon Phoenix, a villain with a flair for the martial arts (Under Siege). While chasing Phoenix in 1996, Spartan is involved in a building explosion (Die Hard) that kills 30 people. As punishment, cop and criminal are frozen cryonically (Universal Soldier) for later rehab.

Move ahead 36 years to 21st-century Los Angeles (Blade Runner). A naked Spartan (Sly as Ah-nuld in The Terminator) is awakened from his cryoprison (Aliens) to catch the escaped Phoenix. The world is ruled by a Big Brother (1984), who preaches peace (Star Trek VI) while stamping out free expression (Body Snatchers) and trying to crush the underground rebels (Total Recall).

If you can't figure out the rest, you haven't seen a movie in 10 years. Stallone and Snipes don't act; it's a testosterone contest. Debuting director Marco Brambilla betrays his origins in TV commercials. Demolition Man is sleek and empty as well as brutal and pointless. It feels computer engineered, untouched by human hands. A real pod movie.

“Is It True”

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."