Archive for the ‘Science Fiction’ Category
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sorry for being so absent lately. I’m backed up on writing reviews… life’s been nuts. I figured I’d start with the one we saw this weekend – Terminator Salvation…
Terminator Salvation is the story of a group of resistance fighters, led by John Connor [Bale] after Judgement Day – the day the machines nuked the planet in their quest to annihilate the human race, their struggles to stay alive and to foil a diabolical plot to create a new and improved Terminator prototype…
To say I was looking forward to this one would be an understatement. Christian Bale and killer robots together = happy me. I’m a fan of the franchise [though T3 wasn't that great, but was still fun as a fan with all the winks and campy nods to the first two movies], and I LOVE the show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which has supposedly just been cancelled [but I can't give up hope!]… don’t get me started on that…
The Good: The visual effects and action sequences were amazing. It was great fun seeing the original Terminator ‘endo-skeleton’ robots in all their menacing, deadly glory looking as life-like as you can get. A far cry from the original stop-motion of the original. There were some really suspenseful sequences that did have me on the edge of my seat. And great performances by Christian Bale as John Connor, Sam Worthington as Markus Wright and Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese. And a cameo appearance by an old favorite was fun, too.
The Bad: The story was mediocre and convoluted, the editing was choppy… it felt like something was missing. We found out after that they cut 40 minutes out, so maybe the ‘director’s cut’ will be better. There were some characters in the story that were unnecessary and actually brought down the quality of the whole film. There were subplots that weren’t explored enough to matter, so in the end they were a waste of screen time. The PG rating took away from it to in that it could have been a lot more dark and scary than it turned out to be.
The Ugly: There were no big twists. They gave almost everything away in the previews. And the ending was over done – they ended up wasting another opportunity for a sequel [if they even make enough money on it to justify another one...]. And – this is something I almost never talk about – but the music didn’t match the movie. Danny Elfman, who is known for composing the soundtracks for Tim Burton and various animated shows and features just wasn’t the right choice to do this score. Rather than keeping it minimal, industrial and creepy, it was big orchestra, distracting and just didn’t jive. The characters while in their separate storylines should have been given their own themes to at least try to pull the movie more together. They could have just taken any instrumental Nine Inch Nails songs and sprinkled them throughout the movie and it would have turned out way better…
So.. for the robots and effects, Christian Bale and Sam Worthington I give Terminator Salvation…
3 out of 5
Add’l Info: Released: May 21, 2009 • Runtime: 130 minutes • Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language • Photo credit: courtesy of Warner Bros, Inc., via allmoviephoto.com
Posted in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Christian Bale, Common, Helena Bonham Carter, McG, Michael Ironside, Mood Bloodgood, Sam Worthington | Leave a Comment »
Sunday, March 8, 2009
“Justice is coming to all of us. No matter what we do.”
We saw Watchmen last night and it was every bit as good as we’d hoped. I started reading the graphic novel, but didn’t get that far, so I can’t give much of a comparison [I'll update when I do get through it if anyone cares...]. For what I did read, the movie followed it pretty closely. Now I’m excited to read the rest to see what they left out and how they actually ended it in the book since I read they went with an alternate ending to cut the runtime down. It’s rumoured that the special edition DVD will be closer to 4 hours long.
Watchmen is about an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still President, it’s the height of the Cold War, and costumed super-heroes are a thing of the past. When one of them, The Comedian [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] is murdered, fellow costumed vigilante, Rorschach [Jackie Earle Haley], is set on finding out why – and whether the rest of their retired fraternity has anything to worry about. It’s Rorschach’s investigation that leads to a much larger plan. Good or bad, you decide.
What I loved about this movie were the characters, as well as the parallels to what we’re going through right now with the economy and things heating up with Iran and possibly our old foe, Russia. The darkness of the story actually felt close to home, and my husband and I walked out in deep thought. We both enjoyed it, but it prompted a lot of discussion about what’s going on with us now, both as a nation and globally.
My favorite character by far was Rorschack, played perfectly by Jackie Earle Haley, with his ever-changing, ink-blot ‘face’, his uncompromising way of life and his brutal efficiency. It took some getting used to Dr. Manhattan [played by Billy Crudup... Warning - he does walk around nude most of the movie so if you're squeemish about radioactive blue full-frontal male nudity, you might think twice about seeing it... I got used to it fairly quickly... kind of like taking life-drawing class. You giggle for a sec and then get down to business and forget you're looking at a nude person... I didn't feel like it took away from anything... it made sense in the context of the movie. I don't get what the problem is with nudity in this country anyway... but that's another discussion]. ;)
Watchmen is a great story with plenty of stylized visuals, ala Zack Snyder, the man who directed 300, and plenty of fight scenes, action and effects. The characters were well played with a great ensemble cast, and so was the period – the early to mid 80s – between hair, makeup and costumes [superhero and otherwise...]. Everything was over the top back then, and this WAS a graphic novel, and it felt it – in a good way. It’s LONG… so go prepared if you’re seeing it in the theater, clocking in at almost 3 hours. It kept my attention the whole time so it didn’t feel Lord of the Rings III long or anything. lol
4 out of 5
Add’l Info: Released: Mar 6, 2009 • Runtime: 163 mins • Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language • Photo credit: © Warner Bros. Pictures via allmoviephotos.com
Posted in Action, Comic Book, Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Billy Crudup, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Laura Mennell, Malin Akerman, Matt Frewer, Matthew Goode, Patrick Wilson, Stephanie Belding, Stephen McHattie, Zack Snyder | Leave a Comment »
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
We saw the trailer for this one back in December… X-Men Origins: Wolverine is as the title states – a look into the origin of our beloved hairy mutant with the killer claws. From the trailer, it looks to deliver everything we expect out of a comic book based origins/action flick: drama, pain, metamorphosis, revenge and a new reason for being, along with kickass action and effects, no doubt. lol…
Due out May 1st, it looks to kick off the summer blockbuster season with a bang! Can’t wait to see it. Starring along with Hugh Jackman are a bevy of great actors like Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Dominic Monaghan as Beak, Lynn Collins as Silver Fox, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit and Kevin Durand as The Blob, just to name a few… Directed by Gavin Hood who won critical acclaim for directing Rendition…
Check out the trailer here if you haven’t already seen it: Marvel.com
If you don’t blink you’ll see a young Storm, and I’ve read there’s a young Cyclops as well, although I didn’t see him [or didn't recognize him] in the trailer…
Add’l Info: Release Date: May 1, 2009 • Runtime & Rating: TBD • Photo Credit: Still taken from official movie trailer ™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved,
Posted in Action, Comic Book, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Dominic Monaghan, Gavin Hood, Hugh Jackman, Kevin Durand, Liev Schreiber, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch | Leave a Comment »
Monday, December 15, 2008
We saw what I’m assuming is the first teaser for 2012, which states in the preview, “How would the governments of our planet prepare 6 billion people for the end of the world? They wouldn’t.” Then it tells you to “find out the truth” by googling “2012.” Being a sucker for viral marketing, I did. Turns out the Mayan calendar runs out on December 21st, 2012 because some believe the Mayans predicted the world would end… [queue Smashing Pumpkins' "Doomsday Clock"...].
The visuals are pretty cool from the little we could see. Check out the official site and teaser here: 2012 Official Site, Sony Pictures
Packed with star power including favorite John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor and others. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the man behind Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and Godzilla, among others, 2012 will probably be an action-packed ride, if nothing else.
Add’l Info: Release Date: Jul 10, 2009 • Runtime: TBD • Rating: TBD • Photo Credit: © 2008 Sony Pictures via 2012 official site, all rights reserved.
Posted in Action, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Danny Glover, John Cusack, Roland Emmerich, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson | Leave a Comment »
Saturday, December 13, 2008
“12.12.08 Is The Day The Earth Stood Still.”
The Day The Earth Stood Still is the updated version of the original which came out in 1951. I went to see it without any expectations. Coming out of the movie, I liked it. I thought it was a decent balance of action and drama. It was fast-paced, and I thought they did a good job of getting the overall message across without overdoing it or dragging out dialog scenes. And I thought the ending was thought provoking. My husband and I had a decent discussion about it last night that carried over to this morning because his perspective on it differs from mine. We had planned on seeing the original before seeing this one, but it didn’t happen, but I’m glad. If I had gone in with preconceived notions, I may not have liked it as much.
Keanu Reeves was perfect for the role of “Klaatu”, the humanesque ‘visitor’ sent here as an emissary to talk to the leaders of our world. I know a lot of people think Reeves is a horrible actor, but I’m not one of those people. Not anymore… I used to. It took seeing him on Jay Leno, hearing how he speaks in real life to understand than he has a weird accent that makes him sound like a bit of an airhead, but he isn’t. lol… so I got over it.
Jennifer Connolly did a great job as well. She is very expressive with those crazy eyes of hers. The fact that she looked like she weighs 98 lbs was a bit distracting, but not nearly as distracting as the obnoxious row of 10 year old boys sitting behind us who felt the need to try and predict every scene and narrate everything. With repeated ’shushing’ they finally shut the hell up… [yes, I'm still angry].
There was a great supporting cast as well with Jaden Smith as Jennifer Connolly’s rebellious step-son, John Cleese as Nobel Prize winning professor, Jon Hamm as a fellow scientist, Kathy Bates as the Secretary of Defense and a few others.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. It had plenty of action, it was visually entertaining and I enjoyed the drama… There was plenty of suspense and they did manage to pull off a few things that could have been horrifically hokey.
3 1/2 out of 5.
Add’l Info: Released: Dec 12, 2008 • Runtime: 103 minutes • Rated PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence • Photo credit: WETA. TM and ©2008 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved via allmoviephoto.net.
Posted in Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Jaden Smith, James Hong, Jennifer Connelly, John Cleese, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, Keanu Reeves, Kyle Chandler, Robert Knepper | Leave a Comment »
Saturday, August 30, 2008
We just got back from seeing this one. I have two words: SAVE YOURSELF. Don’t see this movie – unless you’re prepared. Which is what I’m going to help you with here…
Babylon A.D. is about a mercenary named Toorop [Vin Diesel] who takes a job to deliver a package from Russia to New York City. The package turns out to be a girl [Mélanie Thierry], and nobody is sure what it is about her, but she’s different… She knows things people who’ve grown up in a convent in Mongolia shouldn’t know. She was raised by one of the sisters [Michelle Yeoh], who is also along for the ride, making sure she gets to where she’s going in one piece. Along the way they have many obstacles, and the journey is long enough that the three characters get to know and trust each other.
The journey itself is great. Lots going on, lots of action… Vin Diesel slides effortlessly back into the role he’s meant to play [in my opinion] – the anti-hero. But the ‘why’ behind the story itself is sketchy at best. This movie goes from an interesting vision of the future wrapped around the characters and their plight to true sci-fi – and for my tastes, not it a good way. I would have liked to have known what year it was, too. They make a reference to ‘back in 2017′, but it was never clear how far in the future this was supposedly taking place. I’m sure they were following the book, but if it were up to me, I’d have simplified some of it and gotten rid of some of the fluff at the end to give this movie a more tight resolution.
I walked out thinking this felt like Children of Men meets Minority report. It had the look and feel of Children of men – a bleak, ugly future where it’s everyone for themselves in Russia and Eastern Europe, where the movie opens, but then there is some really great tech stuff ala Minority Report, that the bad guys had the money to possess, and is just everywhere in North America. You can bet Motorola paid top dollar for placement in this flick – the idea of advertising being everything seems pretty realistic. For that, I did enjoy most of this movie.
For the rest, the acting was really good, the story for the most part was intriguing and there were some really great stunts and plenty of explosions, if you dig that stuff. It did feel slow in parts and convoluted in others. If the ending were better it would have been a 3 1/2 or a 4, but because the ending made us angry… I’d say it’s more a 3 out of 5. If you expect the ending to disappoint, the rest of it is pretty cool and worth seeing – on DVD. If you’re a Vin Diesel fan, or just love explosions, it’s still worth seeing on the big screen.
Add’l Info: Release Date: Aug 29, 2008 • Runtime: 90 minutes • Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality • Photo credit: ©Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation via movieweb.com
Posted in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Charlotte Rampling, Gérard Depardieu, Lambert Wilson, Mark Strong, Mathieu Kassovitz, Mélanie Thierry, Michelle Yeoh, Vin Diesel | Leave a Comment »
Monday, August 25, 2008
“Get Ready For A Killer Ride.”
We decided to see a matinée for this one in case it wasn’t so great – it could have gone either way for us after seeing the trailer a few times. Despite projector issues [2/3 of the screen went black... then they had to shut it down for 10 minutes to figure out what was wrong with it] and eye-strain inducing flickering after they ‘fixed’ the problem, we both really enjoyed this movie more than we expected. I was afraid that the trailer might have given the entire plot and all the best scenes away, but it didn’t.
Death Race is a remake of the 1975 version, Death Race 2000. This time, the race happens at ‘Termination Island’, a maximum security prison a mile off the coast, Alcatraz-style in the not-too-distant future of 2012, when TV goes to live stream craziness for huge money. Jason Statham plays ex-con ‘Jensen Ames’, a former NASCAR champion driver who did some time in prison when life hit bottom. After he got out, he got a fresh start when he met the woman of his dreams, and now they have a baby daughter. Even though he was just laid off from his job, they know they’ll make due… life is good. Until his wife is brutally murdered and he’s framed for it…
6 months later he ends up at Termination Island and is asked to drive in a Mad-Max style race for a reality show that ‘Hennessey’, the warden [Joan Allen, who does a great job playing a character that is super-cold and ruthless] created – aptly named ‘Death Race’ – as the winner is basically the last man alive. The race takes place over 3 days with many twists and turns, rules and weapons, so it’s no surprise the ’show’ gets huge ratings. The drivers are like the gladiators of their time and the world tunes in, thanks in part to it’s star driver named ‘Frankenstein’ – a name given to him after being mutilated after crashing in one of the races when most of his face sustained burns bad enough to have him wear a very creepy mask. He also never talked to anyone, adding to his mystique. Without Frankenstein, the warden’s ratings are in danger of going down – and that’s where Jensen comes in. The question isn’t ‘was he framed for killing his wife?‘, it’s ‘what’s he going to do about it?‘
Death Race had a little more plot depth than I was expecting, which was cool – I don’t require it really for pure action movies… The action was almost non-stop once things were set up, the stunts were great [some were pretty gorey, which made me laugh, I loved it...] as were the fight scenes. This movie is mostly testosterone-driven [excuse the pun...], but I don’t have a problem with that if I know what I’m getting myself into. Seeing Jason Statham beat people up and doing pullups while topless didn’t hurt, either. Don’t worry guys – you get some great eye candy with Jensen’s navigator, Case [played by Natalie Martinez]. Ian McShane, Tyrese and the rest of the supporting cast also did a great job.
The only thing I they could have done better was the final scene – I found it a little unbelievable [not that the rest wasn't, but in terms of the characters], but it wasn’t bad. For the action and fun I give this Mad Max meets Fast and the Furious flick a 3 1/2 out of 5.
Add’l Info: Release Date: Aug 22, 2008 • Runtime: 89 minutes • Rated R for strong violence and language • Photo credit: © Universal Pictures via allmoviephoto.com
Posted in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Frederick Koehler, Ian McShane, Jacob Vargas, Jason Clarke, Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Justin Mader, Max Ryan, Natalie Martinez, Paul W.S. Anderson, Robert LeSardo, Robin Shou, Tyrese Gibson | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
“Prepare to see Star Wars like you’ve never seen it before”
My husband, Russ, saw this one on Friday while I was at a bookclub meeting, so he’s written this review for me… hence the different format and writing style. Thanks Honey!
Plot summary:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes place between the two most recent Star Wars films (Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith). With the war raging between Count Dooku and his Separatist droid army and the Clone army of the Galactic Republic, Anakin Skywalker has been dispatched by the Jedi Council to locate and rescue Jabba the Hut’s son who has been kidnapped by renegades. Since the Hutt’s control a prime area of space trade routes, whoever has Jabba’s favor will have use of these routes and thus gain a significant advantage over their opponent. However, the plot thickens as we learn there are more sinister forces are at work.
Review:
This film has some of the best animation I have seen. If you liked the Clone/Droid battle sequences from the last three films, this movie will not disappoint.
While the film is definitely geared toward a younger audience, this isn’t “A Land Before Time” or “A Bug’s Life”. The Clone Wars introduces the audience to Ahsoko Tano who is Anakin’s new Padawan learner (basically, an apprentice). She is somewhat of know-it-all teenager, thus the connection to the younger audience. – There is also some well placed humor in this movie.
Another reason to see this film is that Anakin Skywalker is not portrayed as the excessively whiny and angry Jedi he was in the last three films, but rather a more focused and masculine character. There is also a new villain as well, Asajj Ventress who is like Darth Maul’s sister from “Episode I” but actually talks.
Also, if you’re like me, when you see an animated film you’re always wondering whose voice it is you’re hearing. While Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), Anthony Daniels (C3PO), and Sam Jackson (Mace Windu) all reprise their roles, most of the voices you’ll hear are not the actors/actresses from the last three films. However you probably won’t notice since they come from people that do the voiceovers from the Star Wars video games.
Be wary of Star Wars “purists” that will not be satisfied with anything until George Lucas brings back the original crew of Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewy. This movie is an enjoyable action packed adventure for small and big kids alike.
This is the first animated feature film from Lucasfilm animation.
Add’l Info: Release Date: Aug 15, 2008 • Runtime: 98 minutes • Rated PG for sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language and momentary smoking • Photo credit: Copyright © Warner Bros. Pictures via allmoviephoto.com
Posted in Action, Adventure, Animation, Science Fiction | Tagged Anthony Daniels, Ashley Eckstein, Catherine Taber, Christopher Lee, Corey Burton, Dave Filoni, Dee Bradley Baker, Ian Abercrombie, James Arnold Taylor, Kevin Michael Richardson, Matt Lanter, Matthew Wood, Nika Futterman, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Kane | Leave a Comment »
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Vin Diesel in "Babylon A.D." out on Aug 29th
I had wondered what happened to Vin Diesel… and there he was on the big screen yesterday in the preview for Babylon A.D. It takes place in a post-apocolyptic Eastern Europe and is about Toorop [Diesel], a former veteran-turned mercenary who takes a high-risk job of transporting a ‘package’ from Russia to China. The package happens to be a girl with a secret. Babylon A.D. also stars Michelle Yeoh, so we can look forward to some great fight scenes I’m sure. And also newcomer to American film, Mélanie Thierry.
This movie looks like what XXX should have been [if you haven't seen it, consider yourself lucky... It was horrible] – darker, grittier… but it’s still not rated R, so hopefully the acting, writing, plot and pacing make up for the lack of other perks like gratuitous sex and violence [wink]. There’s definitely plenty of action, though.
At the helm is director Mathieu Kassovitz, the man behind the movie Munich, which was excellent, so I have high hopes for Babylon A.D. I know a lot of people don’t like Vin Diesel, but I like him. His choice of roles has been questionable for a while, so hopefully he can redeem himself. I am a big fan of the original Fast and the Furious [fast cars, sexy people... fine for what it is and Diesel was a great 'anti-hero'] and Pitch Black – a great sci-fi movie. I also enjoyed the sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, even though it was a little hokey here and there, and the villain could have been so much better [Colm Feore, a great actor, but in this case he looked like an accountant, not a power monger that wanted to dominate the Universe to me]… but it did have Judi Dench, Thandie Newton and Karl Urban, which balanced things out for me. ;)
Okay, enough of my ‘babyling’… hee hee [sorry, couldn't resist!]… here’s the trailer: Babylon A.D. Official Site
Add’l Info: Release Date: Aug 29, 2008 • Runtime: 90 minutes • Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some sexuality • Photo credit: Guy Ferrandis ©Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation via allmoviephoto.com
Posted in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Thriller | Tagged Michelle Yeoh, Vin Diesel, Mathieu Kass, Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Charlotte Rampling, Gérard Depardieu | Leave a Comment »
Saturday, July 26, 2008
David Duckovny & Gillian Anderson reprise their roles ad Mulder and Scully in 'The X-Files: I Want To Believe"
So, after reading a few reviews online by regular people [I don't trust 'critics'... ironic, huh?], I decided I did want to see The X-Files: I Want To Believe movie that came out yesterday. And it was just like those folks said… it was like a 2 hour episode of X-Files the TV show, 6 years after the show ended. Where I was at a loss was, I didn’t watch the last two seasons, so there were some blanks for me, but I won’t say what they are, so I don’t give anything away. This really wasn’t all that thrilling. It was mainly a drama with a little suspense thrown in, but in classic X-Files style, they also give you plenty of creepy weirdness and a hint of humor…
Read the rest of this entry ?
Posted in Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction | Tagged Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Callum Keith Rennie, Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, Xzibit | Leave a Comment »
