A science fiction blog featuring science fiction book reviews and with frequent ramblings on fantasy, computers and the web.
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
My brief thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
Quick thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
Quick thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend tailor-made for the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
Quick thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
Continuing a trend geared towards the Twitter generation, here are my quick takes on a few recently-watched genre-related films.
Quick thoughts follow…
Read the rest of this entry
As I’ve done before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last several weeks.
Quick thoughts follow…
As I’ve done before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last few weeks.
Quick thoughts follow…
As I’ve done before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last few weeks.
Quick thoughts follow…
As I’ve done before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last few weeks.
Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (2010) – Standard Hero’s Journey fare augmented with decent special effects and updated mythology. Bonus points for (hopefully) getting the young one interested in mythology and/or reading the book.
2012 (2009) – One unbelievable narrow escape after another not only tests suspension of disbelief, it shoots it out of the sky with scientifically inaccurate surface-to-air missiles.
Repo Men (2010) – A poor adaptation of Eric Garcia’s wonderful book, The Repossession Mambo; inadequate world building and a bit slow paced, though I must admit to liking the ending.
The Road (2009) – Having read the book, I knew this would be a slow moving, post-apocalyptic vehicle. But like the book, there was little to impress the sf fan who has seen this type of thing before. Iron Man 2 (2010) – Even when you don’t consider how enjoyable Iron Man was, this was just terrible. A story that never seemed to get above a crawl, action sequences that favored aesthetics over logic, and — worst of all – it’s jut not fun.As I’ve done before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last several weeks…
Knowing (2009) – Directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage as a burdened professor of astrophysics and widower, Knowing morphs from spooky supernatural numerology thriller to apocalyptic film – a transition inaccessible to the masses and probably only appreciable to genre fans. And darned if it didn’t have me engrossed the whole way through despite the sometimes heavy-handed religious symbolism and the few unanswered, hand-wavy plot points.
Inception (2010) – Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending look at shared dreams, although suffering a bit from pacing issues, offers a brilliantly constructed plot — perhaps meant more for moviemakers than moviegoers — that jumps around your brain long after you leave the theater. Daybreakers (2009) – Daybreakers is what you get when you mix the sf-nal “what if?” scenario with vampires. But its interesting premise is hastily implemented and unfortunately paced, ultimately yielding a near-future without a whole lot of bite. (See what I did there?) The Book of Eli (2010) – A formulaic post-apocalyptic snooze-fest until the final confrontation between Denzel Washington (whose Eli almost comes off like an invincible action-hero touched by the hand of God) and Gary Oldman — then there is finally some decent world building. And, ugh!…the sepia filter! Forbidden Planet (1956) – It’s Shakespeare’s The Tempest…in spaaace! It’s hard to get past the 50′s-era filmmaking quirks, but once you do, there’s a fairly decent (though long-winded) episode of ST:TOS lurking underneath.As I’ve done before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last several weeks…
Inglourious Basterds (2009) – Quentin Tarantino’s alternate history Nazi story is so characteristically Tarantino that you can’t help but like it, even if the pacing of each vignette was a bit repetitious. Where The Wild Things Are (2009) – Watching this felt like indulging a bratty kid having a tantrum. And how do you make an unlikable child? Plus, he has a poor imagination; his imaginary friends are as surly and unlikable as he is. Zombieland (2009) – A decent zombie comedy, even if it’s aimed at teenagers. Best part was a laugh-out-loud surprise cameo that was hilarious in its self-deprecation. Ponyo (2009) – This may not be the best Hayao Miyazaki film, but this charming story of a magical goldfish who wants to be human is still worth watching for it’s excellent animation. Hancock (2008) – The story of a drunken, down-and-out superhero trying to change his image with the help of a public relations man comes close to having elements of wonderful comic book cheesiness, but that’s sadly overshadowed by blatant disregard for logic after an otherwise promising mid-film plot twist.As before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last several weeks…a set of poor viewing experiences, as you can see…
The Princess Bride (1987) – Destined to be a classic, if not one already. Although I saw this years ago, this is still a magicical film that perfectly combines adventure, humor and charm. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) and… Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) – I knew I was in for trouble re-watching these movies that I remember fondly from my childhood. Atrocious overacting, illogical plot progressions and awkward pacing were not enough to overcome Ray Harryhausen’s dated (but somehow still charming) stop-motion animation. Oh, and is that Tom Baker as the bad guy in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad? Yikes! Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) – How do you mess up a zombie movie? I can’t remember the last time I was this uninterested watching a movie that sounded good enough to watch in the first place. 9 (2009) – I loved the animation and the post-apocalyptic setting, but Shane Acker’s story needed more fleshing out to make it more cohesive. And interesting.As before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last several weeks…
Mirrormask (2005) – Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean team up for this inventive fantasy about a young girl’s quest to find a mask to save a fantastically-imagined world (and perhaps her relationship with her mother). The visuals are fantastic (it looks like a McKean drawing come to life) but the pacing was a bit slow for my tastes. Repo: The Genetic Opera (2008) – This SciFi rock opera was seriously off-putting at first (almost forgettable, in fact) for its all-music format, but the story eventually won me over, and lingers long after viewing. The opera signifies two things: the music-only dialogue and the soap-opera-ishness of the plot. Overall, this was surprisingly intriguing, especially considering it boasts a cast that includes Paul Sorvino and Paris Hilton, the latter probably too oblivious to realize the social commentary made by her casting. (Note to self: yes, the setting for Eric Garcia’s book Repossession Mambo is similar, but the plot has quite a different emphasis.) Moon (2009) – An excellent film that marks a return to intelligent, thought-provoking SciFi. And an excellent performance by Sam Rockwell, so important as this is a character study piece. Planet 51 (2009) – An enjoyable animated family film with a nicely done 1950′s SciFi feel. Astroboy (2009) – A fun family film with excellent animation and a storyline that skirts – but doesn’t quite explore – some meatier issues like segregation.As before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I’ve watched in the last several weeks…
Avatar (2009) – Excellent visuals but it has lackluster story. It’s on par with the Star Wars prequels; great eye candy, but not much more beyond that. Brazil (1985) – I absolutely loved the atmosphere and look of Terry Gilliam’s weird and wonderful 1985 retro-futuristic Dystopia, which brilliantly spun bureaucracy into satirical social commentary. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) – Like Resident Evil, there’s nothing new and it does serve its aim of (in this case) zombie story set in a city, but I just couldn’t shake the overwhelming feeling of “more of same”. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) – Dumb, but nonetheless fun. Hank Azaria stole the show. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) – Some corny dialogue and predictability mar this otherwise intriguing extension of the X-Men franchise.
