Tag: Sci-Fi

Super 8 (2011) – A mediocre ‘Stand By Me’ meets ‘Stranger Things’

The trailer for this poses as a fun childhood movie with a strange unknown thing looming. Since I was age 10 when this movie takes place (1979) I was really excited to see the custard colored refrigerators and old school gas stations as well as other stuff from that year. I remember

The trailer for this poses as a fun childhood movie with a strange unknown thing looming. Since I was age 10 when this movie takes place (1979) I was really excited to see the custard colored refrigerators and old school gas stations as well as other stuff from that year. I remember it as a humane and inspiring time. Some images of 1979 really made me nostalgic in the first hour. After that however, the movie began to sputter like a 70’s moped in need of a fill up.
Super 8

Super 8

“During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.” -IMDB

Cast

Elle Fanning Alice Dainard
AJ Michalka Jen Kaznyk
Kyle Chandler Deputy Jackson Lamb
Joel Courtney Joe Lamb

Directed by

J.J. Abrams

Written by

J.J. Abrams

Other Info

Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
PG-13
Fri 10 Jun 2011 UTC
112min
IMDB Rating: 7.1

The sweet childlike homes, schools, and connected-ness of the kids all was like 1979. Unfortunately, the story couldn’t continue in that era and turned to your typical violent alien film of the 90’s or 2000’s like Independence Day. Spoiler ahead (sort of). One difference from other alien movies is that there is just one alien. It is quite ugly but not much different from most in movies extant. The alien is not as scary as the gratuitous shocks the director gives the audience.

I counted 6 but there are surely more. Be warned, especially if you are annoyed by these things. There is only one thing that can save a movie with these, in my opinion. That thing is a great ending. Unfortunately, you won’t find that here either. Young kids aged 15 and below will like this movie. A couple times it looks like Transformers. Most above that age will look at their iphone to see the time as it plays out.

FINAL THOUGHTS
There is enough nostalgia and cgi here to entertain but not fully satisfy me as a viewer. They had a good set of images to start with but they just aren’t developed enough to keep me from looking at my watch. I recommend to young kids and die hard fans of Spielberg (those who watch even his mediocre stuff).

2/5

‘Star Trek: Beyond’ – Don’t Blink on This Ride

startrekbeyond-poster

Starring: Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho

Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Directed By: Justin Lin

Studio: Paramount Pictures

MPAA Rating
PG-13

I saw Star Trek: Beyond last night on its second night after release. When I see Star Trek films, I usually miss some secret winks because I am not much of a “Trekkie” and therefore don’t know the labyrinth of secret passageways that many others I meet new. In fact, my wife, who is not a film critic, explains a lot to me when we go to see these films. Last night had a few parts I couldn’t figure out but I’ll avoid those.

Instead, I’ll tell you that Captain Kirk is put in a position to save the galaxy (common theme). The adventurous quest to do that is a rip-roaring ride! Directed by Justin Lin (Fast and the Furious), the spaceships are now the race cars. There is a lot of action in this film but I must disagree with some other critics who are saying it’s too fast and furious. There are moments of suspense as well and moments where the viewers is ban rest, stop, and get cerebral..

The visuals are stunning. Because this is a quick review intended to have “no spoilers,” I won’t describe them to you. I will say that in 1977 when Harrison Ford, Alec Guinness, and Mark Hamill saw the death star for the first time, it had a mind-blowing effect on movie goers. There is actually some stuff in this film that will leave you in “shock and awe” in a similar way. Please note however that the plot is pretty good and special effects are secondary to that, which always makes me happy.

There is so much in this film worthy of the ticket price. There is a side story Spock is dealing with, sense that virtually fill the movie with the now departed Anton Yelchin, a Smokin’ hot Zoe Zaldana, a vaguely funny Simon Pegg (but funny all the same.) I had a blast watching this film. I anticipate Trekkies will like the new villain Krall (Idris Elba). He’s a tortured creature with a lot of hate for the federation which makes for some really juicy fight scenes. I did have some issues with the film. Instead of developing the villain they sort of catapulted him into hate mode. I wanted to know more about him and why he became who he was. It was explained a little in a very rushed fashion in the last 1/4 of the film but I think doing that earlier would have invested me more in his character. For the haziness of the villain, I took one star away. This is an amazing film, I highly recommend it.

‘The Planet of the Apes’ (1968)

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‘The Planet of the Apes’ (1968)
Cast

Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter

Directed by

Franklin J. Schaffner

Written by

Michael Wilson (screenplay), Rod Serling (screenplay)

Other Info

Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi
Rated G
1h 52min

Writing this review now in 2016, I was shocked to find this film had a G rating. As a kid growing up 0-10 in the 70’s, I remember certain images from this film that used to creep me out. Plus, it’s so rare that you find a G rated sci fi nowadays. I didn’t understand it in those years but when I hit my twenties, this was one of those films my scooter buddies and I would rent along with other classics like The Godfather and Blade Runner to just trip out on and talk about. It’s of course a timeless classic now and there has been a resurgence of the franchise with a whole new set of CGI movies that are surprisingly good in a different way.

The concept of the franchise is pretty simple: Apes have evolved above man and use him as their slave. In the 60’s the evolution arguments were rampant of church and university grounds so this fit right in with that. Actually seeing these apes likely had a polarizing impact on the religious folk who saw man as greater tha ape. At the same time, I think it infused strength to the IMG_0626argument that man was just another animal and we shouldn’t rule over animals in the sometimes harmful ways that we do. BUt that is just the “ape level.” There is much here about science and faith. In the original film, there is talk of “scrolls” and “heresy” by the humans and apes who help them. f you know Christian subculture or have observed it, these references are accurate and quite funny.

I love the prosthetic masks in the movie. They look camp at first but you really get used to them after a while because the costumes and backgrounds are so masterfully crafted. It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode for good reason: Rod Serling, creator of the Twilight Zone, co-wrote the screenplay. This movie is something to look at. Most the outdoor footage was filmed at Lake Powell. It resembles Mars or some other uninhabited planet. In this film, a crew was sent into the future but something went wrong. As a result, they have to try to survive and escape from a civilization of apes that speak and are much like intelligent humans.

While there among the apes, they see the effects of man’s greed and imperfections. The apes have an opportunity to see themselves as well but they are not as interested. There is a bit of a “not-friendly” history in the scrolls and therefore humans are not to be listened to.

Charlton Heston plays the lead human, George Taylor, and he is so much fun to watch. He has interaction with a slave who cannot speak and there is some chemistry there but hardly enough to call the story a romance, as IMDB does. Roddy McDowell plays Cornelius, the scientist ape that buys in to the intelligence of humans. His partner Zira, played by Kim Hunter, is devoted to humans as much as she can be in her society. It was sort of like a Jane Goodall and the chimps kind of thing. At the end Taylor asks her for a kiss and she says shyly, “But you’re so ugly.” That is a fun scene because it’s an opposite scene. If you recall the Twilight Zone episode when the woman is in face bandages the whole episode and at the end you find out they are trying to make her ugly, she is actually beautiful. It is in the eye of the beholder. Serling loves taking structures apart and letting the audience put them back together, or not. Planet of the apes is one of the most classic examples of his style in doing that. We may not question our own systems but if we see an ape and an actor talking, maybe we cab deconstruct theirs and return smarter, changed for the better. Most of all, this movie is for the open-minded or those who are open to becoming more open-minded. *raises hand*

Speaking of being open-minded, the stunts in this film are about as real as an outdoor rodeo during the clown show. When Taylor gets sprayed with a firehose, you see every sinew in his neck flexed. I love his over acting. The movie is meant to be serious sci-fi but watching some of these stunts makes you think of the comedy of later decades like Airplane or Scary Movie. Other props and effect in the film are almost comical in their representation of seriousness. There is a cadaver in the space pod that looks just like Norman Bates’ dear fake looking mummified mother in Psycho. My point is not to jeer or belittle these poor effects but rather to praise a film that evokes such a powerful response from so many people worldwide in spite of these simple stunts and props. Once again it is proof that directors don’t need a palette of CGI to make a film popular with audiences. This film evokes a response and takes itself seriously. If you have a good story, this film proves that is just about all you need to make a hit.

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In conclusion, I had a lot of fun going to see this film recently in the theaters through Fathom events’ TCM series. I was just as entertained as I have been with any recent films I really liked. I know almost every director out there has seen this film but I hope they can start to follow its movie making wisdom more closely. We need less CGI (done badly, I don’t mind it when it’s done well) and more good story surrounded by people with passion and the desire to evoke an audience response.

Alien

It raises questions about evolution, survival, predators and prey, and the possibility of a human apocalypse. In my opinion, this first film is the best in the franchise.

Title: Alien
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
MPAA Rating: R
Year: 1979
Director: Ridley Scott
Top Billed Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Brief Synopsis: After receiving a distress call from an unknown planet, a spacecraft lands to rescue survivors. A lifeform infects the ship and its crew have a deadly force on board with them.
My Word to the Wise: This is an example of a perfect movie, in my opinion. It’s crafted the same way one might craft an oil painting or a miniature city with a model railroad. Besides being damn scary, it raises questions about evolution, survival, predators and prey, and the possibility of a human apocalypse. By far, this is the best in the franchise. “Prometheus,” its prequel runs a close second. I’ve seen this movie 5 times and will probably see it another 5. Everytime I see it, there is something new to marvel at. “Prometheus 2” is in the works for 2017.

  

Evolution

Sometimes horror doesn’t need a butcher knife or other killing tools. The suggestion of something horrifying or unseemly is quite enough to qualify it being in the genre. The idea of a disgusting this is the worst you’ll see here. Implanting embryos, injecting, c-sections. They MAY be the worst you’ll see in this film, but that’s up to how good of an imagination you have.

Evolution (2015)
Évolution (original title)
Not Rated | 1h 21min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi | 25 November 2016 (USA)

The only residents of young Nicholas’ sea-side town are women and boys. When he sees a corpse in the ocean one day, he begins to question his existence and surroundings. Why must he, and all the other boys, be hospitalised?
Director: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
Writers: Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Alante Kavaite | 1 more credit »
Stars: Max Brebant, Roxane Duran, Julie-Marie Parmentier

The French are good at making art from taboos. Director Lucile Hadzihalilovic is known for being the writer of “Into the Void.” She shows her chops in this one as ditector and co-writer.She out there and out there far. Even with English subtitles, the story has a creepy arcane feel to it.

The mother’som bond is a strong one, especially at their youthful ages. It is strange how she doen’t seem to protect him. He is her “responsibility” among the others but her eyes never hold the coventing love a mother’s should. Things are going on and it’s not hard to figure them out. It is a slow burn but I did enjoy the creepiness of this French film. In all, it never lived up to what I hoped for. I give it a 6/10.

Marjorie Prime

Is what you see what you get? Marjorie is in dementia stages of her life and her family allows her a robotic hologram in the shape of her deceased husband, in his younger years. Is this good therapy or just a good babysitter? Moreover, will it bring her the comfort they want it to?

Marjorie Prime (2017)
1h 39min | Drama, Mystery, Romance | 19 October 2017 (South Korea)

A service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones allows a woman to come face-to-face with the younger version of her late husband.
Director: Michael Almereyda
Writers: Michael Almereyda (written for the screen by), Jordan Harrison (based on the play by)
Stars: Stephanie Andujar, Hana Colley, Geena Davis

The director, Michael Almereyda, went to Harvard. Besides that, he made a film adaptation of Hamlet (2000). It was shot on Super 16mm and featured Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Kyle MacLachlan, Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber and Sam Shepard. The adaptation layered a contemporary New York setting on Shakespeare’s text. Almereyda has won several persitigious awards: Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada, National Society of Film Critics Special Citation. Though most his films haven’t been popular hits, he has a respectable knowledge of his craft.

Geena Davis and Jon Hamm give standout performances. We learn things are one way at the beginning, and believe it and then as the film develops, new realities surface. There are statements here about dementia and memory. Furthermore, there is some about suicide. It’s an excellent film for thinking about these things. Definitely a sci-fi film more than a drama. To understand the message, it helps to see the sci-fi side of it. It’s a slow burn and that may turn off some viewers. I give it a 6/10.