I wasn’t able to take notes while watching this, so this probably won’t be as detailed as some of my other posts. That’s probably just as well, since I don’t have a lot of positive things to say. In fact, let me get that positive thing out there right now—Tom Middleditch was the best actor of the bunch. And when the guy who does phone commercials is the Brando of the group…well, you’re in trouble.
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This one is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it seems very dated, and very low budget. I kept thinking it reminded me of an ‘80s film due to the soundtrack and lighting. Then I realized that the ‘80s film it reminded me of (one of them, at least) was Blade Runner. In fact, in many ways this could have been a prequel to Blade Runner. That’s not to say that it’s at the same level as BR, but for a low-budget Sci-fi flick, it’s not too bad. Continue reading
In the cinema world, there’s one thing you can be sure of—any film that stars Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, or Bruce Willis is going to take some (in my opinion) undeserved shots by the critics. I don’t know why, but they always seem to pick a few more nits or look a little harder to find something to harangue. Criminal has two of the three thespians, so you can just imagine the critics sharpening up their pens, ready to draw blood. It’s a good thing you guys have me around to set you straight. Continue reading
What would you sacrifice for your child? That’s a question that keeps cropping up in Maggie, the feature debut by director Henry Hobson. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Wade is the father of the title character, and has more to deal with than prom dates and puberty. Maggie has been bitten by one of the infected, and is slowly going through “the turn.” The authorities want the infected to be able to spend as much time as possible with their families, but the threat of “quarantine” and what happens there is always looming. This is not your usual zombie pic. It’s not about killing zombies in lots of nasty and cool ways. It’s a film about watching a loved one suffer, and being able to do little to stop it. It’s an entire movie about that emotional aspect of the zombie genre that most films address with maybe one or two quick scenes. This could just as easily have been a drama about a father trying to deal with his daughter’s terminal cancer, for example. Continue reading
Don’t make the mistake I made and watch this alone. Not because it’s scary, although there are a few well-done tense moments. Watch it with others because this is a really fun movie, and it deserves that kind of viewing. You’re going to want to make fun of it, compliment it, point out all the various homages to other “creature” films…and just have a good time with it. You’re not going to understand half of what the characters are saying, anyway. The Irish accents are so thick, you’ll probably want subtitles. But that doesn’t really matter. Like I said—have fun with it! Continue reading
I’m going to make this a short one. I don’t know if I understand the message in Chappie, but even if I do, I’m not sure that I agree with it. It’s hard to say because the movie is just a mess of mangled, mixed-up morality. It often seems at odds with itself and leaves you scratching your head at its ambiguousness. For example (very slight spoiler), our “hero” (Dev Patel) is told he can’t bring home the leftover robot to experiment on. (Which, let’s face it, would seem a little creepy to most employers. “Sooo….why do you want it, again?”) So he just takes it. That’s right—the hero is an office thief. And we’re not just talking about a box of pens or a stapler or some paper clips, here; this is (I assume) a multi-million dollar piece of equipment. Continue reading
Another film that surprised me. I expected a slap-dash, made-for-tv, paint-by-numbers horror film. After all, it stars Brian Austin Green, and the guy who I always refer to as “the dude who played Christopher Titus’ stupid brother” (Zack Ward). But although the story did have a “made for TV” vibe about it, the overall quality was pretty good. Ward was a little over the top, but from him, we can buy it. He does “crazy” well. Green and the others did a good job. I liked him in the Fox show “The Sarah Conner Chronicles,” too, so I guess he’s slowly been converting me. Good for him. The others are solid, especially Joanne Kelly as Claire. Continue reading
Who Cares What You Think? 