Entries Tagged 'movies' ↓
September 9th, 2009 — fantasy, From The Feeds, movies, time travel
Going in, I knew this was more romance than fantasy flick, but I still wasn't prepared for the extreme fluffiness that assaulted my senses. Based on the popular novel by the same name, "The Time Traveler's Wife" is about a guy with a genetic quirk that causes him to involuntarily jump around in time -- conveniently in places that he's been or going to be -- and the woman who loves him. Kinda sounds like a topic for Dr. Phil. BTW, did I forget to mention that he time travels in the nude? Clothes fall right off. Hilarious, I know. Maybe that's a better topic for Maury, "Time Traveling Husband Paternity Tests!"
So our (nude) time traveler meets a little girl that he'll eventually marry and blah, blah. I just can't do it. This is just not a very interesting story. Not that strong of a romance either. The film does have two very appealing leads in Rachel McAdams and Erica Bana. They're very good together, but the story...meh. No real conflict. No outside obstacles keeping the two apart. They bicker and make up like couples do. Cue romantic music. He disappears at the most inopportune times. Sad music plays. Repeat and rinse. Sure, there are a few bumps along the road -- two to be exact, but you never get the sense that things won't work out. You can't change the future -- except when it comes to the lottery. A pleasant, but mostly forgettable film. For the life of me, I don't know why ABC thinks it has potential as a TV series. "Journeyman" already covered this territory quite well and went nowhere in the ratings. Box office has been solid though. At some point, I'll have to read the script -- I miss the old days, when produced scripts were hard to find. My "read pile" is huge...
Personally, I think "Somewhere In Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour is a much better time-travel romance film. Surprised they haven't attempted to remake that one yet, but give 'em time...
August 12th, 2009 — fantasy, From The Feeds, movies
I tweeted about this earlier, but I'd like to expand a bit further than a hundred and forty characters. One of the loooongest trailers I've seen in a while -- talk about blowing your load! You really have to wonder if the film has anything left, other than a lot of standing around and talking. For a B-movie action/fantasy, "Legion" certainly has an above average cast: Dennis Quaid, Kate Walsh (WTF?), Paul Bettany, Tyrese Gibson, Charles S. Dutton, etc. A film like this would usually get one or two recognizable faces. Sometimes we forget that even actors have bills to pay. Can't hurt to shoot a query letter to the manager/agent of a pie in the sky actor on your dream cast list.
The best I could dig up on the production budget was 40 million. Say what you want about the humdrum plot, renegade angel and a handful of strangers defend a pregnant waitress from a legion of angels, but it's a good-looking 40 million dollar flick. Still, I can't seem to shake the been-there-done-that feeling while watching the trailer. The January release isn't exactly a vote of confidence from the studio either.
July 10th, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, Zombies
Virtually the same -- except for the whole Spanish/English thing. [REC] has a supernatural explanation that I liked a lot more than the virus gone wild angle used in "Quarantine" -- truthfully, neither makes a lick of sense. There's some smart filmmaking going on here. They found an interesting way to exploit a well-worn sub-genre: Blair Witch/Cloverfield meets typical zombie flick. I usually don't go ga-ga over zombie films, but I found these two entertaining.
July 9th, 2009 — Aliens, From The Feeds, movies, sci-fi
Looking forward to this!
July 8th, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, vampires
I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to action/horror flicks like "Blade", "Hellboy" and "Underworld" -- I'll even cop to watching "Van Helsing" on more than one occasion, so obviously I'm gonna flip for a movie about a hot, brooding vampire slayer who takes out vamps with her trusty samurai sword, right? Eh, not so much...
While the film tries admirably to capture/expand on the short anime that it's based on, the result is mostly flat. Especially the dramatic scenes -- Come on, Scream! This isn't supposed to be "Memoirs of a Geisha"! Are the action scenes original and kick ass? Hmm...
Look familiar?
Saya hunts Chiropterans -- let's just call them vampires, but she's really after a specific vamp for clichéd reasons that we'll learn as the story predictably unfolds. One of her missions winds up leaving a "loose end" named Alice. Saya's forced to protect Alice from the vamps who want her dead, as well as the human "cleaners" that she works with.
Not a total train wreck, "Blood" does have its moments (like the goofy afro vampire fight above), but too often becomes weighed down by the cheesy and uninspired. I've seen better monsters on "Dr. Who". Basically, the film couldn't compete visually with the anime, especially with a modest 35 million dollar budget. The expanded story didn't do it any favors either. There's a twist near the end that Helen Keller and Ray Charles could've seen coming a mile away. I also question the sequence where the antagonist has the obligatory villain monologue in English and not in her more comfortable native tongue (with English subtitles). Finally, I can't think of a film that ends with a more forced line of dialogue. The lesson here? Less is more. Watch the anime, wait for this on DVD -- which will probably be sooner than later.
July 1st, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies
Unsettling but effective one sheet.
June 30th, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, screenwriting, television
So Kirk Acevedo is off "Fringe" and Meghan Markle joins the cast -- used to be one of the "Deal or No Deal" show-models -- as a junior FBI agent. Charlie was the skeptic. He didn't buy into the crazy theories, just did his job. Kinda like Skinner on "X-Files". Might screw up the dynamic. I also read that a slew of new writers are being brought in. Just when the show had started to find its legs....
"Mutant Chronicles" is exactly what you'd expect from a sci-fi zombie movie. Decent cast -- I didn't get the Pras from the Fugees cameo. Apparently, John Malkovich will agree to *any* script thrown in his direction.... maybe I should get his contact info! Simple, silly story. Struggles when it tries to go beyond the limited budget. Murky shadows and digital blood splatter can only go so far. I think plans for a theatrical release fell through.
Stuck in the mud with the new script -- okay, stuck is the wrong word. I have options, I just don't like any of 'em. Think I'll work on something else until inspiration strikes. I have an idea for a low budget thriller that I'd like to get off the ground anyway. By hook or by crook, I'm gonna start and finish two scripts this year.
June 21st, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, supernatural
Kind of late, but I liked the legend behind this 2002 supernatural thriller. A group of souls forced to witness horrific events for all eternity -- punishment for hanging out at the crucifixion. Think a low budget version of "The Knowing".
Christina Ricci plays a young woman -- after being in a car accident -- who starts having strange visions while passing through a quaint English town. While folks puzzle over the images uncovered in a long forgotten church, a troubled man is about to snap and Ricci is the only person who seems concerned. Ioan "Mr. Fantastic" Gruffudd shows up for moral support -- and as a love interest in the 13 minute extended version not shown in the U.S.
The twists aren't that surprising, but I found it watchable. I can see where the third act might have turned some people off though. It threatens to break one of those unwritten movie rules in graphic fashion. Even if you don't break the rule, it's hard not come across as cheap and manipulative in the eyes of some.
June 18th, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, throwback thursdays, vampires
Classic flick from the 80s -- okay, "classic" might be a little strong, but a fun romp nevertheless. "Fright Night" is sorta like "Disturbia" with a vampire as the creepy next door neighbor. A rare mix of horror and humor that actually works. Decent special effects for its time. Between this and "A Princess Bride", I've always wondered why villain Chris Sarandon didn't get juicier roles. The film is a lot better than the cheesy trailer would lead you to believe. Plans for a remake taking place at an amusement park (!?!) were scrapped not too long ago.
June 18th, 2009 — From The Feeds, halloween, horror, movies
Michael Dougherty's "Trick R Treat" finally gets to see the light of day on DVD. I've read all sorts of good stuff about this horror anthology, but it supposedly sat on the shelf for over a year because nobody could figure out how to market the thing. Anyways, here's a 9 minute preview...
June 1st, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, trailer
Never heard of this...
May 31st, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, sci-fi
Here's where they screwed up: The "Terminator" flicks have always been about the chase. Unstoppable, killing-machines pursuing a human target, John Connor. Even the TV series understood that. And "Judgment Day" isn't a bad film, it just couldn't meet the impossible standards set by T2.
"Salvation" tries to be some kind of futuristic war drama. Bad idea. John Connor isn't the main character. Worse idea. Introduce a mysterious character, but give away the big twist in the trailers. WTF? I can appreciate the attempt to try something different, but the plot was a mess. Some of the dialogue is downright painful -- not to mention all the forced callbacks.
Even if 30-40 minutes of story really ended up on the cutting room floor, I doubt it would have made a big difference. On the plus side, the effects were great and it was cool to see Michael Ironside chewing scenery -- hope he gets a cameo on the new "V" series. Does this flop mean the end of McG? *sigh* Don't bet on it.
May 29th, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, sci-fi
aka Timecrimes
Another clever filmmaker. This Spanish sci-fi thriller has only four characters, few locations and lots of time travel. Fun story to watch unfold, but you'll get a headache trying to sort out the details and the behavior of some characters.
May 28th, 2009 — From The Feeds, movies, Zombies
Marc Price makes a zombie film for 70 bucks -- you heard me right -- and it becomes a hit at Cannes. Read the amazing story
here. You can follow news about the film on
twitter. Excuse me while I go kick myself...
May 16th, 2009 — From The Feeds, horror, movies
Werewolves, vampire hunters and Nazi vampire cults. Looks like B-movie heaven...
