Tag: Science Fiction

Movie Review: Pacific Rim

IMDB, Pacific Rim“Pacific Rim” on IMDB

Sci-fi, 132 Minutes, 2013

This movie is completely without depth or gravitas of any kind.  Every character is a cliché-ridden cardboard cutout.  Every scene is parody of exchanges you’ve seen a 1,000 times before.  Visual effects are used in place of emotional connection and innovation.

This movie was amazingly, astonishingly, awesome!

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Movie Review: Man of Steel

IMDB, Man of Steel“Man of Steel” on IMDB

Adventure, 143 Minutes, 2013

This is the first truly new take on Superman in film since Richard Donner’s [IMDB] 1978 classic “Superman” [IMDB].  Bryan Singer’s [IMDB] 2006 “Superman Returns” [IMDB] essentially completed Donner’s Superman films (rightly ignoring the execrable, non-Donner, third and fourth films). While this excellent film is often misunderstood it must be considered an extension of Donner’s vision rather than a true reboot of DC’s flagship character.

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Movie Review: Lockout

IMDB, Lockout“Lockout” on IMDB

Sci-fi/Action, 95 Minutes, 2012

To simplify things right off the bat: this is “Escape from New York” [IMDB] in space.  Instead of an abandoned metropolis we’ve got a giant space prison.  Instead of Snake Plissken we get Snow.  Instead of Donald Pleasence [IMDB] as the president we get Maggie Grace [IMDB] as the president’s daughter (so that we can insert romantic tension).

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Movie Review: Cloud Atlas

IMDB, Cloud Atlas“Cloud Atlas” on IMDB

Drama/Sci-fi, 172 Minutes, 2012

I had been attracted to this by the trailers but lost track of it until I noticed it available on Amazon Instant Video.  I couldn’t honestly remember what about it attracted me.  I knew that Tom Hanks [IMDB] seems to pick scripts well and that I’d never been completely disappointed by the Wachowski’s.  We ended up watching it, my lovely bride and I, without bothering to get any more information on it.

We loved it.  Both of us.  We didn’t understand shit.  Neither of us.

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