To start things off, I want to direct you to the trailer so if you haven't seen it you can and understand what I'm about to talk about...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA2pPv4T2YE
Now that you have...
Holy shit does this film look awesome!
Some might see it as a very cheap looking film, but you shouldn't be threatened by this because the film is utilizing the "found footage" style that has been popularized by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. What makes it different is that this is found footage from the 70's, thus the quality is that of typical documentary footage people see of the Apollo missions. Which is a good thing in my opinion. The fact that the filmmakers are aiming for a realistic look when it comes to the set and the footage itself is a very good sign.
So, to start things off, I'd like to take a look at the two people who we will be sharing the cramped conditions of the lunar lander for the duration of the film. In an earlier overview of the film I did last year I had said that there were two possibilities as to whom we'd be watching A. The members of the original crew slated to be on Apollo 18 before it was cancelled and B. A secret crew we didn't know about. Considering the fact that this movie is being called a "conspiracy thriller" in some sites, it seems like B is the more likely scenario. This is proven by the fact that in the trailer one of the astronaughts is named "Banes" or "Haines" I think it's Baines. And since there was no Baines on the official list for the mission in real life it's now a certainty that this is a secret crew. Baines is the poor soul who we see get infected by the alien pathogen in the trailer. The other astronaught isn't named in the trailer. These two astronaughts seem to be your run of the mill horror movie protagonists. As to whether or not we will care about them is still up in the air. But what they find on the moon might just be more interesting.
Skipping ahead to the segments of the trailer where we see what looks like a camera being dragged off into the shadows on the surface of the moon and the instance where our heroes find footprints moving AWAY from their landing site are all hints that something otherworldly is going on. It's obvious the creature stalking them is an alien, it's even shown in the trailer crawling around in Baine's helmet before it infects him. However, what is more interesting is what they also find along with alien monsters.
Footage from the trailer hints that there were other people on the moon before Apollo 18. We see one of our heroes pick up a broken helmet buried in the lunar soil along with some bodies. Who are they? Judging by the lander that is shown near the end of the trailer I'd say it was a Russian team of cosmonaughts who went to the moon before the start of the film. What were they doing before they were killed by the alien is yet to be known, however this twist (even though it's spoiled in the trailer) is rather interesting.
From a critic's standpoint I am still ambivalent as to whether I should be excited for this film. It does look like "Paranormal Activity: In Space!" However, it doesn't mean it's going to be bad. The sci-fi horror fan in me is hoping for something atkin to Alien meets Paranormal Activity. The cramped feeling of the lunar lander interior definitely gives viewers a sense of claustrophobia as they are crammed in with our heroes. Plus it looks like Baines goes nuts halfway through the film and tries to commit suicide by breaking the lunar lander's windows, killing our unknown astronaught as well. Interesting stuff, with the potential to get truly suspenseful the longer they're on the moon.
So here's what I expect this movie's going to seem like:
Act 1: Shows our three astronaughts (Baines, the Lunar Module Co-Pilot, and the Command Module Pilot) on their way to the moon where we are treated to some character development to make us care. They land on the moon and do some routine procedures and take some footage.
Act 2 is when things start to turn south. Strange things creeping about the lander and split second shots of stuff roaming around the motion activated cameras. They discover the remains of the Russian team. The alien knocks out their communications with the command module and thus the rest of the world. Bains gets infected by an alien and begins to go insane.
Act 3 has our unknown astronaught being forced to either incapacitate or kill Bains in self defense but not before he damages the lunar module irreparably. The last astronaught is forced to use the Russian lander to call for help and possibly find a way to get back to the CM. However the alien gets to him before he is able to get to the lander.
Whether or not it will be like this is up in the air. We can only hope it will be a terrifying "alien-esque" like film with some good moments of intense suspense.
Until then, keep a watchful eye on this one. It could be worth watching
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Re-establishment of Cynicism and a glimpse into the future.
2011 is starting off with a bit of a midrange feel to it (high being the best possible feel you can get and low being the worst). This feeling is slowly decreasing as the days go by it seems. It could be post new years jitters, if there is such a thing, or perhaps it's a sign that 2011 will in fact be one of the lowest years to come around since 2004 (which was possibly the worst year in my life personally, I cannot account for anyone else's experience during that year). I try to remain hopeful in the face of it all because even with the midrange feel it isn't all bad. My schedule isn't so hectic anymore and I'm starting to get back to writing more often.
However the quality of the year is clearly diminishing in the realm of entertainment, mostly films. How good can a year be when it starts off with Season of The Witch starring Nicholas Cage? Sure January has carried the stigma of being the place where the crooked cousins of movies are let out of the pen to play but really now? And then there's the whole awards fiasco going on that's been making my head spin faster and more infinite than Leonardo DiCaprio's spinning top in Inception. If the Inception related joke didn't make it clear to any of you, I pretty much think Inception was the best movie to come out in decades and yet every awards show imaginable has yet to acknowlege how right I am in believing that.
This was compounded when Twilight: "Do We Really Care Which One Anymore?" beat Inception at the people's choice awards for best film (I believe). While I can honestly say I wasn't really surprised, I was hopeful that people weren't this mind meltingly stupid. Turns out I was wrong, and my faith in humanity has forever been pulverized into a fine pinkish paste and buried in a shallow grave, the tombstone of which you can now see on my twitter page...
Is it a gross overeaction to such a trivial awards ceremony? Possibly, but think about it, the masses voted Twilight over Inception. It's like the world is inhabited by clones of my brother's girlfriend, and one was bad enough...
I seriously think that if I were Doctor Who right now, I'd abandon earth and start protecting Raxacoricofallapatorius from now on.
This was just phase one of the process that would inevitably re-establish my once thought cured cynicism. The next came in the form of the Golden Globes where not even Hans Zimmer's fantastic score for Inception could beat the tunes of The Social Network??? I never saw the film, nor do I ever plan to, history films never were my thing (and come on this movie will be the movie they show on aged blu-ray powered projectors in dusty history classes to show the history of how the internet changed the way we experience the world, we all know it...) but I seriously doubt The Social Network's main theme wasn't a clever play on a popular French song, nor could it cause your teeth to resonate for hours after watching the movie.
Why is it Inception is being left out in the cold? Is it because everyone still doesn't get it? Are people that thick? Do the masses really think Battleship: The Movie is a good idea? If so I'm renouncing my own humanity!
I never thought I'd be agreeing with the king of egos himself, James "I'm The King of The World, and your wallets!" Cameron, films are really reaching a new low. If Hollywood (or as my favorite good movie lover The Movie Preview Critic calls it: "Story Corp.") is so unimaginative that they have to begin making Uno: The Movie to make a quick buck then it's obvious that movies in general are moving into a very dark and grim future.
It's bad enough I have to pay twenty-three bucks to watch The Green Hornet in 3D with a friend (I would've gone with 2D but time constraints forced us to go see it in 3D.) but when the audience in the theater cheers when they see Transormers: The Dark Of My Ass it's clear that I am part of a group that is slowly dying out as more and more horrible movies get made and endorsed by the brain-dead masses who pay to see it in the most expensive way possible.
We're even remaking Spiderman now, wasn't it only a couple years ago that Spiderman 3 came out? Sure the movie practically killed the franchise but they're not even waiting until after the funeral to dig up the corpse and start raping it for what it has left. Yes, I painted that picture in your mind, now sit there and think about it. Imagine Spiderman's corpse being assaulted by an overpaid moron who wouldn't know a good story if it tied him to a rock and bashed his head in... now you just try and tell me that what is going on there is perfectly fine!
However, it's not all bad news. I do, in fact, have a fantastic story to tell you all about one movie that has so far surprised me. The movie is called Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman and the story is this:
My friend and I were asking ourselves the day after New Years a question any good movie lover will ask themselves: "Is there anything good coming this year?" It's a question we find rarely has a good answer anymore. In fact, when we looked up the list of films it looks like 2011 will end up being known as one of the worst years for movies ever. Remakes, chick-flicks, remakes, bad movie, Nicholas Cage movie, Twilight related (or influenced) movie, the list smelt more of dookie than a sewer.
Then we find a movie titled "Real Steel."
We click on the link to learn more about it. My friend reads me the synopsis. Here is my recollection of the scene:
FRIEND: Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman as an out-of-luck boxer trying to make a comback...
ME: Really? Come on. That sounds like every other boxer/wrestler movie that has ever come out...
FRIEND: He steps into the ring...
ME: Rocky, The Fighter, The Wrestler... HEARD IT!
FRIEND: and finds himself staring down a twenty foot tall robot!
ME: WTF?!?!?! EPIC AWESOME!!!!
This moment reminded me of why I like movies. The spins on a pre-set genre that can get you geeked up to go see a film, the surprise of finding something that surprises you. This is a movie I will be keeping my eye on as more news comes out, because so far, it's got me hooked...
2011 hasn't started out as strong as I hoped, and it looks like it isn't getting any better any time soon. I doubt it will get better, but we can only see. For now, expect a review for The Green Hornet pretty soon.
However the quality of the year is clearly diminishing in the realm of entertainment, mostly films. How good can a year be when it starts off with Season of The Witch starring Nicholas Cage? Sure January has carried the stigma of being the place where the crooked cousins of movies are let out of the pen to play but really now? And then there's the whole awards fiasco going on that's been making my head spin faster and more infinite than Leonardo DiCaprio's spinning top in Inception. If the Inception related joke didn't make it clear to any of you, I pretty much think Inception was the best movie to come out in decades and yet every awards show imaginable has yet to acknowlege how right I am in believing that.
This was compounded when Twilight: "Do We Really Care Which One Anymore?" beat Inception at the people's choice awards for best film (I believe). While I can honestly say I wasn't really surprised, I was hopeful that people weren't this mind meltingly stupid. Turns out I was wrong, and my faith in humanity has forever been pulverized into a fine pinkish paste and buried in a shallow grave, the tombstone of which you can now see on my twitter page...
Is it a gross overeaction to such a trivial awards ceremony? Possibly, but think about it, the masses voted Twilight over Inception. It's like the world is inhabited by clones of my brother's girlfriend, and one was bad enough...
I seriously think that if I were Doctor Who right now, I'd abandon earth and start protecting Raxacoricofallapatorius from now on.
This was just phase one of the process that would inevitably re-establish my once thought cured cynicism. The next came in the form of the Golden Globes where not even Hans Zimmer's fantastic score for Inception could beat the tunes of The Social Network??? I never saw the film, nor do I ever plan to, history films never were my thing (and come on this movie will be the movie they show on aged blu-ray powered projectors in dusty history classes to show the history of how the internet changed the way we experience the world, we all know it...) but I seriously doubt The Social Network's main theme wasn't a clever play on a popular French song, nor could it cause your teeth to resonate for hours after watching the movie.
Why is it Inception is being left out in the cold? Is it because everyone still doesn't get it? Are people that thick? Do the masses really think Battleship: The Movie is a good idea? If so I'm renouncing my own humanity!
I never thought I'd be agreeing with the king of egos himself, James "I'm The King of The World, and your wallets!" Cameron, films are really reaching a new low. If Hollywood (or as my favorite good movie lover The Movie Preview Critic calls it: "Story Corp.") is so unimaginative that they have to begin making Uno: The Movie to make a quick buck then it's obvious that movies in general are moving into a very dark and grim future.
It's bad enough I have to pay twenty-three bucks to watch The Green Hornet in 3D with a friend (I would've gone with 2D but time constraints forced us to go see it in 3D.) but when the audience in the theater cheers when they see Transormers: The Dark Of My Ass it's clear that I am part of a group that is slowly dying out as more and more horrible movies get made and endorsed by the brain-dead masses who pay to see it in the most expensive way possible.
We're even remaking Spiderman now, wasn't it only a couple years ago that Spiderman 3 came out? Sure the movie practically killed the franchise but they're not even waiting until after the funeral to dig up the corpse and start raping it for what it has left. Yes, I painted that picture in your mind, now sit there and think about it. Imagine Spiderman's corpse being assaulted by an overpaid moron who wouldn't know a good story if it tied him to a rock and bashed his head in... now you just try and tell me that what is going on there is perfectly fine!
However, it's not all bad news. I do, in fact, have a fantastic story to tell you all about one movie that has so far surprised me. The movie is called Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman and the story is this:
My friend and I were asking ourselves the day after New Years a question any good movie lover will ask themselves: "Is there anything good coming this year?" It's a question we find rarely has a good answer anymore. In fact, when we looked up the list of films it looks like 2011 will end up being known as one of the worst years for movies ever. Remakes, chick-flicks, remakes, bad movie, Nicholas Cage movie, Twilight related (or influenced) movie, the list smelt more of dookie than a sewer.
Then we find a movie titled "Real Steel."
We click on the link to learn more about it. My friend reads me the synopsis. Here is my recollection of the scene:
FRIEND: Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman as an out-of-luck boxer trying to make a comback...
ME: Really? Come on. That sounds like every other boxer/wrestler movie that has ever come out...
FRIEND: He steps into the ring...
ME: Rocky, The Fighter, The Wrestler... HEARD IT!
FRIEND: and finds himself staring down a twenty foot tall robot!
ME: WTF?!?!?! EPIC AWESOME!!!!
This moment reminded me of why I like movies. The spins on a pre-set genre that can get you geeked up to go see a film, the surprise of finding something that surprises you. This is a movie I will be keeping my eye on as more news comes out, because so far, it's got me hooked...
2011 hasn't started out as strong as I hoped, and it looks like it isn't getting any better any time soon. I doubt it will get better, but we can only see. For now, expect a review for The Green Hornet pretty soon.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
"Welcome to The Grid of Suckage," My Review of Tron: Legacy
WARNING THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FILLED, IF YOU WISH NOT TO GET SPOILED ON THE SO-CALLED PLOT OF THIS MOVIE, DONT CONTINUE!!!!
Wow, I honestly don't know where to begin with this movie. I mean, wow, how do you screw up Tron? You'd think that with this being a sequel and all the writers of this movie would actually know a thing or two about the world of Tron or at least computers and the way a business is ran. Then there's the fact that only half of this movie is actually in 3D, which you'd think would make the tickets to the 3D showing half off.
What the hell happened during the making of this movie? It's like they started filming the movie with regular cameras when someone came up with the idea to make it 3D and everyone wondered what they were going to do with the stuff they had shot already. The way they made this movie seem like it'd be a fun 3D adventure like Avatar is a falsehood, not only does this movie not feel like it's in 3D it also fails at being the supposedly epic movie you saw in the trailers. Of course trailers are always misleading but you'd figure they'd at least show us what the movie really was: a big dumb action movie. The only thing that manages to save this movie is Olivia Wilde's sex factor, plus I totally bought her as a kick ass warrior princess.
The story makes no sense at all. We are first introduced to Garrett Hedlund, playing Kevin Flynn's son Sam, inexplicably breaking into his own company and pirating his own product. All of this nonsense is basically just filler until we get to the grid, which looks pretty but you never feel any sense of threat or danger as Sam easily manages to pull off kung fu moves like Jackie Chan himself. This brings me to one of the many things that maims this movie: the CGI Jeff Bridges. In the movie, Clu is represented as a young Jeff Bridges via digital makeup, which looks completely horrible. I don't understand why they chose to do this when modern makeup artists could do a much more believable job, hell back in the 80's they were able to make convincing old makeup for Back To The Future 2, so why the hell is it that we are so reliant on digital makeup? Sure it worked for movies like Pirates of The Caribbean 2 and Avatar but seriously if you're going to go in that direction then you have to make it look as good as you possibly can and I don't think this was what happened on Tron Legacy. They even used this effect on the real Jeff Bridges in the flashback and it too looked like a rubbery, dead eyed mask.
This movie is so full of fail that I can't even begin to describe what I saw. Hell, I honestly don't think I can't I was running one of the worst fevers I have ever had in my entire life that day to the point that I nearly passed out. I could blame it on the fever, but I believe it was the suckage of this movie.
The lightcycle battles, while flashy, don't retain that sense of claustrophobia as the walls of light quickly turn into a maze of death, we never see this, and to be honest it makes me wonder if the writers ever saw the first movie.
The plot makes no sense as Sam blindly stumbles from one CGI action set piece to the other. It is established that Clu sent the page that drew Sam into the grid, that he was an integral part in Clu's plans to draw Kevin out into a trap. If this is true, then why the hell did he try to kill him in a light cycle race? Hell, Clu's motivation is never fully explained. I'd understand if he was simply continuing with his pre-programmed mission of building the perfect world and that he's just mindlessly wiping out the grid to do it, but they hint at the fact that he's gone all "Third Reich" on the Grid and plans on taking over the world (insert clip from Street Fighter). Why? Because we live in the world Clu wants to invade to add some very thin drama to a drama less piece of garbage.
Olivia Wilde's character is said to be a "new life form that will change the world" yet how can she or any other member of her people do that? They never show us any reasoning behind this statement. She doesn't hold any sort of superpower or secret knowledge that could change the world. All she does is look pretty and kick ass. So how is it that the movie tries to say she's important to the understanding of life as we know it? Because her people evolved out of nothing? Big whoop, we did that thousands of years before them, if anything I'd say her people are behind on the evolutionary road. There's nothing that make me believe she's going to change the world and how we view it. It all boils down to a writer who was pulling ideas out of his ass as he cobbled together this crapfest of a movie.
My god how can you fail at making a coherent movie? It's a problem that almost every filmmaker in Hollywood seems to have now a days as they produce assembly line movies. The problem with that is that if Hollywood made cars instead of movies, the cars wouldn't run because they forgot to put in the engines. It's a very obvious thing to have the movie needs a coherent story like a car needs an engine. Without it you go nowhere.
It's sad to think that this was the best movie of all the things people can be watching this weekend. That even with all of this crap weighing it down it's still the no. 1 movie at the box office.
God I have a headache...
Two headaches out of five actually...
Can't believe they killed off Jeff Bridges in that movie, it's like Kingdom of The Crystal Skull killing off Harrison Ford...
Fail... just fail...
Wow, I honestly don't know where to begin with this movie. I mean, wow, how do you screw up Tron? You'd think that with this being a sequel and all the writers of this movie would actually know a thing or two about the world of Tron or at least computers and the way a business is ran. Then there's the fact that only half of this movie is actually in 3D, which you'd think would make the tickets to the 3D showing half off.
What the hell happened during the making of this movie? It's like they started filming the movie with regular cameras when someone came up with the idea to make it 3D and everyone wondered what they were going to do with the stuff they had shot already. The way they made this movie seem like it'd be a fun 3D adventure like Avatar is a falsehood, not only does this movie not feel like it's in 3D it also fails at being the supposedly epic movie you saw in the trailers. Of course trailers are always misleading but you'd figure they'd at least show us what the movie really was: a big dumb action movie. The only thing that manages to save this movie is Olivia Wilde's sex factor, plus I totally bought her as a kick ass warrior princess.
The story makes no sense at all. We are first introduced to Garrett Hedlund, playing Kevin Flynn's son Sam, inexplicably breaking into his own company and pirating his own product. All of this nonsense is basically just filler until we get to the grid, which looks pretty but you never feel any sense of threat or danger as Sam easily manages to pull off kung fu moves like Jackie Chan himself. This brings me to one of the many things that maims this movie: the CGI Jeff Bridges. In the movie, Clu is represented as a young Jeff Bridges via digital makeup, which looks completely horrible. I don't understand why they chose to do this when modern makeup artists could do a much more believable job, hell back in the 80's they were able to make convincing old makeup for Back To The Future 2, so why the hell is it that we are so reliant on digital makeup? Sure it worked for movies like Pirates of The Caribbean 2 and Avatar but seriously if you're going to go in that direction then you have to make it look as good as you possibly can and I don't think this was what happened on Tron Legacy. They even used this effect on the real Jeff Bridges in the flashback and it too looked like a rubbery, dead eyed mask.
This movie is so full of fail that I can't even begin to describe what I saw. Hell, I honestly don't think I can't I was running one of the worst fevers I have ever had in my entire life that day to the point that I nearly passed out. I could blame it on the fever, but I believe it was the suckage of this movie.
The lightcycle battles, while flashy, don't retain that sense of claustrophobia as the walls of light quickly turn into a maze of death, we never see this, and to be honest it makes me wonder if the writers ever saw the first movie.
The plot makes no sense as Sam blindly stumbles from one CGI action set piece to the other. It is established that Clu sent the page that drew Sam into the grid, that he was an integral part in Clu's plans to draw Kevin out into a trap. If this is true, then why the hell did he try to kill him in a light cycle race? Hell, Clu's motivation is never fully explained. I'd understand if he was simply continuing with his pre-programmed mission of building the perfect world and that he's just mindlessly wiping out the grid to do it, but they hint at the fact that he's gone all "Third Reich" on the Grid and plans on taking over the world (insert clip from Street Fighter). Why? Because we live in the world Clu wants to invade to add some very thin drama to a drama less piece of garbage.
Olivia Wilde's character is said to be a "new life form that will change the world" yet how can she or any other member of her people do that? They never show us any reasoning behind this statement. She doesn't hold any sort of superpower or secret knowledge that could change the world. All she does is look pretty and kick ass. So how is it that the movie tries to say she's important to the understanding of life as we know it? Because her people evolved out of nothing? Big whoop, we did that thousands of years before them, if anything I'd say her people are behind on the evolutionary road. There's nothing that make me believe she's going to change the world and how we view it. It all boils down to a writer who was pulling ideas out of his ass as he cobbled together this crapfest of a movie.
My god how can you fail at making a coherent movie? It's a problem that almost every filmmaker in Hollywood seems to have now a days as they produce assembly line movies. The problem with that is that if Hollywood made cars instead of movies, the cars wouldn't run because they forgot to put in the engines. It's a very obvious thing to have the movie needs a coherent story like a car needs an engine. Without it you go nowhere.
It's sad to think that this was the best movie of all the things people can be watching this weekend. That even with all of this crap weighing it down it's still the no. 1 movie at the box office.
God I have a headache...
Two headaches out of five actually...
Can't believe they killed off Jeff Bridges in that movie, it's like Kingdom of The Crystal Skull killing off Harrison Ford...
Fail... just fail...
Friday, November 26, 2010
"Houston, we've had an encounter..." My thoughts on space exploration and a speculative preview of Apollo 18
I'm a huge nerd. Obviously, because I love science fiction and think that science is cool overall. However, if there is one area of both science and science fiction that I find makes me both excited and somewhat envious it has to be space exploration.
One of my favorite films (though not a science fiction film in the slightest) is Ron Howard's telling of the infamous "successful failure" mission to the moon: Apollo 13. Every time I watch this film I am both envious and saddened by the fact that back when the NASA Apollo program was a part of every American's life, these people had no idea how absolutely fantastic they were. The men and women who made these missions to the moon a reality were and in some cases still are the best this country has ever produced. Not only that but back then was a time where being an American wasn't something to be ashamed of (and to be honest I don't see why it should be like that now). We could do anything, and we did. So it saddens me to see how our great nation has fallen in recent years. No one is looking to go to the moon anymore. Sure some private companies are looking into ways of doing this but it has about as much heart and soul put into it as another Michael Bay film.
Now I could go on all day about how I think that another moon program could effectively bring the nation out of the rut it's been in but I wont, partly because I'm too lazy to actually calculate the numbers for what a new mission to the moon would cost and if it would actually do what I think it would do. Needless to say, I think that if we did plan on going back to the moon there would be alot of new jobs for Americans. I don't know how much a NASA janitor was paid back in the 60's and 70's but I'm sure it wasn't the same amount a school janitor makes.
But this little window into my mind brings us to the actual subject of the day: the new Apollo 18 film.
Let's start off by looking at the new poster for the film.
Now it might not look like much. We see an astronaut's boot print on the moon (a classic image) but what is this next to it? An alien footprint? Already I am interested because this image in of itself is down right creepy.
The tag line on the poster is creepy as well "There is a reason we've never gone back to the moon" Creepy when added to this poster, yet I can't help but think "Yeah the reason was because the government needed the money to dig a deeper hole for itself." But this poster is definitely creepy looking at first glance, but what about a closer look??? On the edges we see what looks like government symbols, notes, and numbering. Then the image of the lunar surface with the footprints seems to be distorted as well.
It is this distortion that brings us to my first sign of worry for this film. What poster does this poster resemble? The poster for Paranormal Activity 2.
Now after doing some research for Apollo 18 I've learned that it is using the popular found footage format that is used in Paranormal Activity. That is, it's all being recorded on some lousy video camera. But here is how I think Apollo 18 can make this very gimmicky filming technique into something very original and unique: Think of the video broadcasts that the Apollo missions made back in the 60's and 70's. Or, if you don't remember those, think of the one from the film Apollo 13 where Tom Hanks shows the viewers the inside of the command and lunar module. Now mix that with some more footage of the crew traveling to the moon (where the crucial connection the audience forms to the astronauts is made) and then throw in some lunar landing footage and then some creepy alien goodness. I don't know what the aliens are going to look like in this movie, but they obviously aren't going to look like ET or Starman. I'm thinking something that fits that creepy footprint in the poster. I also don't know what the story of the mission is going to be about either (though obviously it was hidden from the public who all believe it was supposedly cancelled). So what does that mean? Did the Apollo 18 mission in the film have some dark secret prior to the launch? If so, how the heck did they manage to get the astronauts up there without anyone noticing? Remember the only viable method was to shoot them up in a large and loud rocket, so how can the movie explain these very large gaps in logic? Sure, by the time Apollo 13 launched the public was yawning at the thought of another trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean you can cover up an actual launch. Unless it was done in secret, and the only reasoning behind that was that in this film Apollo 18 had a dark ulterior motive. Were they trying to build a giant "laser" on the moon? A moon base?
I can't correctly guess on how the heck the writers are going to explain logically how a mission to the moon was kept secret. But I hope it's clever.
Then, of course, we have the characters. Who are our protagonists who we will journey to the moon with? In reality, the members of the Apollo 18 mission were going to be: Richard F. Gordon Jr. (Commander), Vance D. Brand (Command Module Pilot), and Harrison Schmitt (Lunar Module Pilot). All of whom were Apollo 15's backup crew. So are these going to be our protagonists for this film? Or are the writers going to have a secret crew be set up? After all, this mission was a secret. Of course, if there are going to be deaths in this movie, then the writers would probably go for a secret crew as all of the men on the list for Apollo 18 obviously are still alive (in fact Harrison Schmitt was one of the last men to set foot on the moon on Apollo 17). That would be the logical choice in my opinion.
So what about the story? Since no information about the plot has come out we are left to speculate once again. Is it going to go down the traditional and very boring movements of great alien encounter films of the past like Alien? Or is it going to bring in a new twist on the genre? I hope for the latter but expect nothing but the former. My thoughts of what this movie WILL be are: Act 1. The film introduces us to the secret crew on a secret mission to the moon where we barely get to know who these men are and why we should care about them. They reach the moon by the end of act 1. Act 2 shows our astronauts landing on the moon and almost instantly something goes wrong. It could be a mechanical malfunction, or the aliens instantly attack, but either case, the two men on the moon are essentially stranded unless they can fix their ride before the aliens eat them. The rest of act two probably will bring in some hokey dialogue and cliche moments as the two men on the moon argue with the man left in orbit in the command module on what they should do next. One of the men on the moon dies or is taken over by the alien which sets up for a somewhat suspenseful yet predictable Act 3. Act 3 has the men finally fix the lunar module and quickly escape the moon of doom. Everything seems fine when, while on their return trip back to earth, they realize one of their own is an alien. It is here that the climax of the film occurs with all of the astronauts dying or being taken over by aliens as they prepare for reentry. Then, after the rescue team recovers them they are quickly shipped off to Area 51 leaving the audience with a chilling message around the lines of: "The government never spoke of the three astronauts ever again." Or, "Sadly, the new team of astronauts attempting to make a moon base in the future never saw this video." for an inevitable sequel set up.
However, here is how I HOPE the movie will be like.
Act 1 introduces us to the astronauts right after the launch. We get to know each and every one of them, making us care for them and seeing how they work as a team. We also have an explanation as to why no one knows about this mission, be it that they already know that alien life exists on the moon or some other creative reason. We see segments of the astronaut's four day mission to the moon, continually showing the humanity of these men and why we should care.
Act 2 has our astronauts landing on the moon. Nothing goes wrong because everyone expects something to go wrong by the time act 2 comes along. The astronauts on the moon explore the surface of the moon (either for more moon rocks or for actual evidence of extraterrestrial life). Every now and then, the camera will see something off in the distance, we don't know what, but it's obviously something watching our intrepid explorers. The astronauts on the lunar surface spend a couple of days on the surface, and on occasion something strange happens while they rest in the Lunar module. Up in orbit, the command module pilot feels helpless as his shipmates struggle with the strange encounter taking place on the surface. There can even be a segment where we see nothing taking place on the moon but can hear it happening via radio transmissions on the command module as we watch our helpless CSM pilot listen to his friends' terror.
Then something bad happens. One of the astronauts is seriously wounded and it forces them to leave the moon early and attempt an emergency docking with the CSM so they can get home as soon as possible to save their wounded friend. However, something comes back with them. This is where Act 3 starts.
Act 3 takes place during the time the astronauts are trying to get home. However, they soon learn that something has come back with them and they are forced to lock themselves in one section of the spacecraft, probably the lunar module as then it provides tension for when it becomes time for them to reenter the atmosphere. The astronauts struggle with finding a way to kill the creature inside their only way home. They contemplate on forcing the ship into a deadly angle with the atmosphere causing the ship to burn up, sacrificing themselves but saving the earth. Then it becomes time for them to make a decision, resulting in a climactic ending that should surprise the audience. Then, the closing of the film, be it a good or bad ending, ends with a chilling message.
I know it's not much to go on. To be honest, I should've just went with: "I hope this movie can be original in it's storytelling and have characters we care about."
However, I'm sure that it will go with the other direction, ending up with a disappointing film.
However, I am hopeful. As Timur Bekmambetov, the man behind such awesome films like Night Watch and Wanted is slated to be the producer. The director, sadly, is someone I don't know. However, he sounds like he has directed films before, just foreign films. Let's hope his first English-speaking film can impress!
In either case, 2011 sounds like a hopeful movie year.
One of my favorite films (though not a science fiction film in the slightest) is Ron Howard's telling of the infamous "successful failure" mission to the moon: Apollo 13. Every time I watch this film I am both envious and saddened by the fact that back when the NASA Apollo program was a part of every American's life, these people had no idea how absolutely fantastic they were. The men and women who made these missions to the moon a reality were and in some cases still are the best this country has ever produced. Not only that but back then was a time where being an American wasn't something to be ashamed of (and to be honest I don't see why it should be like that now). We could do anything, and we did. So it saddens me to see how our great nation has fallen in recent years. No one is looking to go to the moon anymore. Sure some private companies are looking into ways of doing this but it has about as much heart and soul put into it as another Michael Bay film.
Now I could go on all day about how I think that another moon program could effectively bring the nation out of the rut it's been in but I wont, partly because I'm too lazy to actually calculate the numbers for what a new mission to the moon would cost and if it would actually do what I think it would do. Needless to say, I think that if we did plan on going back to the moon there would be alot of new jobs for Americans. I don't know how much a NASA janitor was paid back in the 60's and 70's but I'm sure it wasn't the same amount a school janitor makes.
But this little window into my mind brings us to the actual subject of the day: the new Apollo 18 film.
Let's start off by looking at the new poster for the film.
Now it might not look like much. We see an astronaut's boot print on the moon (a classic image) but what is this next to it? An alien footprint? Already I am interested because this image in of itself is down right creepy.
The tag line on the poster is creepy as well "There is a reason we've never gone back to the moon" Creepy when added to this poster, yet I can't help but think "Yeah the reason was because the government needed the money to dig a deeper hole for itself." But this poster is definitely creepy looking at first glance, but what about a closer look??? On the edges we see what looks like government symbols, notes, and numbering. Then the image of the lunar surface with the footprints seems to be distorted as well.
It is this distortion that brings us to my first sign of worry for this film. What poster does this poster resemble? The poster for Paranormal Activity 2.
Now after doing some research for Apollo 18 I've learned that it is using the popular found footage format that is used in Paranormal Activity. That is, it's all being recorded on some lousy video camera. But here is how I think Apollo 18 can make this very gimmicky filming technique into something very original and unique: Think of the video broadcasts that the Apollo missions made back in the 60's and 70's. Or, if you don't remember those, think of the one from the film Apollo 13 where Tom Hanks shows the viewers the inside of the command and lunar module. Now mix that with some more footage of the crew traveling to the moon (where the crucial connection the audience forms to the astronauts is made) and then throw in some lunar landing footage and then some creepy alien goodness. I don't know what the aliens are going to look like in this movie, but they obviously aren't going to look like ET or Starman. I'm thinking something that fits that creepy footprint in the poster. I also don't know what the story of the mission is going to be about either (though obviously it was hidden from the public who all believe it was supposedly cancelled). So what does that mean? Did the Apollo 18 mission in the film have some dark secret prior to the launch? If so, how the heck did they manage to get the astronauts up there without anyone noticing? Remember the only viable method was to shoot them up in a large and loud rocket, so how can the movie explain these very large gaps in logic? Sure, by the time Apollo 13 launched the public was yawning at the thought of another trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean you can cover up an actual launch. Unless it was done in secret, and the only reasoning behind that was that in this film Apollo 18 had a dark ulterior motive. Were they trying to build a giant "laser" on the moon? A moon base?
I can't correctly guess on how the heck the writers are going to explain logically how a mission to the moon was kept secret. But I hope it's clever.
Then, of course, we have the characters. Who are our protagonists who we will journey to the moon with? In reality, the members of the Apollo 18 mission were going to be: Richard F. Gordon Jr. (Commander), Vance D. Brand (Command Module Pilot), and Harrison Schmitt (Lunar Module Pilot). All of whom were Apollo 15's backup crew. So are these going to be our protagonists for this film? Or are the writers going to have a secret crew be set up? After all, this mission was a secret. Of course, if there are going to be deaths in this movie, then the writers would probably go for a secret crew as all of the men on the list for Apollo 18 obviously are still alive (in fact Harrison Schmitt was one of the last men to set foot on the moon on Apollo 17). That would be the logical choice in my opinion.
So what about the story? Since no information about the plot has come out we are left to speculate once again. Is it going to go down the traditional and very boring movements of great alien encounter films of the past like Alien? Or is it going to bring in a new twist on the genre? I hope for the latter but expect nothing but the former. My thoughts of what this movie WILL be are: Act 1. The film introduces us to the secret crew on a secret mission to the moon where we barely get to know who these men are and why we should care about them. They reach the moon by the end of act 1. Act 2 shows our astronauts landing on the moon and almost instantly something goes wrong. It could be a mechanical malfunction, or the aliens instantly attack, but either case, the two men on the moon are essentially stranded unless they can fix their ride before the aliens eat them. The rest of act two probably will bring in some hokey dialogue and cliche moments as the two men on the moon argue with the man left in orbit in the command module on what they should do next. One of the men on the moon dies or is taken over by the alien which sets up for a somewhat suspenseful yet predictable Act 3. Act 3 has the men finally fix the lunar module and quickly escape the moon of doom. Everything seems fine when, while on their return trip back to earth, they realize one of their own is an alien. It is here that the climax of the film occurs with all of the astronauts dying or being taken over by aliens as they prepare for reentry. Then, after the rescue team recovers them they are quickly shipped off to Area 51 leaving the audience with a chilling message around the lines of: "The government never spoke of the three astronauts ever again." Or, "Sadly, the new team of astronauts attempting to make a moon base in the future never saw this video." for an inevitable sequel set up.
However, here is how I HOPE the movie will be like.
Act 1 introduces us to the astronauts right after the launch. We get to know each and every one of them, making us care for them and seeing how they work as a team. We also have an explanation as to why no one knows about this mission, be it that they already know that alien life exists on the moon or some other creative reason. We see segments of the astronaut's four day mission to the moon, continually showing the humanity of these men and why we should care.
Act 2 has our astronauts landing on the moon. Nothing goes wrong because everyone expects something to go wrong by the time act 2 comes along. The astronauts on the moon explore the surface of the moon (either for more moon rocks or for actual evidence of extraterrestrial life). Every now and then, the camera will see something off in the distance, we don't know what, but it's obviously something watching our intrepid explorers. The astronauts on the lunar surface spend a couple of days on the surface, and on occasion something strange happens while they rest in the Lunar module. Up in orbit, the command module pilot feels helpless as his shipmates struggle with the strange encounter taking place on the surface. There can even be a segment where we see nothing taking place on the moon but can hear it happening via radio transmissions on the command module as we watch our helpless CSM pilot listen to his friends' terror.
Then something bad happens. One of the astronauts is seriously wounded and it forces them to leave the moon early and attempt an emergency docking with the CSM so they can get home as soon as possible to save their wounded friend. However, something comes back with them. This is where Act 3 starts.
Act 3 takes place during the time the astronauts are trying to get home. However, they soon learn that something has come back with them and they are forced to lock themselves in one section of the spacecraft, probably the lunar module as then it provides tension for when it becomes time for them to reenter the atmosphere. The astronauts struggle with finding a way to kill the creature inside their only way home. They contemplate on forcing the ship into a deadly angle with the atmosphere causing the ship to burn up, sacrificing themselves but saving the earth. Then it becomes time for them to make a decision, resulting in a climactic ending that should surprise the audience. Then, the closing of the film, be it a good or bad ending, ends with a chilling message.
I know it's not much to go on. To be honest, I should've just went with: "I hope this movie can be original in it's storytelling and have characters we care about."
However, I'm sure that it will go with the other direction, ending up with a disappointing film.
However, I am hopeful. As Timur Bekmambetov, the man behind such awesome films like Night Watch and Wanted is slated to be the producer. The director, sadly, is someone I don't know. However, he sounds like he has directed films before, just foreign films. Let's hope his first English-speaking film can impress!
In either case, 2011 sounds like a hopeful movie year.
Friday, November 12, 2010
They came from the stars... to take our braaaiiinnnss!!! A Review of Universal's Skyline
As my go to guy for film reviews, The Movie Preview Critic, would say: "What's up good movie lovers?"
I just came back from watching the sci-fi alien invasion flick Skyline and now I'm going to dish out some good ol movie review moves on this one.
WARNING this is SPOILER FILLED! If you hate being spoiled don't continue any further!
First off, I'd like to go a little deeper behind the movie Skyline. This film is directed by The Brothers Strause, who had the misfortune of directing the second AVP film for their debut into directing films. These guys have had it bad since then on many AVP fan forums, and I honestly have to say I cannot hate on these guys like most people. I've seen the behind the scenes of AVP 2, and while the movie was horrible, these guys did seem to enjoy making the movie. These guys look like they love movies, and I cannot fault them for wanting to direct a movie that covers two popular franchises. I can however fault Fox for a number of reasons, and obviously if The Brothers Strause were here they'd probably tell me what a nightmare it was working under Fox. Remember, these are the guys who think they can boss Tony Scott around on how to make another Alien film.
However, I did have my doubts when I heard that The Bros. would be making yet another alien-based movie. After all, they did direct AVP 2. However, when they discussed about their approach to this film, I couldn't help but give the movie a little more consideration. First off, they took a more independent approach, with an aversion to studio involvement. Most of the filming took place in The Bros. own home, that's how independent it was. Second, the effects looked great, The Bros. started out with working on numerous computer effects for numerous films, so if there's something they knew how to do it was make effective computer created effects. Third, they put their own little twist to the formula of an alien invasion movie: the aliens use our own curiosity against us. Using blue lights to seize control of our bodies and pull us up to the mother ship.
However, I was still reluctant to see this movie. It was only my morbid curiosity and the minor insistence of a friend that put my butt in the theater.
What I saw was a mix of stereotypical alien invasion movie cliches and a few new twists that truly didn't make a whole difference to the overall film. What does change the feeling of this movie is the ending, which completely blew my mind in it's surprisingly ballsy and original splendor.
However, the first and second acts are most definitely the worst parts of this movie.
The first act instantly attempts to drag us in by plunging us right into the beginning of the invasion as hundreds of blue lights fall from the sky and begin to attract people like moths to a flame. The group of people we focus on here are evidently the remnants of a drunken party as tables are laden with empty alcohol bottles and couches laden with unconscious women. These people awaken as the light shakes the earth and one, a guy named Jarrod (Eric Balfour who I remember from Syfy's Haven), is hooked like a fish on a line by the blue light.
Cut to a few hours earlier where we see Jarrod and his girlfriend Elaine (Scottie Thompson) arriving in LA to visit their friend Terry (Dr. Turkleton or Donald Faison, I'm going to call him Turkleton for the rest of the review cuz I luv me some Scrubs) who is celebrating his birthday. We have a couple other relative no-name alien cannon fodder such as Turkleton's girlfriend and someone who I think is Turkleton's secretary. This act was probably the worst of the two acts as the film struggles to introduce the audience to the people we should be caring for, and the only ones I end up caring for are Turkleton (cuz he's Turkleton) and Jarrod (cuz I like his goatee, oh and he's the kind of guy who likes to help people with their luggage). I couldn't help but notice that the movie can't even properly explain what it is that Jarrod and Turkleton actually do for a living. Judging by the fancy apartment I can only guess that Turkleton is doing something that pays well for no particular amount of effort, oh and he apparently is "talented at it" because Jarrod explains everyone in his home town knew he (Turkleton) was "going places." Basically, you have to be Sherlock Holmes (or at least someone who habitually watches crime procedurals or Psych) because it's only through what these characters have or you see do in only two shots that you get what these people do in the normal world. Jarrod, for instance, is evidently a struggling artist, judging by the book he carries around on the plane filled with pretty colours and the small scene where he says he's "barely surviving."
Elaine, Jarrod's girlfriend, suddenly announces to him that she's pregnant (if you didn't pick up on it when you saw her go into the bathroom to puke in the MORNING at the start of the film or the fact that she was feeling SICK on the plane in the MORNING. Then you must be Helen Keller. Actually I take it back, you don't have to be Sherlock to work these things out. You could be Helen Keller and still figure out she's with child!) much to Jarrod's surprise. However, I'm not sure if the fight they got into ended by the time they went to bed even though they seemed to be fine enough to stay in the same bed by the next scene. There isn't a scene where they work things out and assure one another that they'll get through this. Who needs good character development when you've got an impending alien attack coming up?!?
The rest of act one follows as such: The aliens attack, people argue about what's going on, aliens attack, people argue, aliens, argue, until they finally agree on leaving the apartment building to escape the city. One thing I couldn't help but feel annoyed about was how Turkleton's girlfriend felt it was a good idea to act like a jealous bitch during an alien invasion. Sure I can understand the lady felt betrayed about Turkleton sleeping with his secretary during the party but seriously, there are friggin aliens swallowing up all the people in Los Angeles, there's a time and a place! The only way I could see this sub plot being needed is if, through the adversity of the alien apocalypse, Turkleton and his girlfriend find reconciliation and grow as a couple. But this doesn't happen, Turkleton gets eaten by a giant monster that shoots tentacles out of its hand like a frog's tongue (this is the one and only death I mourned, well no I mourned the death of the old guy with the dog cuz he's an old guy with a cute puppy dog, but of all the main characters Turkleton was the only death I mourned.)
The second act starts with the concierge appears and saves our heroes from one of the smaller aliens. It is here that we realize why the aliens have come: they use our brains to control their bodies!!! I am not sure why they replace the brains they've got with ours (or how a species that does this even managed to evolve. Seriously think it through: if aliens needed other things' brains to do anything, how did they become a dominant species?), but it's a motive and it's slightly original. The second act kinda goes through the motions as our heroes argue on whether waiting for help or trying to escape the city is a good idea again. As the hum drum of alien invasion sets in, we are give segments where Jarrod, who at this point has been exposed to the strange alien light three times, is beginning to show some odd side effects such as a weird alien crossword puzzle on his chest and the occasional burst of superhuman strength (he lifts the concierge into the air like the Predator lifted Arnie in the first movie). Soon, the inevitable military counter-attack occurs, however, I actually really enjoyed the fast-paced dog fight over the Los Angeles skyline (see what I did there?!?!?). I will admit that this is pure CGI porn. As predator drones and stealth bombers try to punch a hole through the enemy offensive to shove a nuke down their gooey throat I couldn't help but feel like a big gambler at the horse races. The one bomber in particular had me rooting for it more than I have been rooting for our heroes. So when the bomber finally manages to launch it's payload (get your mind out of the gutter!), the entire city is engulfed in a brilliant light.
Here I predicted that, like in Independence Day, the alien mother ship would've been unscathed, but much to my surprise the nuke actually took it out! I was surprised when the ship came crashing down to earth in a blaze of nuclear fire. However, this didn't call for a sigh of relief as almost instantly the alien menace poured out of the wreckage thoroughly pissed off! I then found myself groaning, not because the movie was bad, but because of the shot of the alien ship reassembling itself. This was one of the scenes that set this movie apart from other alien invasion movies because it actually managed to change the formula up: these aliens aren't indestructible, they are very much destructible but they are also tenacious. A car can crush one of these aliens, you can cut them down with an axe, but if you don't put them down for good they will put themselves back together like some sort of bastardized version of the Iron Giant.
By this point, Jarrod is really feeling the effects of the alien light, where the slightest disturbance can set him off and make him all "dark eyed." All he wants to do is get out of town with his girlfriend and his unborn child before the aliens or the radiation kills them (I'm pleased that a movie actually acknowledges the threat of radiation after a nuke goes off). So he intends on taking Elaine up to the roof to signal for one of the many choppers that show up to drop troops to combat the aliens to come a rescue them. The concierge and Turkleton's girlfriend remain in the apartment where they soon suffer horrible deaths at the hands of the aliens. The concierge, a portly latino man, has one of the most predicable one liners in the entire movie. the very second you see him about to light off the gas from the stove you can already hear him saying: "Vaya con dios, you (insert nasty insult here)!"
While cliche fills the 20th floor of the apartment, Jarrod and Elaine try to signal for one of the choppers to save them. Sadly, the aliens get to them first, and they are beamed up into the mother ship. I sat in the theater wondering if this was how the movie would end: with our heroes getting their brains sucked out and the earth is left in ruins. It's a path not so commonly taken in most alien invasion films, but I couldn't help but think it was a bit anti-climactic.
So this brings us to the ending. The one redeeming factor for this movie. The one thing that made me really enjoy this movie after it dragged me through a really basic alien invasion storyline. It is this ending that made me walk out of the theater thinking that this movie was actually really good.
The ending is this: after we are shown various parts of the earth being picked clean by the aliens the scene cuts to Elaine inside the alien ship. She watches in horror as Jarrod's head is removed and his brain taken to be "processed" (not the movie's word, mine). Elaine is about to be "brain-ified" when the aliens realize she is pregnant. They take her to another holding room where women are being subjected some horrible procedure that I think if the movie actually showed would've given them an X rating. Meanwhile we are shown where the harvested human brains go to get implanted into alien bodies. Here we see what evidently is a normal blue glowing brain being implanted into a flying alien. Then we see a red glowing brain pop up and it is quickly transferred into an alien that looks kinda like Dog from Half-Life 2. This alien looks confused and dazed as we soon realize this is Jarrod's brain, somehow the continual exposure to the light has made his brain immune to the implantation process and he quickly fights his way to Elaine and saves her. The movie ends with Alien-Jarrod quickly putting himself between Elaine and the nightmare creatures in the mother ship.
This ending left me wanting to see the epic fight that they only tease us with in between the credits. This ending was such an unexpected twist for me that I couldn't help but exclaim: "Holy f***in s**t!" I was pumped after seeing this ending, so much so that I am already itching for a sequel just so we can watch Alien-Jarrod kick some major alien ass all to protect his gal and their baby.
So was Skyline a worthy movie to go see? No. It was a typical alien invasion movie. The characters are poorly developed, the movie follows the basic formula for an alien invasion movie, and it still manages to be predictable even though it had an unpredictable ending.
Is it a good movie? It's better than most of the films I've seen come into theaters recently. Though I'd have to say it's asking a lot if I said that it is worth watching just to see the ending. To be honest, I would've been more interested in seeing a movie that would probably end up being the sequel. The idea of Jarrod being Elaine and their baby's body guard in the post-apocalyptic alien infested world just seems like a more interesting film to me. It's an idea I'd like to see be made into a movie. I mean how can you go wrong with something like that? You have kick ass alien vs alien battles and the internal struggle of a family where the father is a monster. I say it's a win/win situation!
Whatever the case, whether or not The Bros. Strause do end up making a sequel or not, I can safely say I walked out of the theater surprisingly satisfied that I watched Skyline.
So the verdict:
I give Skyline three glowing brains out of five for it's fantastically surprising ending yet it's very predictable formula and underdeveloped characters.
I just came back from watching the sci-fi alien invasion flick Skyline and now I'm going to dish out some good ol movie review moves on this one.
WARNING this is SPOILER FILLED! If you hate being spoiled don't continue any further!
First off, I'd like to go a little deeper behind the movie Skyline. This film is directed by The Brothers Strause, who had the misfortune of directing the second AVP film for their debut into directing films. These guys have had it bad since then on many AVP fan forums, and I honestly have to say I cannot hate on these guys like most people. I've seen the behind the scenes of AVP 2, and while the movie was horrible, these guys did seem to enjoy making the movie. These guys look like they love movies, and I cannot fault them for wanting to direct a movie that covers two popular franchises. I can however fault Fox for a number of reasons, and obviously if The Brothers Strause were here they'd probably tell me what a nightmare it was working under Fox. Remember, these are the guys who think they can boss Tony Scott around on how to make another Alien film.
However, I did have my doubts when I heard that The Bros. would be making yet another alien-based movie. After all, they did direct AVP 2. However, when they discussed about their approach to this film, I couldn't help but give the movie a little more consideration. First off, they took a more independent approach, with an aversion to studio involvement. Most of the filming took place in The Bros. own home, that's how independent it was. Second, the effects looked great, The Bros. started out with working on numerous computer effects for numerous films, so if there's something they knew how to do it was make effective computer created effects. Third, they put their own little twist to the formula of an alien invasion movie: the aliens use our own curiosity against us. Using blue lights to seize control of our bodies and pull us up to the mother ship.
However, I was still reluctant to see this movie. It was only my morbid curiosity and the minor insistence of a friend that put my butt in the theater.
What I saw was a mix of stereotypical alien invasion movie cliches and a few new twists that truly didn't make a whole difference to the overall film. What does change the feeling of this movie is the ending, which completely blew my mind in it's surprisingly ballsy and original splendor.
However, the first and second acts are most definitely the worst parts of this movie.
The first act instantly attempts to drag us in by plunging us right into the beginning of the invasion as hundreds of blue lights fall from the sky and begin to attract people like moths to a flame. The group of people we focus on here are evidently the remnants of a drunken party as tables are laden with empty alcohol bottles and couches laden with unconscious women. These people awaken as the light shakes the earth and one, a guy named Jarrod (Eric Balfour who I remember from Syfy's Haven), is hooked like a fish on a line by the blue light.
Cut to a few hours earlier where we see Jarrod and his girlfriend Elaine (Scottie Thompson) arriving in LA to visit their friend Terry (Dr. Turkleton or Donald Faison, I'm going to call him Turkleton for the rest of the review cuz I luv me some Scrubs) who is celebrating his birthday. We have a couple other relative no-name alien cannon fodder such as Turkleton's girlfriend and someone who I think is Turkleton's secretary. This act was probably the worst of the two acts as the film struggles to introduce the audience to the people we should be caring for, and the only ones I end up caring for are Turkleton (cuz he's Turkleton) and Jarrod (cuz I like his goatee, oh and he's the kind of guy who likes to help people with their luggage). I couldn't help but notice that the movie can't even properly explain what it is that Jarrod and Turkleton actually do for a living. Judging by the fancy apartment I can only guess that Turkleton is doing something that pays well for no particular amount of effort, oh and he apparently is "talented at it" because Jarrod explains everyone in his home town knew he (Turkleton) was "going places." Basically, you have to be Sherlock Holmes (or at least someone who habitually watches crime procedurals or Psych) because it's only through what these characters have or you see do in only two shots that you get what these people do in the normal world. Jarrod, for instance, is evidently a struggling artist, judging by the book he carries around on the plane filled with pretty colours and the small scene where he says he's "barely surviving."
Elaine, Jarrod's girlfriend, suddenly announces to him that she's pregnant (if you didn't pick up on it when you saw her go into the bathroom to puke in the MORNING at the start of the film or the fact that she was feeling SICK on the plane in the MORNING. Then you must be Helen Keller. Actually I take it back, you don't have to be Sherlock to work these things out. You could be Helen Keller and still figure out she's with child!) much to Jarrod's surprise. However, I'm not sure if the fight they got into ended by the time they went to bed even though they seemed to be fine enough to stay in the same bed by the next scene. There isn't a scene where they work things out and assure one another that they'll get through this. Who needs good character development when you've got an impending alien attack coming up?!?
The rest of act one follows as such: The aliens attack, people argue about what's going on, aliens attack, people argue, aliens, argue, until they finally agree on leaving the apartment building to escape the city. One thing I couldn't help but feel annoyed about was how Turkleton's girlfriend felt it was a good idea to act like a jealous bitch during an alien invasion. Sure I can understand the lady felt betrayed about Turkleton sleeping with his secretary during the party but seriously, there are friggin aliens swallowing up all the people in Los Angeles, there's a time and a place! The only way I could see this sub plot being needed is if, through the adversity of the alien apocalypse, Turkleton and his girlfriend find reconciliation and grow as a couple. But this doesn't happen, Turkleton gets eaten by a giant monster that shoots tentacles out of its hand like a frog's tongue (this is the one and only death I mourned, well no I mourned the death of the old guy with the dog cuz he's an old guy with a cute puppy dog, but of all the main characters Turkleton was the only death I mourned.)
The second act starts with the concierge appears and saves our heroes from one of the smaller aliens. It is here that we realize why the aliens have come: they use our brains to control their bodies!!! I am not sure why they replace the brains they've got with ours (or how a species that does this even managed to evolve. Seriously think it through: if aliens needed other things' brains to do anything, how did they become a dominant species?), but it's a motive and it's slightly original. The second act kinda goes through the motions as our heroes argue on whether waiting for help or trying to escape the city is a good idea again. As the hum drum of alien invasion sets in, we are give segments where Jarrod, who at this point has been exposed to the strange alien light three times, is beginning to show some odd side effects such as a weird alien crossword puzzle on his chest and the occasional burst of superhuman strength (he lifts the concierge into the air like the Predator lifted Arnie in the first movie). Soon, the inevitable military counter-attack occurs, however, I actually really enjoyed the fast-paced dog fight over the Los Angeles skyline (see what I did there?!?!?). I will admit that this is pure CGI porn. As predator drones and stealth bombers try to punch a hole through the enemy offensive to shove a nuke down their gooey throat I couldn't help but feel like a big gambler at the horse races. The one bomber in particular had me rooting for it more than I have been rooting for our heroes. So when the bomber finally manages to launch it's payload (get your mind out of the gutter!), the entire city is engulfed in a brilliant light.
Here I predicted that, like in Independence Day, the alien mother ship would've been unscathed, but much to my surprise the nuke actually took it out! I was surprised when the ship came crashing down to earth in a blaze of nuclear fire. However, this didn't call for a sigh of relief as almost instantly the alien menace poured out of the wreckage thoroughly pissed off! I then found myself groaning, not because the movie was bad, but because of the shot of the alien ship reassembling itself. This was one of the scenes that set this movie apart from other alien invasion movies because it actually managed to change the formula up: these aliens aren't indestructible, they are very much destructible but they are also tenacious. A car can crush one of these aliens, you can cut them down with an axe, but if you don't put them down for good they will put themselves back together like some sort of bastardized version of the Iron Giant.
By this point, Jarrod is really feeling the effects of the alien light, where the slightest disturbance can set him off and make him all "dark eyed." All he wants to do is get out of town with his girlfriend and his unborn child before the aliens or the radiation kills them (I'm pleased that a movie actually acknowledges the threat of radiation after a nuke goes off). So he intends on taking Elaine up to the roof to signal for one of the many choppers that show up to drop troops to combat the aliens to come a rescue them. The concierge and Turkleton's girlfriend remain in the apartment where they soon suffer horrible deaths at the hands of the aliens. The concierge, a portly latino man, has one of the most predicable one liners in the entire movie. the very second you see him about to light off the gas from the stove you can already hear him saying: "Vaya con dios, you (insert nasty insult here)!"
While cliche fills the 20th floor of the apartment, Jarrod and Elaine try to signal for one of the choppers to save them. Sadly, the aliens get to them first, and they are beamed up into the mother ship. I sat in the theater wondering if this was how the movie would end: with our heroes getting their brains sucked out and the earth is left in ruins. It's a path not so commonly taken in most alien invasion films, but I couldn't help but think it was a bit anti-climactic.
So this brings us to the ending. The one redeeming factor for this movie. The one thing that made me really enjoy this movie after it dragged me through a really basic alien invasion storyline. It is this ending that made me walk out of the theater thinking that this movie was actually really good.
The ending is this: after we are shown various parts of the earth being picked clean by the aliens the scene cuts to Elaine inside the alien ship. She watches in horror as Jarrod's head is removed and his brain taken to be "processed" (not the movie's word, mine). Elaine is about to be "brain-ified" when the aliens realize she is pregnant. They take her to another holding room where women are being subjected some horrible procedure that I think if the movie actually showed would've given them an X rating. Meanwhile we are shown where the harvested human brains go to get implanted into alien bodies. Here we see what evidently is a normal blue glowing brain being implanted into a flying alien. Then we see a red glowing brain pop up and it is quickly transferred into an alien that looks kinda like Dog from Half-Life 2. This alien looks confused and dazed as we soon realize this is Jarrod's brain, somehow the continual exposure to the light has made his brain immune to the implantation process and he quickly fights his way to Elaine and saves her. The movie ends with Alien-Jarrod quickly putting himself between Elaine and the nightmare creatures in the mother ship.
This ending left me wanting to see the epic fight that they only tease us with in between the credits. This ending was such an unexpected twist for me that I couldn't help but exclaim: "Holy f***in s**t!" I was pumped after seeing this ending, so much so that I am already itching for a sequel just so we can watch Alien-Jarrod kick some major alien ass all to protect his gal and their baby.
So was Skyline a worthy movie to go see? No. It was a typical alien invasion movie. The characters are poorly developed, the movie follows the basic formula for an alien invasion movie, and it still manages to be predictable even though it had an unpredictable ending.
Is it a good movie? It's better than most of the films I've seen come into theaters recently. Though I'd have to say it's asking a lot if I said that it is worth watching just to see the ending. To be honest, I would've been more interested in seeing a movie that would probably end up being the sequel. The idea of Jarrod being Elaine and their baby's body guard in the post-apocalyptic alien infested world just seems like a more interesting film to me. It's an idea I'd like to see be made into a movie. I mean how can you go wrong with something like that? You have kick ass alien vs alien battles and the internal struggle of a family where the father is a monster. I say it's a win/win situation!
Whatever the case, whether or not The Bros. Strause do end up making a sequel or not, I can safely say I walked out of the theater surprisingly satisfied that I watched Skyline.
So the verdict:
I give Skyline three glowing brains out of five for it's fantastically surprising ending yet it's very predictable formula and underdeveloped characters.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Summer Movie Sequels and M. Night's Chronicles.
So after a far too long hiatus I have decided to get back to writing anything. I feel that as long as my fingers are on a keyboard I'm not losing my edge. So I'm going to write about the world of films and other junk that I can possibly think up of in the next few minutes.
To start with, I'd like to talk about summer movie sequels.
A few minutes ago I just popped on over to IGN.com because I have no life outside of my tiny room. In the Movies section of the site they had a poll on what summer movies people would like to see have sequels. There were a handful of films, some were good some were bad, and others were fantastic. But the problem I had when I clicked to cast my vote is that I could only choose one movie. I am shocked at how one sided these polls can be. I honestly couldn't think of the one movie I'd like to see spawn a sequel. I mean some were obviously going to get sequels like Iron Man. But what was the one movie that, if I were an all powerful movie god (aka a studio executive or James Cameron), what would be the movie I'd choose to have a sequel for?
Sure, it's not that kind of a poll, I'm not voting for the sequel to The Karate Kid in reality. But in my mind I couldn't help but ponder on this question. What movie would I like to see have a sequel?
For the record I won't reveal who I voted for, as I feel it wouldn't be right to. (I still never reveal my birthday wishes even, and yes I still make wishes to this day.)
The list included some movies that would obviously spawn sequels, like Iron Man, and even The Other Guys (that one I'm not so sure about though). Some have already announced that they were planning on making a sequel: Predators and Piranha 3D. A few that actually deserve sequels, like The A-Team (who didn't love Sharlto "Wikus" Copley as Howlin' Mad Murdock impersonating Mel Gibson in Braveheart???) Then there were others that either didn't deserve a sequel or really don't need one: Toy Story 3, Inception, The Karate Kid, and Machete (I'll leave it to you to decide which ones fit into which sub-category)
Once again, I felt the poll to be very one sided when I felt I should be able vote on numerous movies. So I decided to put up my ideas on why these movies do or don't deserve sequels.
1. Iron Man 2.
Q:Why should it deserve a sequel?
A: It was a fun superhero summer action flick, RDJ is always fun to watch on the big screen, no matter who he is playing, and we get to see Scarlett Johansson in skintight leather.
Q: How could it not be worthy of a sequel?
A: Like anything, it's a Hollywood cash grab. But that really is a moot point.
2. Inception
Q: Does this really need a sequel?
A: No, in fact a sequel to this film would be the worst thing to happen. Think the Matrix sequels all over again.
3. Toy Story 3
Q: Should there be a sequel?
A: I think there shouldn't be, the second movie closed the series pretty well, but I'd welcome one if Pixar went with it.
4. Predators
Q: Is a sequel really necessary?
A: It's complicated. This movie managed to pull the Predator franchise out of the sea of s**t that was AVP, and set up a larger world that is just waiting to be exploited for a sequel (and a quick buck). To be honest, this wasn't really a necessary movie from the start but it managed to rekindle my love for movie monsters. In my opinion, this has to have a sequel that is bigger than the last, I want to know what happens to Adrien Brody and co.
5. The A-Team
Q: Should there be a sequel?
A: Yes, this movie managed to be what most other action movies aren't anymore: awesome and fun. Even if it's a remake.
6. Machete
Q: I saw that they already named off two sequels, but should they become a reality?
A: In my opinion, absolutely not. When the movie wasn't dishing out tiny morsels of action or nude Lindsay Lohan body doubles, it was preaching about illegal immigration and politics. I'm already biased when it comes to politics in any subject from real life to small conversation (QED I don't care about politics at all), so this movie was doomed from the start for me, but it didn't help that I felt bored throughout most of the movie. If you do like movies that bash you over the head with a political message then perhaps a sequel for Machete is the perfect thing to happen for you. Me, I won't even bother noticing if they announce a sequel.
7. The Other Guys
Q: Should this movie get a sequel?
A: Don't know, I never saw it. I stopped watching Will Ferrell movies after Blades of Glory.
8. Piranha 3D
Q: Did they really announce a sequel already?
A: From what I heard, yes they did.
Q: Really?
A: Yep.
Q: So... are they serious?
A: This movie is the sequel to an old set of cheesy horror movies. I wouldn't be surprised if they announced a sequel... and they already did.
Q: So, is it really necessary?
A: Nope.
Q: Because you hated it?
A: Nope, I loved it. It was what I expected. Not anything like Inception, but that's like comparing Stephenie Meyer to Shakespeare. Although I could've done without the CG penis in 3D.
Q: So you'd like to see a sequel?
A: Yes.
Q: Okay...
8. The Karate Kid
Q: Do I really need to ask?
A: No, but I'll answer in case some people don't understand: No!
And those are my thoughts on the summer movies that were mentioned in the poll.
In other news I've been closely following the new movie Devil that is being produced by everyone's favorite "not-quite-close-to-being-the-next-Spielberg" M. Night Shyamalan. The biggest question on my mind (and possibly on every other movie geek's mind) is: "Will this movie redeem Shyamalan?"
The director has definitely fallen in my eyes after two major blows to his reputation that came in the form of The Happening and The Last Airbender. I'll try to keep from bashing these movies as best as I can but there's no guarantees.
So Devil, the latest film to be marked with the directors easily misspelled name, is taking Shyamalan back to his horror/thriller roots since The Happening (which was a horror in of itself). The premise is an interesting one. The movie is the supposed first installment of a series of films about supernatural events taking place in the urban world (which basically describes any number of Twilight Zone episodes, Outer Limits episodes, or the Discovery Channel's A Haunting). This one of which is about a group of people trapped in an elevator, however one of these people is The Devil (and it's not Elizabeth Hurley in a bikini). So far the movie hasn't divulged much information apart from the premise. The trailers and commercials I've seen for it all tell the same story: The Devil's a comin' down to *insert city name here* and he's lookin' to start some s**t!
Am I whatever color that represents interested? Yes.
Am I hopeful that this is Shyamalan's "grand return?" Yes.
Will it be Shyamalan's return to glory? Only time will tell.
Do I keep asking questions then answering them? Yes.
Is it annoying? Very much.
I'm excited for this movie. As to whether or not it will be good is another question entirely. If it's bad, it'll be the final nail in the proverbial coffin for Shyamalan's career (heck, I felt that putting his name in the trailers was a ballsy move considering his last movie). If it's good, I'll never ride in an elevator ever again... but at least I'll know it's because of Shyamalan.
But then again, only time will tell as I go to watch Devil this Saturday night...
I'm hoping I can't get to sleep that night... then again I'm also hoping I'll be able to sleep after watching it (I barely can sleep after Paranormal Activity!)
I'll come back with my thoughts on the movie after seeing it. For now, enjoy the rest of your day!
To start with, I'd like to talk about summer movie sequels.
A few minutes ago I just popped on over to IGN.com because I have no life outside of my tiny room. In the Movies section of the site they had a poll on what summer movies people would like to see have sequels. There were a handful of films, some were good some were bad, and others were fantastic. But the problem I had when I clicked to cast my vote is that I could only choose one movie. I am shocked at how one sided these polls can be. I honestly couldn't think of the one movie I'd like to see spawn a sequel. I mean some were obviously going to get sequels like Iron Man. But what was the one movie that, if I were an all powerful movie god (aka a studio executive or James Cameron), what would be the movie I'd choose to have a sequel for?
Sure, it's not that kind of a poll, I'm not voting for the sequel to The Karate Kid in reality. But in my mind I couldn't help but ponder on this question. What movie would I like to see have a sequel?
For the record I won't reveal who I voted for, as I feel it wouldn't be right to. (I still never reveal my birthday wishes even, and yes I still make wishes to this day.)
The list included some movies that would obviously spawn sequels, like Iron Man, and even The Other Guys (that one I'm not so sure about though). Some have already announced that they were planning on making a sequel: Predators and Piranha 3D. A few that actually deserve sequels, like The A-Team (who didn't love Sharlto "Wikus" Copley as Howlin' Mad Murdock impersonating Mel Gibson in Braveheart???) Then there were others that either didn't deserve a sequel or really don't need one: Toy Story 3, Inception, The Karate Kid, and Machete (I'll leave it to you to decide which ones fit into which sub-category)
Once again, I felt the poll to be very one sided when I felt I should be able vote on numerous movies. So I decided to put up my ideas on why these movies do or don't deserve sequels.
1. Iron Man 2.
Q:Why should it deserve a sequel?
A: It was a fun superhero summer action flick, RDJ is always fun to watch on the big screen, no matter who he is playing, and we get to see Scarlett Johansson in skintight leather.
Q: How could it not be worthy of a sequel?
A: Like anything, it's a Hollywood cash grab. But that really is a moot point.
2. Inception
Q: Does this really need a sequel?
A: No, in fact a sequel to this film would be the worst thing to happen. Think the Matrix sequels all over again.
3. Toy Story 3
Q: Should there be a sequel?
A: I think there shouldn't be, the second movie closed the series pretty well, but I'd welcome one if Pixar went with it.
4. Predators
Q: Is a sequel really necessary?
A: It's complicated. This movie managed to pull the Predator franchise out of the sea of s**t that was AVP, and set up a larger world that is just waiting to be exploited for a sequel (and a quick buck). To be honest, this wasn't really a necessary movie from the start but it managed to rekindle my love for movie monsters. In my opinion, this has to have a sequel that is bigger than the last, I want to know what happens to Adrien Brody and co.
5. The A-Team
Q: Should there be a sequel?
A: Yes, this movie managed to be what most other action movies aren't anymore: awesome and fun. Even if it's a remake.
6. Machete
Q: I saw that they already named off two sequels, but should they become a reality?
A: In my opinion, absolutely not. When the movie wasn't dishing out tiny morsels of action or nude Lindsay Lohan body doubles, it was preaching about illegal immigration and politics. I'm already biased when it comes to politics in any subject from real life to small conversation (QED I don't care about politics at all), so this movie was doomed from the start for me, but it didn't help that I felt bored throughout most of the movie. If you do like movies that bash you over the head with a political message then perhaps a sequel for Machete is the perfect thing to happen for you. Me, I won't even bother noticing if they announce a sequel.
7. The Other Guys
Q: Should this movie get a sequel?
A: Don't know, I never saw it. I stopped watching Will Ferrell movies after Blades of Glory.
8. Piranha 3D
Q: Did they really announce a sequel already?
A: From what I heard, yes they did.
Q: Really?
A: Yep.
Q: So... are they serious?
A: This movie is the sequel to an old set of cheesy horror movies. I wouldn't be surprised if they announced a sequel... and they already did.
Q: So, is it really necessary?
A: Nope.
Q: Because you hated it?
A: Nope, I loved it. It was what I expected. Not anything like Inception, but that's like comparing Stephenie Meyer to Shakespeare. Although I could've done without the CG penis in 3D.
Q: So you'd like to see a sequel?
A: Yes.
Q: Okay...
8. The Karate Kid
Q: Do I really need to ask?
A: No, but I'll answer in case some people don't understand: No!
And those are my thoughts on the summer movies that were mentioned in the poll.
In other news I've been closely following the new movie Devil that is being produced by everyone's favorite "not-quite-close-to-being-the-next-Spielberg" M. Night Shyamalan. The biggest question on my mind (and possibly on every other movie geek's mind) is: "Will this movie redeem Shyamalan?"
The director has definitely fallen in my eyes after two major blows to his reputation that came in the form of The Happening and The Last Airbender. I'll try to keep from bashing these movies as best as I can but there's no guarantees.
So Devil, the latest film to be marked with the directors easily misspelled name, is taking Shyamalan back to his horror/thriller roots since The Happening (which was a horror in of itself). The premise is an interesting one. The movie is the supposed first installment of a series of films about supernatural events taking place in the urban world (which basically describes any number of Twilight Zone episodes, Outer Limits episodes, or the Discovery Channel's A Haunting). This one of which is about a group of people trapped in an elevator, however one of these people is The Devil (and it's not Elizabeth Hurley in a bikini). So far the movie hasn't divulged much information apart from the premise. The trailers and commercials I've seen for it all tell the same story: The Devil's a comin' down to *insert city name here* and he's lookin' to start some s**t!
Am I whatever color that represents interested? Yes.
Am I hopeful that this is Shyamalan's "grand return?" Yes.
Will it be Shyamalan's return to glory? Only time will tell.
Do I keep asking questions then answering them? Yes.
Is it annoying? Very much.
I'm excited for this movie. As to whether or not it will be good is another question entirely. If it's bad, it'll be the final nail in the proverbial coffin for Shyamalan's career (heck, I felt that putting his name in the trailers was a ballsy move considering his last movie). If it's good, I'll never ride in an elevator ever again... but at least I'll know it's because of Shyamalan.
But then again, only time will tell as I go to watch Devil this Saturday night...
I'm hoping I can't get to sleep that night... then again I'm also hoping I'll be able to sleep after watching it (I barely can sleep after Paranormal Activity!)
I'll come back with my thoughts on the movie after seeing it. For now, enjoy the rest of your day!
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