Imaginary Cinema & Television

Imaginary Cinema Awards 2011!

2012-02-03T10:33:00.004-05:00

Despite all the doom about the death of cinema, 2011 was actually one of the best years for genre movies in the last 30 years, almost matching such years as 1982, 1984 and 1997. While there may not have been any completely original classics (though there are a few films I have yet to see, such as Hugo), there were a whole slew of blockbuster fantasy movies that exceeded expectations. Although it’s pretty sad that even the best film of the year relied on JJ Abrams aping Spielberg for most of its emotional power.

Best Movie: Super 8
Runners-up: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, X-Men: First Class, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Midnight in Paris, Rango (don’t normally include animated movies about talking animals in Imaginary Cinema, but this was so odd and beautifully animated it deserves a spot), Attack the Block, Captain America, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (I know it was a 2010 movie, but it didn’t get a proper release until last year), Thor, Contagion, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen)

Best Director: JJ Abrams (Super 8)

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class)
Runners-up: Alan Rickman (Harry Potter), Joel Courtney (Super 8), James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class), David Tennant (Fright Night), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: First Class)
Runners-up: Kate Winslet (Contagion), Marion Cottilard (Midnight in Paris), Katie Holmes (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)

Best Music: X-Men: First Class (Henry Jackman)
Runners-up: Super 8 (Michael Giacchino)

Best Visual Effects: Captain America
Runners-up: Super 8, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Makeup: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

Best Costumes: X-Men: First Class
Runner-up: Captain America

Best Homage to Classic Cinema: Super 8, followed by X-Men (James Bond), Rango (spaghetti western) and Paul (a foul-mouthed version of E.T.)

Best Board Game Movie: Rock em Sock em Robots, I mean Real Steel (Battleship looks like a contender for Worst Board Game Movie for 2012)

Best Guilty Pleasure: Drive Angry 3D - Patrick Lussier tops the gratuitous nudity in My Bloody Valentine 3D with an even more gratuitous scene where Nicolas Cage has sex with a woman while shooting it out with several bad guys.

Most Pointless Remake: Conan the Barbarian
The Thing and Fright Night were pretty pointless, too, but at least they were watchable.

Most Disappointing Movie: Sucker Punch (taking the plot of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, replacing the characters with young girls and inserting random video game cut scenes – how could that fail?)

Just Ignore This Shit and it’ll Go Away Award: Transformers 3, Cars 2

Long time no blog . . .

2011-10-14T09:20:00.007-05:00

So with starting my new job at USC Upstate and still working three days a week at the Evil Empire, I haven't had time to post any reviews or news. So here's a quick update of the Imaginary Cinema events of the last few months:

ROCK EM SOCK EM ROBOTS!

Real Steel turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable, even though the last 20 minutes were a blatant rip-off of Rocky, right down to the people's champion losing the fight on points.
The family drama aspects of the film were tiresome and cliched, but when the movie focuses on robots smashing the crap out of each other it manages to be good, clean mindless entertainment (as opposed to the festering crap mindless entertainment of Michael Bay's Transformers). Worth a Netflix viewing.

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

The cinema highlight of the Halloween season was actually a 27 year old movie. We went to see Ghostbusters at one of it's re-release screenings and it was a sold out show. The audience was really into it (there was even one guy wearing a proton pack) and it reaffirmed the genius of Bill Murray. The film has barely dated and remains one of the most quotable scripts of all time. Almost makes me wish for a Ghostbusters III (but then I remember Part II).

MAN IS STILL THE WARMEST PLACE TO HIDE

The remake/prequel to John Carpenter's remake wasn't quite as bad as I feared. It did a good job of capturing the mood and look of the 1982 film for the most part. I was confused as to why there were so many Americans at a Norwegian camp and, as much as I adore her, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is no Kurt Russell. The effects were pretty good, with CG not as overused as you would expect. However, the last half of the movie pretty much degenerates into standard slasher fare, with the mimicry of the alien parasite almost forgotten about by the end. I did like that the credits scene blends seamlessly with the opening of Carpenter's movie, though.

JAR JAR'S BIG ADVENTURE IN 3D!

So everyone's least favourite Star Wars movie is coming out in 3D. Despite the trailer not being able to disguise the film's flaws anymore (and the 3D looking unremarkable) I'll still be seeing it. I'm sure Bella will enjoy seeing a Star Wars movie on the big screen, and there is 30 minutes of a really good movie in there if you know where to look (plenty of opportunities for bathroom breaks).

In final news . . . Twilight still sucks. But The Hunger Games looks awesome from the trailer.

Contagion? Outragion!

2011-09-14T23:31:00.002-05:00

Forgot to post my review of Contagion from last week. It's basically an all-star version of the killer virus plot we've seen before in Outbreak, The Stand and countless other movies and books. The film has a few surprises, including killing off Gwyneth Paltrow and showing her head being cut open (don't worry, that's not really a spoiler - it happens in the first ten minutes). The cast, especially Kate Winslet and Laurence Fishburne as two of the investigators trying to unravel the source of the virus, is superb and Steven Soderbergh's low key directing actually adds to the believable scariness of the story (though some may find it a little slow and talky in parts). If the miracle vaccine resolution is a little too pat, the coda where we finally learn who patient zero is provides a nice circular ending. Not quite the apocalyptic epic you might have hoped for, but worth a watch.

Attack the Block

2011-09-02T22:29:00.004-05:00

Attack the Block (a movie which has gained some unfortunate connotations since the English riots) finally came to Greenville, South Carolina. It’s a fun homage to 80’s monster and alien invasion movies that works wonders with its small budget.
The film opens with our “heroes” – a gang of multi-cultural teens living in a London council block – robbing a nurse at knifepoint. This scene is understandably controversial and will turn some viewers off the protagonists right from the start. But writer/director Joe Cornish (from the Adam & Joe show and co-writer of the upcoming Tin Tin movie) wants to show us that behind the loutish criminal behaviour lies real people with real emotions. The kids are forced to defend the neighbourhood they once terrorized when furry aliens with big glowing jaws start landing all over.
The film makes good use of mostly unknown faces (Nick Frost, the closest thing to a star, only gets about ten minutes of screen time) and like Shaun of the Dead plays the danger for real despite the laughs (most of the cast are dead by the end). John Boyega is particular impressive as Moses, the quiet but intense leader of the gang who gets to become a genuine hero, complete with slow motion run at the end.
The creatures are simple but effective, with Terry Notary (famous for choreographing those damn dirty apes in Planet of the Apes) inside the suit. The film may not be groundbreaking but it's an entertaining and sometimes surprising sci-fi movie that should show up in my top ten of the year.

I like his movies, except for that nervous fella who's always in them

2011-09-01T12:41:00.003-05:00

Finally got to see Woody Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris, at the cinema. It's the first time my wife and I have been able to go see a movie without the kids since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. It was an amusing romantic fantasy that the word charming might as well have been invented for. Owen Wilson does a good job as Allen's surrogate, a writer who is able to fulfill his nostalgic fantasies when he finds a time portal that transports him to Paris in the 1920's. The film takes a simple premise and uses it to illustrate how no matter what era people live in, the past always looks rosier. Allen's camera is clearly in love with Paris and shows it off to beautiful effect. The supporting cast is full of wonderful comic turns, especially Michael Sheen as the pretentious bore moving in on Wilson's fiance, Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway and Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali (the more you know about the real life artistic figures featured in the film, the better). The conclusion may not be profound, but it's a fine resolution to the feel good movie of the summer.

Are You Don't Be Afraid of the Dark?

2011-08-30T10:14:00.001-05:00

Forgot to post my review of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, the Guillermo del Torro-produced remake of the 70's TV horror movie (which I have yet to see). It's a pretty effective little horror movie. Despite the R rating, there isn't a whole lot of gore in this tale of a family that move into a house infested with little goblin-like creatures that feed on children's teeth. In fact, unlike most horror movies these days, the film spends most of its running time building up a sense of dread without really showing you anything. The creepy set design, lighting and sound had me expecting something terrible to happen at any moment. Unfortunately, when the creatures finally do take center stage, impressively realised though they may be, much of the tension dissipates. What we imagine is more awful than anything the filmmakers can show us, and the creatures even come across as endearing in some of their scenes. The film also falls into the trap of other supernatural family in peril films (such as Poltergeist) by having the parents' complete stupidity enabling the horror to continue. It does have a disturbing ending, though.
Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes are adequate as the parents, but the real standout is young Bailee Madison as their daughter. She carries much of the film (drawing parallels with del Torro's Pan's Labyrinth) and perfectly captures both the childlike wonder and intense fear of the dark in her character. Technically the film is near flawless. Don't expect any groundbreaking horror, but it's a fun ride for old school horror fans.

Welcome to Fright Night . . . again

2011-08-18T11:45:00.003-05:00

I watched the remake of Fright Night yesterday and, while it wasn't a bad movie in itself, it doesn't hold a candle to the classic original. The main problem is that all the characters are pale shadows of their original versions. That's not the fault of the actors but the writing - a real disappointment from Buffy writer Marti Noxon.
First off, Charlie is something of a douchebag in this. Right from the outset we learn he stopped being friends with Evil Ed so he could hang with the cool kids. That wouldn't be so bad except he never changes this attitude and Ed is killed too early for them to have any kind of reconciliation. That negated much of the empathy I would have had for his character, even though I like Anton Yelchin.
Jerry the vampire is just a brute in this version. While I appreciate Colin Farrell trying to give a more savage and animalistic take on the character, the charm and pathos of Chris Sarandon's Dandridge is sorely missed. And when he starts blowing up houses and throwing motorbikes at people - no, just wrong. I also missed his companion, Billy. Farrell does his best, but just compare his delivery of "welcome to Fright Night" with Sarandon's more flamboyant version.
David Tennant as Peter Vincent comes off the best of all the cast. He's no Roddy McDowall but he's clearly having fun in the role. I can almost forgive him being a Las Vegas entertainer rather than a horror host, but I can't forgive how little screen time he has. His turn from coward to vampire slayer is unconvincing, especially as he doesn't even get to stake any vamps! Which is a shame as I would pay to see a movie about Tennant offing bloodsuckers.
Evil Ed is reduced to little more than a cameo. Aside from the way they screwed up his relationship with Charlie, having him figure out Jerry is a vampire long before anyone else removes any suspense the film might have had for viewers who haven't seen the original. He does come back as a vampire, but it lacks the pathos of his turn in the original.
Imogen Poots is cute as Amy. That's all.
Technically the film is fine. The effects are good, though the 3D is just okay. If this movie had taken the same basic premise (kid discovers a vampire living next door) and spun off its own story and characters I probably would have enjoyed it more. But as it sticks so close to the original, for the most part, the changes were just jarring. Worth a watch for vampire fans (it even has a nice dig at Twilight) but it won't be remembered years from now.

Guess who's a published writer now?

2011-08-12T13:13:00.001-05:00

This guy! My short story Mind the Gap, after receiving around six rejections, was finally published in, appropriately enough, The Rejected Quarterly. Aside from the thrill of seeing my story in a printed literary magazine (internet publishing just isn't the same thrill) I got a check for $20 too! Maybe I can make a career out of this writing thing, after all. It just shows if you want to get anywhere as a writer you have to keep trying. Now if only I can get someone to publish my novel . . .

Final Destination . . . oh just kill them all already!

2011-08-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

Final Destination movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. Although only the first movie had anything approaching a decent script, all of the sequels have been at least entertaining, which is more than you can say for most horror series. The last movie, called THE Final Destination (a blatant lie) was the first one in 3D and offered the usual inventive deaths, this time with gore popping out at you, along with characters that were less than 2D. Final Destination 5 continues the trend of characters that you just want to see killed nastily, though it is a slight step up from its predecessor. The opening accident is spectacular (if illogical) and the later deaths are squirm-inducing, especially a laser-eye surgery gone wrong and a physics-defying gymnastic accident.
The main twist this time is that, thanks to a tip from coroner Bludworth (Tony Todd, making a welcome return to the series) the characters realise that if they kill someone else they get to cheat death and live as long as the other person would have lived. Of course, the crazy Tom Cruise lookalike is the one that tries to take advantage of this. This results in a rather generic confrontation between him and the last survivors. There is a big twist beyond that, though it's one I saw coming. Without completely giving it away, the true title of the film should be Final Destination 0.
I don't know if I'm up for too many more Final Destinations, but I'll take them over another Hostel or Saw.

Return of the Revenge of the Rise of the Conquest of the Planet of the Apes!

2011-08-09T18:28:00.003-05:00

So summer 2011 continues to be a pleasant surprise. Who thought another Planet of the Apes movie would actually turn out to be one of the best films of the year? Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a prequel (or a reboot, if you prefer) but it doesn't fall into the trap of showing us stuff we already know. The story focusses on chimpanzee Ceaser (who also led the ape revolt in the very different Conquest of the Planet of the Apes) and really, aside from good guy scientist James Franco and his Alzheimer's afflicted dad (John Lithgow), the human characters are pretty unimportant, mostly serving to illustrate how much humans are plain old gits.
Having a chimp as the main character (and a computer generated one to boot) could have backfired disastrously. Luckily, Ceaser is created by Weta and motion-captured by Andy Serkis who, after playing Gollum and King Kong deserves at least a special award for mo-capping performances. We follow the chimp pretty much throughout the whole movie as he grows more and more intelligent, thanks to the brain drugs given to him by his owner. After he bites a man harassing Lithgow, Ceaser ends up in primate prison and it is there he sees exactly how cruel humans can be and leads an ape revolt that spills out onto the streets and bridges of San Francisco.
The film is a character drama first and an action film second, which means it has a lot more impact than your standard summer blockbuster (hello, Michael Bay). By the end of the movie, as in Avatar, I was cheering for the damn dirty humans to get what they deserved.
The special effects are mostly flawless, though there are a few scenes where the CG apes look a little too rubbery. The performances are good and there is a nice amount of humour in the film (though I could have done without Draco Malfoy quoting two lines from the original). More importantly, unlike the 2001 Planet of the Apes (which I actually enjoyed more than most people) this film is actually about something, with a strong argument against animal testing. It's rare to get excited about a reboot of a franchise (especially from Fox) but I'm excited to see where both this and X-Men: First Class go next. It's been one hell of a summer.

Captain America . . . Fuck Yeah!

2011-07-24T09:57:00.003-05:00

So the biggest question mark of this year's onslaught of superhero flicks actually turned out to be really good. I still prefer X-Men: First Class, but The First Avenger (as it's known in US hating countries) is probably the most fun movie of the summer, even if it is basically a two hour preview for The Avengers.
After a present day prologue the film flashes back to the 1940's for Steve Rogers' origins and the first big surprise is that Chris Evans nails the character. I thought Johnny Storm would be totally wrong for the role, but he perfectly captures Cap's earnestness, heroics and basic decency without ever winking at the audience. It's almost an hour into the movie before he gets his powers, but like Superman and Spider-Man before it the origin story is so well done I was never bored. And the digital trickery that shrinks Evans' body to a tiny, puny frame is seamless.
Aside from the sheer sense of fun throughout (the film often recalls the best of the Indiana Jones series, including a nasty propeller death for one of the baddies) what really lifts the film up are the performances. Stanely Tucci is delightful as the scientist who creates the super soldier serum, Hayley Atwell is charming and pretty as the love interest, Tommy Lee Jones is amusing as the gruff Colonel and Hugo Weaving is menacing as always playing the sinister if underdeveloped Red Skull.
Joe Johnston's no nonsense directing style works well for what could have been an over the top and cheesy propaganda piece (one shudders to think how Michael Bay would have directed this - the film would probably have had an extra hour of flag waving). The special effects are good and the attention to period detail, as in Johnston's The Rocketeer, is perfect without drawing attention to itself. There are some fun montage sequences that leave the door open for further WWII adventures.
The bittersweet ending is surprisingly faithful to the comic (I liked that they never bothered to explain how Cap survived getting frozen in ice without aging for 70 years). And the Avengers trailer after the end credits perfectly wetted my appetite for what should, hopefully, be the best of all the Marvel Studios movies.

The end of Harry Potter

2011-07-14T21:31:00.004-05:00

So I got up at 6 a.m. this morning (after about four hours sleep) just to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. I wasn't disappointed. I've been very critical of David Yates' Potter films in the past (especially how he did a terrible adaptation of books 5 and 6) but here it all comes together to make the most satisfying film since Goblet of Fire, an emotional and exciting conclusion to a ten year movie saga.
The film's main strength is how quickly it moves. With all the setup and sitting around in a tent taken care of by Part I, this one is pretty much all action and plot twists (including some revelations that are sure to surprise those that haven't read the books). The highlight of the first act is a thrilling and visually stunning break-in of the Gringotts vault by our three heroes. It's hillarious to see Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione playing Bellatrix and the dragon is awesome.
The search for Horcruxes is intercut with glimpses of the new regime at Hogwarts (Alan Rickman takes pregnant pauses to new heights as Snape relishes his role as headmaster) and we meet all our old friends, some of whom haven't appeared for several movies. While it's frustrating to see great actors such as David Thewlis, Robbie Coltrane and Jim Broadbent relegated to virtual background extras, that's the nature of this franchise since their characters have already had their movies to shine. As in the book, many of the deaths happen off screen, which unfortunately mutes their impact. While it's hard to argue with the decision to keep the focus on Harry, some more snippets of the Battle of Hogwarts would have been welcome (where the bloody hell is Kreacher and the House Elves?). Molly Weasly fans will be happy that her Ellen Ripley moment is kept intact.
The search for the final horcruxes reiterates that Chamber of Secrets (the most underrated of the books and movies, IMO) is actually the most important story in the series, introducing as it does the first horcrux and the means to destroy them. The part of the book I was most nervous about them doing right was Snape's big reveal and, thankfully, screenwriter Steve Kloves does justice to both the character and the wonderful Rickman. It'll be a hard heart which doesn't break a little at the depth of his love for Harry's mother and the sacrifices he has made to honor her memory.
The final showdown is suitably epic, with Neville's dispatching of Nagini a real crowdpleaser. The actual defeat of Voldemort is a little too quick, but it is a definitive end for the character, once again superbly played by Ralph Fiennes. The epilogue is a little cheesy (as it was in the book) but is a fitting send off for these characters. I wish there had been a more cohesive vision across the series (as there was with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings) but it's been fun.

Super 8

2011-06-10T08:42:00.005-05:00

So I finally saw my most eagerly anticipated movie of the year and it just about met my expectations. Ever since I saw the final trailer I've been hoping Super 8 would mark a return to the late seventies/early eighties Spielbergian magic that has been almost completely absent from recent Hollywood movies. While this Cloverfield/E.T. mashup doesn't always work, it captures enough of that old school charm to warm the heart of any child of the 80's.
After a slow opening that gives us time to get to know the characters we get the first action scene - an impressive train crash that rivals the one in the Fugitive. From there on the film teases the audience with glimpses of the "monster", disappearances of townsfolk and a sinister military coverup. As interesting as the mystery is, it's the human relationships that are the heart of the film. The child actors all do a great job of portraying real, likeable kids - the kind that rode their bikes through the movies of my youth.
Joel Courtney is especially good as the wide-eyed protagonist - amazing to think that it's his first film. I did find Elle Fanning a little cold and aloof as his romantic interest, but maybe that was more the fault of the writing rather than her performance. The adult cast is peppered with recognisable but not famous actors (including Dan Castellaneta in an amusing cameo) that lend further credibility to the story.
While some may find the shift from straight monster movie to sentimental alien fantasy a little jarring (Spielberg would have probably made the transition less clumsy if he had directed it at his height), it allows for an emotional ending with a strong message about letting go. The alien, when it is finally revealed, may not be as visually groundbreaking as people were hoping, but the characters' journey is more important than the ending. Abrams is good at orchestrating the scares early on, though. The carnage the kids walk through is impressive, though as with many of Spielberg's films it strains believability that the characters could all escape relatively unscathed.
The film perfectly captures a bygone period of Americana, when children (in movies at least) still had a childlike sense of wonder. It's also a love letter to filmmaking itself, with the zombie movie within a movie being both amusing and heartfelt (be sure to stay for the credits and see the completed movie). Michael Giacchino's score is fine, though it does make one wish the film had an actual John Williams score.
I've no idea how this film will play with today's kids (the strong language may turn off their parents though) but anyone who grew up on Jaws, Close Encounters, Stand By Me, E.T. and The Goonies will find it impossible not to find something to enjoy. They may not make 'em like this anymore, but even if this only captures 10% of that old school Spielberg magic, that still makes it better than 90% of the blockbusters Hollywood feeds us these days.
Oh, and be sure to stay for the end credits.

X-Men: First Class Movie, Second Rate Team

2011-06-05T14:03:00.006-05:00

So I totally forgot to put up my X-Men First Class review after screening it Thursday night. In short, I liked it. A lot. I don't know if it's my favourite X-Men movie (repeat viewings may decide it) but it's at least equal to the previous franchise high, X2. As to be expected from the director of Kick Ass, this film goes a little more in depth with the characters than your average superhero movie. The relationship between young Professor X and Magneto is perfectly handled, with Michael Fassbender (quickly becoming one of my favourite actors) particularly brilliant as Erik on the verge of going to the dark side. The film almost works as his origin story, with the concentration camp opening of the first X-Men movie even redone.
Formerly two-dimensional characters such as Mystique are also given some good development (though it's weird to see her as Charles' childhood friend). The supporting cast is also good, including Kevin Bacon as villain Sebastian Shaw and great character actors like Michael Ironside and Oliver Platt in minor roles. The only actor I didn't really care for was January Jones, who was a little wooden as Emma Frost.
The action is good and the film has plenty of sex appeal (especially in the scene where Rose Byrne goes undercover in the Hellfire Club - amusingly she's already wearing some sexy underwear so she can blend in with the other girls there). All in all the film turned out amazingly well for one that was pretty much rushed into production.
So why don't I think it's the ultimate X-Men movie? The main problem is that, since it's designed as a prequel, it can't feature any of the characters from the other films except those that are old enough to still be around in the 60's. This means that, aside from Beast, the filmmakers are stuck with a bunch of second-rate characters as the first official X-Men, including a flying stripper who spits firebombs and a Ron Weasley lookalike with a really powerful scream. The film still works, but it would have been even more awesome if it had been a reboot (and I normally hate reboots). That way we could have got the real first class that all the fans wanted to see - namely Angel, Cyclops, Ice Man and Jean Grey. Instead we're stuck with Cyclops' younger brother (who is actually his older brother or dad in this). Yes, it's fun to see Mystique and Nightcrawler's potential future dad meet up, but a clean break would have given the movie more resonance while still keeping the same Cuban Missle Crisis plot.
So while the film is something of a missed opportunity, it will hopefully pave the way for a new series of X-Men movie that go places the other films were afraid to go. And if nothing else, it's worth seeing for perhaps the funniest cameo of all time.

Sucker Punch sucks more than it punches (see what I did there?)

2011-03-26T07:24:00.005-05:00

Ever since I first heard about Zack Snyder's new movie I thought he was asking for trouble having "Suck" in the title. That's like begging critics to tear it apart. Sure enough, they have and I can't blame them. This is probably one of the most misguided and poorly constructed big studio movies in years.
I can almost appreciate what he was trying to do with this movie, combining all his pop culture interests into one story. But throwing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Moulin Rouge, Brazil, Kill Bill and countless anime and video games into a blender does not a compelling movie make. Like Inception, this is a movie about the nature of dreams, but unlike Inception it spends so little time developing the characters and explaining the rules of the dream world that it's impossible to care about anything that happens. We spend maybe five or ten minutes in the "real world" part of the story and then we go into the first fantasy layer where the heroine imagines herself in a whorehouse (apparently much more preferable than an insane asylum) before going into a further fantasy layer where every time she dances she inexplicably imagines herself fighting giant samurai, robots and zombie Nazis.
These action scenes looks cool in the trailers, but in the movie there are no stakes and they have NOTHING AT ALL to do with the real plot. So they just turn into a tiresome CGI wankfest that I wanted to end as quickly as possible. An example of how pointless these scenes are is the Scot Glenn character - a wise mentor who has no real world counterpart and tells the heroine nothing useful at all. Except that she must kill sleeping baby dragons for some reason.
There are the seeds of a good story here, and if Snyder had actually spent anytime developing Babydoll or the other girls' desire to escape then at least the film could have had some emotional investment. As it is, I feel bad for the actors involved having to portray a teenage masturbatory fantasy that has no logic or depth. It's the ultimate example of style over content, an accusation unfairly labeled at Snyder's previous films, which actually had halfway decent scripts.
It doesn't give me high hopes for Superman. Avoid at all costs.

Is 80s cinema coming back?

2011-03-23T14:36:00.004-05:00

So after watching Paul and seeing the new trailer for Super 8 (both of which pay heavy homage to sci-fi classics from the late 70s/early 80s, especially Spielberg movies) I started to wonder if that magical period of cinema when Lucas and Spielberg were the kings of crowdpleasing entertainment can ever return. I've often said the problem with Hollywood these days is that its lost its sense of wonder, but perhaps that's because audiences these days are so cynical and impatient. Movies aren't even given a chance to build up a sense of wonder and have no innocence to them.
From what I've seen of Super 8, it looks like the kind of movie Spielberg would have made early in his career. It's hard not to feel like a kid again seeing that Amblin logo and hearing the score from Cocoon. If JJ Abrams can channel that Goonies/Jaws/E.T. energy, and audiences respond, he may just be the man who saved mainstream cinema. Or it could be a load of spectacular tosh like Cloverfield. We'll see.

As for Paul, it wasn't on the same level as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, but it was fun. The numerous references to Close Encounters, E.T. and Star Wars (among others) were obvious but pleasing to anyone who grew up in the period those movies came out. The cast is great (especially Jason Bateman as a ruthless FBI agent whose true purpose isn't revealed until the end) and the film even tackles some heavy issues about the existence of God. Unfortunately, it seems likely to be ignored by non-geek audiences the same as Scott Pilgrim. But there's something wonderfully subversive about paying homage to classic kids movies by making a movie about a foul-mouthed stoner alien.

Harry Potter and the Half a Movie

2011-01-16T22:00:00.003-05:00

So I finally got around to seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. It was good. Certainly a better adaptation than the last two films. It manages to follow the convoluted plot of the book fairly faithfully, though it does also get bogged down a little during the tent scenes. As always, the cast is great, with Rupert Grint once more providing most of the laughs. Bill Nighy is unfortunately underused as the new Minister of Magic (apparently all you have to do to take over the wizarding world is bump off the current minister).
There is a genuine feeling of dread and despair throughout the movie, with the wearing of the horcrux locket recalling Lord of the Rings with its effect on the heroes' temperaments as they take turns wearing it. Since this is a movie with no ending, this was never going to be as satisfying storywise as the other films, but the filmmakers do a good job with the split (the death of a certain house elf is surprisingly moving). If they can handle the intricacies of Part II (especially Snape's revelations) it should be a fantastic climax to the series.

Imaginary Cinema Awards 2010!

2011-01-07T15:00:00.005-05:00

Yes it's that time of year again where I look back and decide the best (and sometimes the worst) of the year in fantasy horror and sci-fi movies. Bearing in mind there are still a few films I haven't seen, here are the winners!

Best Movie: Kick Ass! (it only narrowly beat out the runners-up, but KA had just the right mix of comedy, action, drama and characters I grew to love.
Runners-up: Toy Story 3, Inception, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, How to Train Your Dragon, Let Me In (remakes don't always suck), Tron: Legacy

Best Screenplay: a tie between Kick Ass (Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman - she's Jonathan Ross' wife!) and Inception (Christopher Nolan)

Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception)
Runners-up: Nicolas Cage (Kick Ass), Brandon Routh (Scott Pilgrim), Jeff Bridges (Tron: Legacy)

Best Actress: Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick Ass and Let Me In)
Runners-up: Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland), Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim)

Best Music: Tron: Legacy (Daft Punk)
Runners-up: Alice in Wonderland (Danny Elfman), The Wolfman (Danny Elfman), Inception (Hans Zimmer), Scott Pilgrim (various)

Best Visual Effects: Tron: Legacy
Runners-up: Inception, Scott Pilgrim

Best Makeup: The Wolfman

Best Costumes: Alice in Wonderland
Runner-up: Tron: Legacy

Best Guilty Pleasures: Piranha 3D - the best use of 3D since the latest revival, especially in the underwater ballet scene (if you know what I mean)

Best naptime at the movies: The Last Airbender and My Soul to Take

Most fucked-up movie: Splice

Best owl on owl violence: Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Til next year!

Greetings programs! Tron Legacy Rocks! End of Line

2010-12-16T11:04:00.003-05:00

So I finally saw the movie I've been waiting 28 years for. Tron made a huge impact on me as a kid, and while it hasn't aged well, it remains an important film, mainly for its groundbreaking digital world. I never thought I'd see a sequel, and the fact that Disney are taking a gamble by doing a sequel instead of a remake is something to be applauded. I honestly haven't been so excited to see a film since The Phantom Menace (and we know how that turned out).
First up, let me say Tron: Legacy is no Inception or Avatar. The plot is as muddled as the first movie, and the characters are barely more than archetypes. The plot sags in the middle with exposition and all the best action scenes are early on. Now that the bad's out of the way, why did I still love this movie?
First of all, it looks gorgeous. The blocky virtual world of the first movie has been updated to resonate with today, while still keeping true to the aesthetic of the original. The light cycles, glowing frisbees and sexy light costumes are back and look better than ever. The filmmakers cleverly decide to save the 3D until the protagonist Sam Flynn (son of the missing Kevin Flynn) enters the digital world. The 3D doesn't pop out at you but draws you into the depth of this neon universe. Sam being thrust into the game arena is a breathless sequence that has more cool stuff than you can shake a glowstick at.
The digital "youthening" used on Jeff Bridges is a little creepy, though it works better for the soulless CLU than it does for flashbacks of Kevin. Having the same actor play the hero and villain is a neat concept.
As I've mentioned, the middle section where Sam reunites with his father is a little slow, but the actors (especially Bridges and the alluring Olivia Williams) are good enough to keep these scenes watchable). There is even some emotion in the father/son relationship that shows not all the movie was apparently written by computer programs. Michael Sheen also has a fun role as a flamboyant program.
The final showdown with the Flynns, renegade CLU and Tron (yes, he is in the movie, though fans may not like how his character is used) is exciting though it doesn't outdo anything we've already seen. The ending leaves room for a sequel, though probably one sans Bridges.
The score by Daft Punk is awesome, though I would have liked more nods to Wendy Carlos' theme from the original. The effects deserve the Oscar (hard to believe the original wasn't even nominated). There are lots of nice nods to the originals (the big door, Cillian Murphy playing Dillinger's son) and there's always something on screen to engage your eyes. The script could have been better, but this is a film for the fans. If the fans don't embrace it, they should be de-rezzed!

Don't Take My Soul to Take

2010-10-07T02:21:00.003-05:00

Screened Wes Craven's latest movie last night. Needless to say, it didn't leave me with high hopes for Scream 4. While it has an interesting premise, the execution is bland and cliched (the token black guy is blind - couldn't you have made him a gay paraplegic too, Wes?). It also features the most inept cops in movie history, who let a supposedly dead killer escape and kill more victims not once but twice!
The acting ranges from merely adequate to downright awful (the actress playing the mother in the prologue sounds like she's reading cue cards). The "scares" are predictable and the film has no style. Even the 3D is nothing special. It has a few laughable "twists" (the school bitch is the hero's sister?! Didn't see that one coming!) that just about kept me falling asleep. I hate to say it, but maybe it's time for Wes to retire.

Hammer Horror is back!

2010-10-04T21:16:00.004-05:00

Spent my birthday watching Let Me In (the original Sweedish movie was called “Let the Right One In”) and it actually turned out to be one of the few remakes that works. The filmmakers have taken what was good about the original and Americanised it without making it too Hollywood and losing the poetic beauty of the friendship between a boy and a vampire trapped in a young girl’s body. Matt Reeves shows that, after this and the very different Cloverfield, he is a genre director to watch. The film is beautifully shot and the cast, especially Chloe Mortez as Abby and Richard Jenkins as her “father” is exceptional. There are problems - the CG during the vampire attacks is fake-looking, and the almost complete elimination of the castration subplot will anger purists. But overall this is a classic character driven horror film. The relaunched Hammer Films couldn’t have asked for a better first theatrical release. It's just a shame that movies like this struggle to find an audience, while audiences flock to crap like Twilight.

The Owls are not what they seem . . .

2010-10-04T21:13:00.002-05:00

Forgot to review Legend of Guardians after I screened it at work the other week. It is a beautiful looking movie, which is to be expected from the director of 300 and Watchmen. The plot is very familiar, drawing from influences such as Lord of the Rings, The Secret of NIMH and Star Wars (characters intone “Use your gizzard” instead of “Use the Force”). The biggest surprise about the movie is that it isn’t softened for kids. There is some pretty major owl on owl violence, especially in the last act. Along with superb 3D and a talented voice cast it makes for an enjoyable, if not very original, adventure.

Resident Evil 4, 3D: 10, Plot: 0

2010-09-19T21:01:00.002-05:00

So I caught Resident Evil: Afterlife at work the other night. I don't hate Paul W. S. Anderson as much as some people (Mortal Kombat and the first Resident Evil were fun, and Event Horizon was almost a masterpiece) so I went in with middle ground expectations. The film sure looked pretty, and the 3D was the best since Avatar. But the plot made zero sense. Of course, part of the confusion may be that I haven't seen the last two movies (endless Milla Jovovich clones? What the fuck?). But the film pretty much ignores every rule of filmmaking by offering a series of setpieces and end of level bosses that are barely connected to each other. If you want a genuinely entertaining slice of ultra-violence, I recommend Machete instead.

An open letter to Hollywood: Why movies suck these days

2010-09-15T22:49:00.003-05:00

So after a summer that's shown even movies aren't recession proof (if, like most people, the only movies you saw were Toy Story 3 and Inception, you didn't miss much), I thought I'd share my thoughts on how Hollywood can get out of the creative and financial rut it's in. I've experienced first hand the effects of a poor slate of movies on the business - the movie theater where I work has never seen attendance so low and we've been forced to cut to less than minimum staffing. I believe this is actually part of a much larger cultural malaise that's also plaguing music, literature and television. No one is breaking new ground anymore, at least not in the mainstream. There are still good movies being made, but in general they're not as fun as they used to be. I pity kids who are growing up on today's hollow entertainment (that's why my daughter's watching the classics). Are we simply out of ideas? Possibly, but I have some suggestions for how the movie studios can at least make things a little better.

1. Ban all remakes. If it takes a federal law to stop Hollywood regurgitating their classics (and not so classics) I'm all for it. When you think of every decade up until the 90's, the film that really connected with audiences were original projects. It's hard to think of any memorable blockbusters from the last decade that weren't remakes, sequels or adaptations. Which is not to say those films don't have their place. But what movies will the filmmakers of the future have to be inspired by if you continues this lazy and cynical cashing in on brand names? A movie should only be remade if it can be bettered. If not, just rent the original. Trust me, it'll still hold up. And while I'm on the subject, quit with the reboots, too. Just because the last Spider-Man sucked, doesn't mean we have to start all over again. If people are tired of a franchise, then at least wait ten years before bringing it back. The biggest insult is these bullshit PG-13 remakes of R rated horror movies.

2. Enough with the 3D boom! Yes, Avatar looked real pretty. That doesn't mean every damn movie has to be in 3D. It's distracting and the surcharge fee pisses people off. If you insist on churning them out, at least drop the extra ticket price. 3D conversion is expensive? Who cares. You don't charge people more to watch a movie that costs $200 million to make vs one that costs $20 million. And the last time there was a 3D fad in the 80's, people weren't charged an arm and a leg to watch them. 3D does not automatically make a movie better (except Piranha 3D - that movie was fucking awesome!)

3. Stop showing everything cool in the trailers. I know you're desperate to get people into the cinemas, but save something as a surprise so we don't feel like we've seen the whole movie before it comes out. If you want examples, look at the original trailers for Alien or Jurassic Park. They show you just enough to pique your interest without spoiling the plot or the money shots.

4. Bring back a sense of wonder. Aside from Lord of the Rings, I can't think of any movies since the aforementioned Jurassic Park that were genuinely jawdropping. I know we're a lot more jaded now as audiences, but how hard can it be to recapture the wonder and sheer fun that seemed so effortless in movies from the 70's and 80's?

5. Stop targeting movies at narrow demographics (i.e. the Hot Topic kids). This is more of a problem in the music industry, but it's happening more and more with movies. Titanic was probably the last movie to appeal to all ages and demographics. Even Cameron's Avatar appealed to a much narrower audience, if you compare the actual attendance figures. I miss the days when you had cultural events like Star Wars or Back to the Future - movies that everyone saw and loved. Of course, movies like Twilight still make billions despite having zero appeal to straight males, so what do I know? While we're on the subject, can we have some horror movies where the average age of the actors is over 20? Kids will go see movies about old folks if you give them the chance.

6. Bring back opening titles! They're the perfect way to set the mood, especially for fantasy movies. Audiences are not going to walk out in disgust just because they have to read a few names at the beginning.

7. Quit stuffing animated movies with celebrity voices. Pixar seem to be the only studio that realises you don't need big names to get people to watch an animated movie if it has a good story. And regular voice actors need work.

8. Ease up on the computer effects. Jurassic Park (notice how I keep returning to that) had less than seven minutes of CGI, but they had more impact than anything that's come since. CGI was supposed to bring special effects budgets down, but now studios just spend more and flood the screen with often subpar computer confetti.

9. No stars, just talent (now The Player was a great movie).

10. Finally, hire more hungry young screenwriters. This is partly selfish, of course, since I'm a writer. But do you really need to pay millions to people like Akiva Goldsman to churn out their latest script when there are tons of unproduced writers with great ideas? Movies are too expensive, but we'll work cheap, honest.

You've got a lot of work to do to win people back, Hollywood. Better get started.

Richie Cuningham takes on The Dark Tower?

2010-09-09T13:45:00.004-05:00

So I get back from Dragoncon (which was a blast, by the way - got to meet Brandon Routh, Brent Spiner, Marc Singer and Billy West) to find this news!

The good: Using the platform of movies and a TV series to tell the whole story of The Dark Tower is genius and may just be the only way to do the story justice.

The bad: if I read this right, then after the second TV series (which follows book 4 and the Marvel prequel comics) we get one movie to wrap up Roland's quest. One movie to adapt three long arse books? Unless the movie is 12 hours long, that ain't gonna cut it.
Ron Howard - I like him, and his early movies (Cocoon, Splash, etc.) are great. But nothing in his career has shown he can take on an epic that needs a Sergio Leone or Peter Jackson.
Akiva Goldsman - possibly the worst major screenwriter in Hollywood. And King trusts the writer of Batman & Robin with his opus?
NBC - the series would work on HBO or another cable network. But NBC? Bullshit.
And of course the major problem is that the perfect actor to play Roland (Clint Eastwood) is about 40 years too old. Finding a younger actor with the same gravitas will be one of the biggest casting challenges in history.

Maybe it'll work. But at this stage I have very little confidence.

Why does the cat always get it?

2010-08-27T21:32:00.002-05:00

Watched The Last Exorcism last night. As PG-13 Blair Witch rip-offs go, it wasn't bad. It has a nicely creepy atmosphere and a good cast. Patrick Fabian is especially good as the charismatic preacher out to prove exorcisms are a sham, and Ashley Bell is convincing as Nell, the girl who may or may not be possessed, even though she looks too old to play a sixteen year old.
The film eschews CGI and extensive makeup (a refreshing change in a horror movie) creating scares by what we don't see, especially in the disturbing scene where a sleepwalking Nell borrows the documentary crew's camera and goes on a naked rampage that includes killing a cat (poor kitty).
Unfortunately, after building up all this suspense, the film fizzles out with a ridiculous left-field ending that is part Wicker Man, part Rosemary's Baby. It really has to be seen to be believed (and be confused by). Worth watching, but don't expect a coherent plot.

They took my penis!

2010-08-20T01:51:00.002-05:00

Had to screen Piranha 3D at work last night. I love a good bad horror movie and this was one of the best of recent years. It was even more fun than My Bloody Valentine 3D and almost as crowdpleasing as Snakes on a Plane. The film doesn't really take much from the original Joe Dante version apart from the basic impression of piranha eating everyone in sight. It's a return to old school cheesy horror, with copious amounts of boobs and blood and little logic (apparently everyone can hold their breath underwater for 20 minutes or more).
Aside from the spectacular 3D gore and self-mocking humour, the film's main draw is the surprisingly solid cast, which includes Elisabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd, Jerry O'Connell, Ving Rhames and Richard Dreyfuss (in a cameo that will make any Jaws fan smile). Every horror fan needs to see it, if only to witness the piranha attack that results in the line quoted above. Highly recommended trash.

Scott Pilgrim sneak review!

2010-08-10T01:23:00.002-05:00

Got to watch Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World last night (can't reveal how I got to see it early). As a big fan of Edgar Wright's films (and not such a fan of Michael Cera) I wasn't sure if I could overcome my apathy to the star and enjoy it. The first 20 minutes or so were a little rough, with the film trying a little too hard to be quirky (and Cera at his most, uh, Ceraish). However, once Scott has his hilarious duel with the first of Ramona Flower's (the lovely Mary Elizabeth Winstead) evil exes, the film grabbed me and never let go.
The film is basically a love letter to geekdom, primarily vintage video games. Wright has created a visually spectacular fantasy world that looks like nothing you have ever seen on film, with bad guys bursting into coins when they die. Every frame has something cool or off the wall going on. The jokes and the action fly thick and fast, and the supporting cast is excellent (even Cera became less annoying as the movie progressed). The standout sequence has to be Brandon Routh as a none too bright Vegan superman. He really needs more work. This is also one of the few scenes where Scott seems in peril (most of the duels are pretty much a cakewalk).
The film builds to a great ending that had me wishing I could insert more coins to continue. Hopefully this won't fall victim to the same problem as Kick Ass, namely being too hip for the masses. The only disappointment: where the hell were Simon Pegg and Nick Frost?

Inception

2010-08-06T17:08:00.002-05:00

Inception is the latest in a long line of movies in one of my favourite genres, namely the “mind fuck” movie. Below you’ll find a list of other great movies that will mess with your head, but first my Inception review.
Along with Toy Story 3, it was my great hope for the summer, and for the most part it doesn’t disappoint. Christopher Nolan takes the complex plotting of Memento and combines it with the action filmmaking he learned on the Batman films to create that rarity – an action movie that makes you think.
The film grabbed me right from the beginning with a mysterious opening followed by a dream within a dream sequence that sets up the world of the movie perfectly. This is essentially a heist movie, but one where the prize is stealing (or later on, putting an idea into) the mind of a captive dreamer. It’s a testament to Nolan’s skill as a writer and director that I accepted this reality almost immediately.
A likeable ensemble cast backs up the always reliable Leonardo DiCaprio (as the traumatized Cobb), with each member of his team bringing a different skill into play in the dream world. The haunting imagery is at its finest in the limbo world that Cobb and his dead wife created, a world where giant skyscrapers crumble apart at will.
The action highlight of the film is a car chase in the first level of the dream world that leads to a hotel fight in the second level. One of Nolan’s inspired ideas is that when the dreamers are in freefall it removes gravity from the dream level below them. This results in a stunning zero G fight scene between Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character and sinister agents that are projections of the subconscious mind attacking the intruders.
The only slight disappointment is that the next level of the dream turns out to be a James Bond style snowmobile chase on a mountain (why, it’s never exactly clear). The generic action distracts from the movie’s themes – it would have been better if Nolan had given us a more surreal dreamscape for this section of the movie.
Minor quibbles aside, the film recovers for an ending that manages to be both emotionally and intellectually satisfying. Cobb has his dream of reuniting with his children fulfilled, but the final shot leaves it up to the audience to decide whether this happy reunion is real or just another level of the dream.
It’s refreshing to see such an intelligent movie succeed at the box office. While Nolan has his faults as a filmmaker (his films tend to be overlong and, aside from a few quips, lacking in humour) he’s beginning to live up to the hype that he may just be the next Stanley Kubrick. Inception is a film that you want to see again as soon as it's over.

10 Must-See Mindfuck movie:

2001: A Space Odyssey - Kubrick laid the groundwork for all "WTF?" endings to follow
Eraserhead - David Lynch has never been weirder or more disturbing
Videodrome - Of the many mind bending Cronenberg films, this is possibly the best
Total Recall - how could I not include this when it actually has "mindfuck" in the dialogue? This even beats Blade Runner in capturing the twists of Phillip K. Dick's work
Jacob’s Ladder - a brilliant movie with an ending that outdoes the latter Sixth Sense
Cube - the thinking person's Saw
12 Monkeys - more accessible than the equally head trippy Brazil. One of Gilliam's best
Dark City - does what The Matrix did but it did it first and better
Fight Club - the first rule of Fight Club is . . .
Vanilla Sky - more intellectually stimulating than a Tom Cruise movie has any right to be

The Last Airbender vs Predators

2010-07-23T13:42:00.004-05:00

I've been catching up on summer movies this week. First I saw The Last Airbender. I'm a big fan of the Avatar TV show, and I was hoping M. Night would shake off his losing streak and knock this one out of the park but it was not to be. While it's faithful to the look and basic plot of the show, all of the fun has been sucked out of it. The actors (many of them miscast) are lifeless and the scenes are slow and dull. Bella was getting restless so we actually left halfway through, something I haven't done for a long time.

Somewhat better was Predators. It's as much remake as sequel, lifting the score dialogue and even whole scenes from the original. While it doesn't up the ante in the same way as Aliens, it's a solid action flick and definitely a step up from the AvP flicks. The ensemble cast (which includes a too brief appearance from a raving bonkers Laurence Fishburne) is suitably tough and there are even a few surprises towards the end. The only thing that lets the film down somewhat is the obvious cost-cutting. We get four predators instead of an army (the shot in the trailer of Adrien Brody covered with laser targets is not in the film) and the "alien" planet looks suspiciously like Hawaii. Still, it's a minor pleasure in a mostly disappointing summer.

Total Eclipse of the Heart!

2010-07-01T03:09:00.004-05:00

Saw Eclipse at a screening at work before the midnight craziness began. It was the most action-packed of the series so far, yet also the most boring. The movie is basically a series of talking heads scenes, leading up to a big battle that has some cool moments but is over far too quickly. The trio of main characters are as unlikeable as they were in the last movie, and there's no Michael Sheen to enliven things in the last act as he did for New Moon. The other Volturi do make an appearance, but are underused. As is Bryce Dallas Howard, who has little to do before being literally shattered in the finale.
The only characters that get any development are Edward's "siblings" Jasper and Alice, who actually get some screentime and backstory. Jasper is actually quite a badarse when he trains the others in how to fight newborn vamps. There is some humour about whether Edward or Jacob is "hotter" and a tent scene that almost seems as if it's about to evolve into a threesome, but little else to keep the interest going during the downtime. I'm sure it'll please the fans once more, but after three blockbusters, one wonders who is going to see these movies other than fans of the books and girls (and guys) who want to ogle the hot boys. Maybe that's the only audience a film needs these days to break records.

To Infinity and Beyond!

2010-06-16T02:51:00.003-05:00

Screened Toy Story 3 at work last night in between closing down projectors. It was everything I expected from a Toy Story movie - nothing more, nothing less. Which is not to say it was in any way bad. It was great fun from start to finish. It just wasn't quite up to the same level as Pixar's more recent movies such as Wall-E and Up.
The plot pretty much mirrored the second one, with Woody coming to terms with the fact that Andy has outgrown him, Buzz in his factory mode (again) and an evil toy trying to stop them returning home.
The animation is the best yet, and the 3D is subtly impressive. All of the returning voice cast are as comfortable as if it was just a few months since the last one instead of 11 years. Of the new voice cast, Michael Keaton as Ken and Ned Beatty as Lotso are standouts. After an exciting and visually spectacular opening, the movie slows down a little as we are reintroduced to the characters and the dilemma of Andy going off to college. Once it turns into a prison break story, though, it picks up and never looks back. The action finale at the dump is one of the most exciting scenes Pixar has crafted, and has a highly emotional finish where I almost believed for a second we had seen the end of these characters (almost).
The real ending is a little saccharine, but wraps things up nicely. Toy Story has joined the rare group of trilogies where the third one doesn't suck. It's a fine send-off for the characters that we've known and loved for 15 years now. And remember, Ken is not a girl's toy!

Splice of life

2010-06-05T22:03:00.001-05:00

Screened Splice at work the other night. It was fairly good, and not at all like the Species rip-off the trailers made it out to be. It's actually more of a slow-paced character study than a monster movie, though with some horrific scenes that are reminiscent of early Cronenberg. It's also one of the most sexually confused movies I've ever seen (SPOILER: how many movies have a genetically-mutated child having sex with both mommy and daddy?)
The film is not without flaws, and the ending manages to be both predictable and ludicrous, but the stylish look and good performances from the three leads save it. It's also a film that is full of ideas worth talking about, something you can't say about any other films so far this summer. Boy this summer has sucked to date. I only watched half of Iron Man 2, and wasn't impressed, and the other films out I have no desire to see. Hopefully Toy Story 3 and Inception will save the summer.

Guess who's got a page on IMDB now?

2010-05-27T22:17:00.001-05:00

For my short film The Party. Soon my journey towards the dark side of Hollywood will be complete . . .

Lost: Thank God it's Finally Over!

2010-05-25T13:54:00.003-05:00

Lost is a show that I've never missed over the last six years, despite it disappointing more often than not. Mainly because of how great that first season was, and the hope that all the mysteries would be explained in the finale. Well, they weren't, but I guess it could have had a worse sendoff.
Some thoughts on the finale and the show in general:
Why do we never learn what exactly smoke monster hopes to accomplish by leaving the island, and why will it mean the end of everything?
Jack's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy.
The island made those folks look old!
I wanna see a show about the adventures of Ben and Hurley.
After the writers insisting way back they wouldn't use the "they were all dead and in limbo" twist, they use it, but in a different way. And why did the reality they created suck for several of them, especially Charlie?
They really were just making it up as they went along.
I enjoyed the finale, was even moved by it in parts, and the series was never less than watchable. But it would have been wrapped up a lot better if the showrunner had been, I don't know, let's say . . . Joss Whedon!
I'll miss Lost, but I'm glad I have one less show to obsessively watch each week.

Kick Ass kicks ass!

2010-04-16T10:33:00.005-05:00

Saw Kick Ass at a screening at work last night. It was pretty awesome. Matthew Vaughn, with only three directing credits to his name, is quickly turning into one of my favourite filmmakers, and he's already proven he has more range than his mate Guy Ritchie. The film manages to mix the best of comic books, Tarantino, the Wachowski Brothers and teen comedies to produce something that feels both familiar and fresh. The script, by Vaughn and Jane Goodman (Jonathan Woss' wife) walks the fine line between parody and straight-faced action while pleasing fans of both.
I haven't read the graphic novel so I went in cold, which I think is the best way to see the movie. There are some genuine surprises throughout, from the brutal treatment Kick Ass (alter ego Dave Lizewski) receives when he first tries to act the hero to the character of Red Mist, who has much more shades of gray than the trailers reveal. I don't want to spoil it, but the ending shows the horror of real life violence while still reveling in cartoonish crowd-pleasing excess.
None of this would work without a talented cast and everyone involved has brought their A game. Aaron Johnson manages to out-Peter Parker Tobey Maguire, particularly impressive considering he's English. Nicolas Cage is fun as Big Daddy, who talks like Adam West whenever he's in costume. Mark Strong (rapidly stealing every villain role in Hollywood) is solid as gangster D'Amico and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as his son keeps you guessing about his true intentions right until the end. But the real star is Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl - adorable, scary, funny and heartbreaking. It's one of the best child performances in recent years.
The film has a visual kick, great soundtrack choices and never stops moving. The only thing I was really disappointed out was the lack of the dialogue between Kick Ass and Red Mist in the final confrontation. It's like they forgot they were friends before the betrayal. Hopefully deleted scenes will expand on that. Morally reprehensible and OTT the film may be, but it's hard to imagine a more fun time at the movies. And any film that ends with a quote from Batman (1989) has a soft spot in my heart.

Alice!

2010-03-27T21:09:00.002-05:00

Finally got around to seeing Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (I know, old news). I had already lowered my expectations after hearing the mixed word of mouth, but even so the film was disappointing, especially to a die hard Burton fan.
I knew something was wrong when the film lacked an opening credits sequence (a memorable staple of all the other movies he has directed). The opening in Victorian London is competently handled and feels like a standard period costume film. The contrast with the arrival in Wonderland (or "Underland") would have worked even better if these opening scenes had been in 2D. The journey down the rabbit hole is an impressive sequence that really sells the 3D.
When Alice begins to meet all the familiar characters the film is at its most fun, even if many of the characters, such as Tweedledum and Tweedledee and Stayne (Crispin Glover's head stuck on a CG body) are embarrassingly fake-looking. In fact, as pretty as the visuals are, they all have an artificial quality that looks even worse in the 2D version of the film. Never before has Burton relied so much on CG, and it does his vision no favours. Luckily, the talented voice cast (which includes Michael Sheen as the white rabbit and Alan Rickman as the caterpillar) help make the animal characters feel slightly more real.
The introduction of the Queen of Hearts, where she interrogates her toads to find out which one ate her tarts, is a hoot. The Mad Hatter, despite his prominence in the marketing, is introduced quite late in the film. From here on the plot becomes even more predictable. The standard big battle at the end is without peril and Alice defeats the jabberwocky (voiced by the underused Christopher Lee) too quickly and easily. Alice does look very fetching in her armour, though.
All that's left is a girl power coda back in England and, the final insult, a freakin' Avril Lavigne song over the end credits (why, Timmy, why?)
To sum up the good parts: the cast is good - Mia Wasikowska (who threatens to lose both her clothes and the film's PG rating throughout) is fine if a little bland as Alice, though making her 19 is an odd choice that robs the tale of much of its childlike wonder. Johnny Depp is just doing his shtick (including an accent that goes from lispy English to Scottish to God knows what) and his only really good moments are when he quotes Lewis Carroll. Helena Bonham Carter has a lot more fun in her role than Anne Hathaway as her sister, and the supporting British cast is full of delightful actors (hey, Michael Gough is still alive!)
Danny Elfman's score is lovely and the costumes are fun. Beyond that, there isn't much heart in the film. The remake/sequel idea reminds me most of Steven Spielberg's Hook, though Alice isn't quite as sappy and misguided. It's just depressing to see such an idiosyncratic director make such a bland, dare I say "Disneyfied" movie.
And the less said about the Hatter's (long-awaited) futterwack dance the better.

Repo!

2010-03-18T01:44:00.002-05:00

Had to screen Repo Men at work tonight. It was all right, I guess. My main gripe (apart from it having the exact same premise as the underrated Repo! The Genetic Opera) was that most of the satire and pathos in the story was buried under grotesque violence and absurd plot twists. It even rips off the ending to Terry Gilliam's Brazil.
Good actors and some fun scenes, but otherwise I'd say wait for the DVD. Hopefully I'll finally get to see Alice in Wonderland soon.

Did anyone see the movie Tron?

2010-03-13T18:03:00.002-05:00

The official trailer for Tron Legacy finally appeared while I was on vacation. This is probably my most eagerly awaited movie ever after the Star Wars prequels, and from the trailer it looks like they've successfully updated the Tron world while keeping it true to the original. I'll be there opening night.

Wolfman's Got Nards!

2010-02-11T03:30:00.003-05:00

I had to screen The Wolfman at work tonight so it would be ready for the midnight show tomorrow. It was a fun updating of the classic myth with a good cast and a refreshing amount of gore (I was very relieved they didn't go the PG-13 route). It had a very Tim Burton feel, with the screenplay by Sleepy Hollow's Anrdew Kevin Walker, production design by frequent Burton collaborator Rick Heinrichs and an impressive score by Danny Elfman. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much of a sense of humour, at least until we get to the slightly ludicrous wolfman vs. pappa wolfman fight at the end (I'm not spoiling much by revealing Anthony Hopkins gives the curse to his son).
Emily Blunt is nice to look at, and Hugo Weaving playing Inspector Aberline as Agent Smith is entertaining. The makeup is good (though Rick Baker still hasn't topped his own An American Werewolf in London transformation) and it's nice to see a slower-paced more Gothic horror in this day and age. But there isn't much the film offers that we haven't seen countless times before.

The World is a Vampire

2010-01-10T16:56:00.002-05:00

Almost forgot that I saw Daybreakers the other day. Despite my bitterness over them stealing my idea (you'll pay, Hollywood. One day you'll pay) it was actually pretty good. It was refreshing to see real vampires that explode in the sun instead of sparkling, and the action was cool. It also has a surprisingly good cast (you can't go wrong with Sam Neill and Willem Dafoe). I also liked that the good vampire in the movie is called Edward.
I would have liked more satire on how similar the vampire world is to our own, and the ending is way too neat, but overall it's one of the better vampire flicks of recent years.

2009 Imaginary Cinema Awards

2010-01-02T17:10:00.005-05:00

It was a pretty amazing year. I became a father and we got to see such long-awaited films as Watchmen and Avatar. There were also pleasant surprises, such as District 9 (which examined many of the same themes as Avatar from a very different perspective). Here is the best of the best:

Best Movie: Up. Runners-up: District 9, Avatar, Watchmen, Inglourious Basterds (hey, alternate history counts as fantasy), Star Trek, Coraline, Where the Wild Things Are, Paranormal Activity, Drag Me to Hell.
Best Screenplay: Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell (District 9)
Best Director: James Cameron (Avatar)
Best Actor: Sharlto Copeley (District 9); Runners-up: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Jackie Earl Haley (Watchmen), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek), Michael Sheen (for almost single-handedly making New Moon watchable)
Best Actress: Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek), Katie Featherston (Paranormal Activity)
Best Music: Michael Giacchino (Up)
Best Visual Effects: Avatar (duh)
Best Makeup: District 9
Best Production Design: Watchmen
Best Costumes: Watchmen
Best Opening Credits: Watchmen (the times they are a-changing)
Best Foreign Movie I Didn't See Until Last Year: Let the Right One In
Best Straight to DVD Release: Trick R Treat
Best Guilty Pleasures: My Bloody Valentine and The Final Destination (3D horror rules)
Biggest Pile of Steaming Dogshit: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The King of the World is back! (Avatar Review)

2009-12-17T21:11:00.006-05:00

So I got to see Avatar at a screening at work this morning. The trailers included Piranha 3D (ironic, considering who directed the sequel to the original film) and Alice in Wonderland (looks a lot better than the first one). But did the movie live up to the hype? Yes and no. It's not a jawdropping, mindblowing gamechanger. But it is an expertly crafted action movie with CG effects so seamless I forgot I was even watching a bunch of pixels a short amount of time into the movie.
The film is classic James Cameron; both the good (likable blue collar heroes, action scenes that never let up, a stunningly realised artificial world) and the bad (on the nose dialogue, a bloody awful end theme song). It could even be seen as a greatest hits collection, borrowing the mech suits from Aliens, the hippie aliens from The Abyss and the star-crossed lovers from Titanic. What Cameron lacks in originality (Dances With Blue Aliens is not too far off in summing up the slight plot) he more than makes up for in spectacle and gung-ho enthusiasm. What always separates his films from those of obnoxious wannabes like Michael Bay is that, behind the action, there is also a heart. The Na'vi are fully realised characters, and by the end of the movie I was cheering for them to wipe out those lousy Earthlings. Which is quite subversive for a Hollywood blockbuster, if you think about it. The commentary on America's treatment of its enemies is none too subtle ("Fight terror with terror" as one character says).
The cast is fine, especially Sigourney Weaver as a good scientist and Stephen Lang as the film's villain (a marine so badass he doesn't even worry about lack of air before running out and shooting at stuff on Pandora). Zoe Saldana has a powerful and (dare I say it?) sexy presence as the blue alien love interest. The detail of the alien planet is amazing, especially the various beasties, most of them highly dangerous to humans. The plot does drag a little before the final battle, but once all hell break loose all I could do was sit back and enjoy the ride. The 3D is actually used fairly subtly, without lots of jump in your face moments. All in all, highly recommended. I just hope Cameron doesn't wait another 12 years to make his next movie.

Don't get sold out! Buy advance tickets for Avatar in IMAX 3D.

New Moon

2009-12-07T22:36:00.003-05:00

So I finally broke down and saw The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The kindest thing I can say about it was that it was better than the first one. The same flaws are there (especially in the ridiculously emo segment where Bella mopes for several months after Edward leaves her) but the production values are better and the plot, at least in the last third, is actually pretty interesting. It also has some real actors this time, in the form of the superb Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning as two of the Volturi - vampire royalty that seem to have stepped out of an Anne Rice novel. The werewolves look good, too (I'm referring to them in wolf form, of course, not the hot guys with their shirts off).
I have to admit my biggest problem with this series (apart from how awfully written the first book was) is that if any vampire story was going to become a giant cultural phenomenon, why this one? It is almost certainly the least interesting interpretation of vampires in history. Is it too much to hope that all the Twi-hards will sit down and watch an episode of Buffy or Angel and realise how inferior Stephenie Meyer's universe is compared to Joss Whedon's?

Nooooooooooo!

2009-11-11T22:57:00.003-05:00

Dollhouse got cancelled. Just when it was getting good and focusing less on Dushku. Sure, it was still the least Whedonesque Joss Whedon show, but it had promise. Fuck Fox.

Wild Things, I Think I Love You

2009-11-10T23:12:00.002-05:00

Finally got to see Where the Wild Things Are with the family. It was pretty damn good, though I can see why some people have been disappointed with it. Most adaptations of children's books go for the lowest common denominator (The Grinch, Cat in the Hat) so it's quite a shock to see a movie like this with lots of adult themes and no fart jokes. Of course, the fact that Spike Jonze is the director means it could never have been your typical mindless kids movie, and it makes me wish he would direct more films (three in 10 years, Spike? Really?)
The creatures are as fantastic as you'd expect from Jim Henson workshop and the eccletic voice cast does great work. The film is visually stunning and the ending manages to be quite moving. Bella managed to stay awake and calm for at least the first hour, so that means a thumbs up from her, too.

Star Wars! Nothing but Star Wars!

2009-11-05T23:14:00.002-05:00

Went to see Star Wars in Concert in Greenville. It was pretty awesome, so I wish they hadn't left out Han and Leia's love theme. That old ham Anthony Daniels was the host and a good time was had by all. Even Bella enjoyed it and didn't get too fussy. My inner geek is happy.
In other news, I just got a Netflix account, so expect lots of new reviews soon.

The state of horror movies

2009-10-07T00:33:00.005-05:00

So I decided to catch up with two recent horror movies before they left the cinema.

First up was Sorority Row. This is a throwback to the slasher movies of the 80s (no surprise since it's a remake of The House on Sorority Row) and, like My Bloody Valentine 3D it's a lot of fun on that level. The acting is pretty bad (apart from the awesome Carrie Fisher, of course) and the plot makes no sense (it's an attempt to do a giallo murder mystery, but not very well done). But the kills are effective, there's plenty of nudity and never a dull moment.

Next I saw Jennifer's Body, which is the complete opposite. It's sooo 2009, to the point where it'll be ridiculously dated within a few years. The dialogue tries way too hard to be hip (no surprise from the writer of Juno) and the jokey tone undermines much of the horror instead of enhancing as in, say, An American Werewolf in London. The film has its moments (a very hot lesbian kiss and a satanic emo band) and the supporting cast is fun. But Megan Fox proves once again that she has the body and acting ability of a porn star. Amanda Seyfried outacts her in every scene. The film has a good premise (a girl possessed by a demon who must eat boys to survive), but the execution didn't work for me. And they don't even have the titular Hole song in the movie!

Next up, Zombieland (which I've heard nothing but good things about).

Monsters vs Alien and a small rant

2009-10-04T16:14:00.005-05:00

So I just watched Monsters vs. Aliens and it leads me to a personal rant. Not about the film - it was a fun movie with great animation and voice work and surprisingly adult humour - but about the fact that Hollywood is stealing ideas RIGHT OUT OF MY BRAIN! See, I had an idea years ago for a movie (actually a sort of sequel to Independence Day) where aliens invaded and the government released various monsters they had captured (including Godzilla and King Kong) to defend Earth.
Ok, so I don't really believe Hollywood producers can read people's minds and steal their ideas (yet) but look at the following evidence for other ideas I had that were later turned into successful movies and TV shows:

Forgotten Lore - a horror story set in a world where vampires have "come out of the coffin" and live among humans. True Blood, anyone? (Yes, I know it was based on a book, but I thought of the idea before that, too)

Azrael - a serial killer who only kills bad people. Turned into another successful TV series, Dexter

Blackouts - a man cursed with the ability to travel through time randomly. See The Time Traveler's Wife (again, based on a book but I had the idea first)

The Ultimate Remote - a man finds a remote control that can control everyone around him. Got turned into an Adam Sandler movie of all things!

Superheroes - a group of seemingly normal people around the world suddenly develop superpowers and have to come to terms with their new abilities while evading the government. So just like Heroes.

Virtual World - a man awakes to find he has been living his whole life in an artificial reality and joins a group of freedom fighters to topple the creators of the virtual prison. Got made into a little movie a while back that not many people saw.

Dark World - set in a future where vampires rule the world and the last surviving humans are bred like cattle. I thought this idea was safe until I saw the trailer for Daybreakers. Bugger.

Writer's Block - a writer finds the characters in his books suddenly coming to life. See Inkheart. Or Bedtime Stories. Damn that Adam Sandler!

I also had an idea that was eerily similar to the TV show Reunion, but since nobody watched that we'll forgive that one.

Curse you Hollywood!!!

But in all seriousness, if any movie producers are reading this (unlikely, I know) I have tons more marketable ideas like these that you can buy cheap. Just give me a call. No mindreading is necessary.

2009-09-28T21:07:00.002-05:00

So I finally saw Wolverine (yeah, I know, old news). It actually wasn't as bad as I thought. The first half of the movie and the dynamic between Logan and Victor Creed (Sabretooth) was pretty good. But once Wolvie leaves John and Martha Kent's farm and teams up with (a completely wasted) Gambit to storm Three Mile Island the film goes to hell. For no particular reason the revenge plot of the film is thrown away so Wolvie and Sabretooth can team up and fight (a completely wasted) Deadpool who suddenly has tons of powers and no mouth.
The effects are awful and the action isn't much better. Hugh Jackman is good as always and the film is fun, but if they make a sequel they definitely need better writers. And I don't care that they were in the comic too, bone claws are still stupid.

100th post! And Stephen King!

2009-09-19T00:23:00.001-05:00

What better way to celebrate my 100th post then to unveil my newest addition to the site: a Stephen King movie retrospective! Enjoy!

The Final Final Destination?

2009-08-28T21:29:00.002-05:00

So I came in to work early yesterday so I could watch The Final Destination in 3D all by myself. The FD movies are a guilty pleasure of mine, and I thought seeing one in 3D would be fun. Well, it was, but they're definitely getting lazier and lazier with these movies. Characterisation and plot was virtually non-existant, and even the kills are getting less inventive (they reuse the person getting hit by a vehicle suddenly gag from the first film). The acting also sucks (apart from Mykelti Williamson).
On the plus side, the 3D is good (it carries on the tradition of 3D boobies from My Bloody Valentine) and the 1 hour and 20 minute running time feels even shorter than it is. I also loved the x-ray opening credits. But it's probably best if they retire the series now. They didn't even have a Tony Todd cameo!

Foukin' prawns!

2009-08-20T21:20:00.003-05:00

I watched most of District 9 while I was working yesterday (I know I'm bad, but I don't have time to go see movies when I'm not working) and it was foukin' awesome (as those wacky Saaf Afrikans would say). It took the best parts of Alien Nation, V, Independence Day, The Fly, Starship Troopers and every cool first person shooter game you've ever played and blended them into one hilarious, exciting and even thought-provoking piece of sci-fi action satire. The racial allegory is cleverly handled (interestingly, the interviews with people fed up with the aliens were conducted with real people who thought they were being asked about Nigerian immigrants)
I wasn't prepared for how funny the first half would be, with Sharlto Copley (a brilliant performance in his first major acting role) carrying the movie despite his character being a complete dick. Whether he's aborting baby aliens or bribing them with catfood he manages to maintain his cheerful demeanor, until he gets infected with alien DNA and the film changes gear to a conspiracy action thriller.
The action scenes in the latter part of the film are intense, with alien weaponry blasting people into red mist and firing pigs! But I also found myself becoming emotionally attached both to the flawed protagonist and the alien and his son who help him.
The ending leaves the possibility open for a sequel, though it's hard to see how they could top this film. Sure it has plot holes (I doubt South Africa would handle our first alien contact all by themselves) but the effects are near flawless (and on only a $30 million budget!) and the film has what nearly every sci-fi films this year has lacked - big ideas to go along with the big bangs. Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp have given a big up yours to the overbudget, mindless "sci-fi" of people like Michael Bay. I look forward to seeing what the director does next.

Harry Potter and the . . . oh yeah, we almost forgot the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-15T22:08:00.005-05:00

We went on our first family movie trip last night to see a special early screening of the latest Harry Potter movie. Bella did pretty good, though she cried during the loud parts. But on to the movie.
In general, it was better than Order of the Phoenix, but still not as good as movies three and four (or even Chamber of Secrets). I gave David Yates a pass on the last film, since I figured most of the problems were due to the screenwriter. But after watching his two back to back efforts it's clear that, while he gets good performances from his cast and has a good eye for visuals, he also a) can't direct epic action and b)has no clue how to deliver a satisfying climax. Both of these failings have me worried about Deathly Hallows, which really needs a director of the caliber of, say, Peter Jackson, to do the book justice.
Anyway, after an eye-popping opening where Death Eaters destroy the Millennium Bridge (pretty much the only major appearance of muggles in the film) we get a rather odd scene (not in the book) where Harry chats up a girl in a train station and calls himself a "tosser". Once back at Hogwarts, the movie follows the book pretty closely. There's a stylishly creepy scene where a female student is flung into the air by a cursed item intended for Dumbledore. There are also some interesting flashbacks to a young Tom Riddle (along with Prisoner of Azkaban, this is the only story in the series where Voldemort does not appear).
After sitting through an hour of, admittedly amusing, love triangles, the beginning of the search for Voldemort's horcruxes finally gives the plot a sense of urgency. After an impressive scene where Harry and Dumbledore enter a peril-filled cave to find one of the horcruxes we get to the big climax, where unfortunately it all falls apart. Dumbledore's death is underwhelming, and the revelation of the identity of the Half-Blood Prince (who is supposed to be a hero to Harry after his book helped him in potions class) is thrown away. It doesn't help that Harry just stands by and watches his mentor die (in the book he was frozen by a spell from Dumbledore). The only real emotion comes when the teachers and students raise their wands in tribute to their fallen headmaster.
The films gets the characters where they need to be for the final film(s). But it fails to offer an interesting plot by itself. Too much time is wasted on how horny everyone at Hogwarts is, and not enough on the mystery which should be central to the film. The cast can't be faulted, though. Everyone steps up their game, though Daniel Radcliffe is the only one who gets enough screentime. Jim Broadbent is funny as the rather barmy new potions teacher Slughorn And Helene Bonham Carter once again relishes her evil role. Alan Rickman is good as always, though even in a movie that should be about him he is left underdeveloped still.
Don't get me wrong, the film is good. But it's probably the second worst in the series from an adaptation point of view (you know what the worst is). It also suffers from the almost complete absence of John Williams' theme. I just hope splitting Deathly Hallows over two films will avoid the rushed feeling of this one and end the series on a high note.

Transformers: Revenge of the Bay

2009-07-06T11:38:00.005-05:00

So, I've finally seen most of Transformers 2: Electric Boogaloo (I don't have two and a half hours to spare to watch Michael Bay's "epic" in one sitting). I wasn't expecting much based on the reviews, but it managed to actually be worse than my lowered expectations.

I actually liked the first film despite all its Bayisms, mainly because a) they got Optimus Prime's voice and character right, b) Spielberg's guiding hand could be felt in the sense of awe when the Autobots first arrived and the fun "boy and his car" plot, and c) the inherent coolness of a live action Transformers movie (something I'd been dreaming about for over 20 years) just about outweighed the inherent stupidity of Bay's direction. But here the awe is gone and so too is Spielberg's influence, despite his producing credit. This is Bay's "vision" all the way.

I had problems with the film right from the start. First of all, the Autobots and human military working together to wipe out the remaining Decepticons just feels wrong. Maybe the writers were trying to put a twist on the usual humans fear and attack aliens plot, but the Autobots should have had more of a struggle to earn the trust of Earthlings, not be automatically accepted as good guys. After a cartoony sequence where the Autobots take down a giant wheeled Decepticon in Shanghai (if anything, the effects are worse in this film) Prime shoots the already defeated Decep in the head (a very out of character moment). The film actually gets worse after that.

We are treated to an hour of the lowest lowbrow humour you will ever find in a mainstream blockbuster, including racial stereotype Autobots, Sam's mum going crazy after eating some special brownies and slapstick jokes even George Lucas would cringe at. This is interspersed with a plot that consists of little more than lots of talk about the Fallen and the Matrix of Leadership (an idea from the cartoon which makes you wonder why they didn't just use that in the first film instead of the Allspark), boring military scenes and the camera ogling Megan Fox (who clearly belongs in porno, not mainstream cinema) at every opportunity. We do get some nice sparring between Megatron and Starscream, but not enough to save these scenes.

Finally, almost halfway through the movie, Sam gets seduced by a sexy Decepticon (I kid you not) and a chase scene leads to the one undeniably exciting scene in the movie, Optimus vs. three Decepticons. It was obvious from Shia LaBeouf's Oscar moment in the trailer ("Optimus!") that something bad was going to happen to ol' Prime, and the rest of the movie turns in to National Treasure as Sam and his human friends (who include a website conspiracy theorist and the return of John Turturro in a speedo) search for the Matrix in an effort to bring Optimus back to life so he can stop the Fallen . . . ah, who cares? Clearly not the filmmakers.

The Constructicons forming Devestator is a nice effect, though he gets beaten far too easily. And, for reasons probably know only to Bay, he has giant testicles. The infamous Fallen also goes down like a chump, after a resurrected Optimus puts on the skin of an ancient British Transformer (what were they smoking?) to fight him. It ends pretty much the same as the first film, with Optimus narrating and promising more adventures.

I'm sure some people will say I'm being too harsh. It's just a stupid fun movie about giant toys robots, right? Well, first of all, the Transformers have a rich 25 year history that could make an epic movie if anyone took them at least half seriously. Secondly, if fun is all you want, there are plenty of movies that are ten times more exciting than Revenge of the Fallen without being completely moronic and offensive. Terminator 2, Jurassic Park and any of the Star Wars films spring to mind. Hell, even Independence Day seems like a masterpiece by comparison.

If the franchise can be saved (artistically speaking; box office wise it seems to be doing fine) then here's a list of things they need to do:

1. Fire Michael Bay
2. Introduce the Dinobots
3. Have the transformations actually visible and not just a random blur of moving parts
4. Stop making all the Transformers faces look like arse
5. Fire Michael Bay
6. Introduce Unicron
7. Stop focusing on boring human characters
8. Look to the Marvel Comics for inspiration (especially Simon Furman's stories)
9. Have the Transformers go back to Cybertron
10. Fire Michael Bay

Maybe one day someone will make a great Transformers movie. I can only hope if Bay makes a third one it'll flop so we can get a reboot.

More updates!

2009-06-07T20:59:00.002-05:00

Finally updated the Tim Burton section to include Sweeney Todd (hey, it was only two years ago). Look for the Stephen King feature and more coming soon!

Aw, hell no!

2009-05-27T23:24:00.000-05:00

Buffy reboot. Words fail me.

DVD reviews!

2009-05-15T16:18:00.001-05:00

I've finally added a new page to Imaginary Cinema - DVD reviews. It features some of the best fantasy movies available on DVD. Look for more updates soon!

Are you out of your Vulcan mind!?

2009-05-09T18:35:00.002-05:00

I watched some of Star Trek on Thursday at work while I was waiting for costumed Trekkies to appear in the lobby (none did). It was really good. The best Trek movie since Wrath of Khan and the funniest since The Voyage Home.
It hooked me right from the star with the exciting and emotional birth of James T. Kirk. Both Kirk and Spock are developed well from childhood, but most of the other characters are given short shrift, despite good performances (especially from Karl Urban as Bones). Simon Pegg is fine as Scotty (despite not being Scottish!) and it’s great to see Leonard Nimoy, of course. Winona Ryder, on the other hand, is fairly wasted as Spock’s mum and Nero, while plenty evil, lacks the charisma of the villainous Khan.
There was lots of action and laughs and a pretty good story, though it jumps through lots of time travel loops to set this in an alternate history so as not to upset the old school Trekkies. Aside from some minor quibbles though (why are the space scenes silent only half the time?) this is a big daft visually stunning slice of entertainment. Roll on the sequel!

Who watches the Watchmen? Umm . . . me?

2009-03-17T01:29:00.002-05:00

So I finally found time to watch Watchmen (ah, the joys of a new baby). I remember thinking the graphic novel was unfilmable when I first read it, but Zack Snyder just about managed to pull it off, after many tried and failed to get the project going over the years (including Terry Gilliam).
The film opens with the murder of the Comedian (which, in one of the few concessions to popcorn audiences, has been turned into a big slow motion fight scene). After a closeup of the classic bloody smiley face the film moves into an alternate history montage over the opening credits. This is one of the most inspired sequences in any recent movie and Snyder expertly sets the tone for the rest of the film. Among others things we learn that the Comedian was the shooter on the grassy knoll who killed JFK and Ozymandias liked to hang out with David Bowie. We also get a nice lesbian kiss between Silhouette and the famous WWII nurse.
Once the plot starts proper we are introduced to Rorschach, soon to become everybody’s favourite character. His growling voice over gives his scenes a nice film noir feel. Jackie Earl Haley gives an award-worthy performance, fully inhabiting the character in and out of the mask. His investigation of the Comedian’s death is interspersed with our introductions to the other “watchmen” (superheroes who have all retired or now work for the government) as well as flashbacks to the Comedian’s life, where we see what a right old bastard he was.
The other characters are all clearly defined. Dr. Manhattan’s blue CGI wang has proved distracting to many, but Billy Crudup’s invests this detached superman with a soul. Nite Owl II and Silk Spectre II make a good team, with Patrick Wilson doing a fine job as the one “nice guy” member of the team. Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre looks hot though her acting is not great. Finally, Ozymandias is the enigma of the group. We don’t learn much about him until the end and Matthew Goode’s performance adds to the ambiguity.
The action scenes are cool, but it’s the quiet scenes between them that make the movie worth watching. The visual style is more subtle than 300’s, but with enough flashy camerawork to wow the kids. The 80’s setting is also perfectly captured.
The ending has been slightly changed from the book (“No squid” as many angry Alan More fans have screamed) but it still works just as well if not arguably better. Overall, the films goes by quickly despite its almost three hour running time. It’s that are blockbuster that requires the audience to think. Highly recommended, for fans and non-fans alike. They’ve done Alan More proud.

Best slasher movies of all time

2009-02-17T22:34:00.003-05:00

Just saw the remake of Friday the 13th. It was better than I expected, though it had many of the same problems as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake (unlikable characters, a reliance on shock gore rather than suspense). There were some nice nods to the original series and the new Jason was pretty badass (though having him keep one of his victims captive for over a month was a little bizarre). It also brought back the gratuitous female nudity that was so prevalent in 80's horror. Friday the 13th was never a real classic to begin with, so I have no problem with this reboot.
Anyway, this gives me the perfect opportunity to list my top 13 slasher movies. I've tried to keep it simple, avoiding slasher movies where the killer is an animal or "upscale" slashers like Silence of the Lambs and Sleepy Hollow.

#13. My Bloody Valentine 3-D - my favourite of the recent crop of slashers, mainly because of the 80's style cheesiness and superb 3D effects.
#12. Alone in the Dark (1982) - an overlooked film with a superb cast (Jack Palance, Donald Pleasance and Martin Landau) and a hockey-mask wearing killer introduced the same year that Jason donned his for the first time.
#11. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter - the best of the series, mainly thanks to Corey Feldman and a typically wacky Crispin Glover. Oh and Jason finally gets his.
#10. Saw - the film that started the "torture porn" trend was a breath of fresh air at the time.
#9. Final Destination - the killer may be Death itself, but it still follows the body count rules of the classic slashers.
#8. Scream - self-referential horror soon became tired, but this was by far the best.
#7. Child's Play - Brad Dourif rules. Nuff said.
#6. Sleepaway Camp - the most twisted ending in horror movie history.
#5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - low key and gore-free compared to its imitators, but disturbing nonetheless.
#4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - the best of the series, with Freddy the perfect mix of scary and funny and heroes with nifty Matrix like powers.
#3. Black Christmas (1974) - arguably the first modern slasher and scary to this day.
#2. Psycho (1960) - that Hitchcock will go far!
#1. Halloween (1978) - nobody does it better than Carpenter's original.

2008 Imaginary Cinema Awards!

2009-01-25T00:53:00.003-05:00

Finally, as promised, here are the awards we've been leading up to - the 1st Annual Montgomery Burns Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence! Uh, I mean the Imaginary Cinema Awards for 2008. Granted, there are still some major films I haven't seen, but I doubt this would change much if I had seen them all. There were three great superhero movies this year, and one great animated movie. Aside from that, it was pretty disappointing, though. Indiana Jones nuked the fridge and there was a sucky Star Wars movie (unlike the prequels, which everyone thinks sucked but didn't really).

Best Movie: Wall-E Runners-up: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Screenplay: Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon (Wall-E)
Best Director: Guillermo del Torro (Hellboy II)
Best Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight); Runners-up: Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Doug Jones (Hellboy II), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Luke Goss (Hellboy II)
Best Actress: Anna Walton (Hellboy II)
Best Music: James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight)
Best Visual Effects: Hellboy II
Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Production Design: Hellboy II
Best Costumes: Hellboy II
Best Comedy: Twilight and The Happening (TIE)

2007

2009-01-24T00:27:00.002-05:00

Burton and Depp do it again! Grindhouse was a fun experience for the few who caught the double feature (though Tarantino's dialogue finally crossed the line from clever to teeth-grindingly annoying), there were two very good Stephen King adaptations and even Michael Bay couldn't ruin Transformers (though he tried his best).

Best Movie: Sweeney Todd; Runners-up: Grindhouse, The Mist, 1408, Stardust, 300, Bridge to Terabithia, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Beowulf, Transformers
Best Screenplay: John Logan (Sweeney Todd)
Best Director: Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd)
Best Actor: Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd); Runners-up: Gerard Butler (300), Kurt Russell (Grindhouse: Death Proof), Alan Rickman (Sweeney Todd), Sacha Baron Cohen (Sweeney Todd)
Best Actress: Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd); Runners-up: Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust), Lena Headey (300)
Best Music: Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd)
Best Visual Effects: Transformers
Best Makeup: Grindhouse
Best Production Design: Sweeney Todd
Best Costumes: Sweeney Todd
Most pointlessly depressing end in an otherwise great movie: The Mist

2006

2009-01-23T04:56:00.002-05:00

Just two more entries to go and then I can reveal the best fantasy movies of 2008. Take that, Oscars!
So 2006 was an interesting year. There were two movies made about a totalitarian Britain of the future (V for Vendetta was the more stylish but Children of Men was more subtle and emotionally satisfying), Pan's Labyrinth was one of the most disturbing fairytales ever and Snakes on a (muthafucking) Plane was everything I expected it to be.

Best Movie: Children of Men; Runners-up: Pan’s Labyrinth, V for Vendetta, The Prestige, Snakes on a Plane, Monster House, Superman Returns, Slither, The Hills Have Eyes
Best Screenplay: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostb (Children of Men)
Best Director: Guillermo del Torro (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Best Actor: Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta); Runners-up: Clive Owen (Children of Men), Samuel L. Jackson (SOAP), Kevin Spacey (Superman Returns)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta); Runners-up: Julianne Moore (Children of Men), Ivana Baquero (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Best Music: Dario Marianelli (V for Vendetta)
Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Best Makeup: Pan’s Labyrinth
Biggest Disappointment: Cars. Pixar can normally do no wrong, but I don’t know what they were thinking making a family movie about a world where talking cars have apparently killed every human and animal and erased all trace of their existence.

2005

2009-01-20T23:55:00.003-05:00

An amazing year when there was a Star Wars prequel released that most people actually liked! Episode III easily trumped Peter Jackson's ambitious but overlong remake of King Kong, Tim Burton's two films (each only half as good as his best films) and even Joss Whedon's Serenity. Batman Begins made up for Joel Schumacher's films but couldn't top Burton. And Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was a fine adaptation except for one thing - they left out the jokes!

Best Movie: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; Runners-up: Serenity, Sin City, King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Batman Begins, The Descent, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, War of the Worlds, Sky High
Best Screenplay: Joss Whedon (Serenity)
Best Director: George Lucas (Revenge of the Sith)
Best Actor: Ian McDiarmid (Revenge of the Sith); Runners-up: Ewan McGregor (Revenge of the Sith), Bruce Willis (Sin City), Mickey Rourke (Sin City), Nathan Fillion (Serenity)
Best Actress: Helena Bonham Carter (Wallace & Gromit, Corpse Bride); Runners-up: Carla Gugino (Sin City), Summer Glau (Serenity)
Best Music: John Williams (Revenge of the Sith)
Best Visual Effects: Revenge of the Sith; Runner-up: King Kong
Best Makeup: Revenge of the Sith
Best Cinematography: Sin City
Best Production Design: Batman Begins
Best Costumes: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2004

2009-01-20T04:11:00.002-05:00

No Lord of the Rings this year, but plenty of other good movies. There was the birth of the Saw franchise, a remake of and comic homage to Dawn of the Dead (the latter was better) and a Spider-Man movie where he looked less like a cartoon.

Best Movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Runners-up: The Incredibles, Shaun of the Dead, Spider-Man 2, Hellboy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Shrek 2, Saw, Secret Window, Dawn of the Dead
Best Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Best Director: Brad Bird (The Incredibles)
Best Actor: Jim Carrey (Eternal Sushine of the Spotless Mind); Runners-up: Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Gary Oldman (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Johnny Depp (Secret Window)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Best Music: John Williams (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Best Visual Effects: Spider-Man 2
Best Makeup: Hellboy

2003

2009-01-19T04:24:00.003-05:00

The year The Lord of the Rings reached its conclusion and raised its finger to all subsequent epics. Oh, and the public finally discovered Johnny Depp and there was wrinkly Terminator.

Best Movie: The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King; Runners-up: Big Fish, X2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Elf, Peter Pan, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Reloaded
Best Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (Return of the King); Runner-up: Big Fish
Best Director: Peter Jackson (Return of the King); Runner-up: Timmy B. (Big Fish)
Best Actor: Ewan McGregor (Big Fish); Runners-up: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), Elijah Wood (Return of the King), Ian McKellan (Return of the King), Alan Cumming (X2)
Best Actress: Miranda Otto (Return of the King); Runner-up: Helena Bonham Carter (Big Fish)
Best Music: Howard Shore (Return of the King); Runner-up: Danny Elfman (Big Fish, Hulk)
Best Visual Effects: Return of the King
Best Makeup: Return of the King
Best Production Design: Return of the King
Best Costumes: Return of the King

2002

2009-01-17T22:14:00.004-05:00

This year saw the epic battle between the second part of two trilogies - the Star Wars prequels and The Lord of the Rings. The Two Towers won the critical and commercial battle, but for my money Attack of the Clones was the more fun, despite its flaws. Meanwhile, a radioactive wall crawler ruled them all, at least at the North American box office.

Best Movie: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones; Runners-up: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Minority Report, Spider-Man, Blade II, Solaris, 28 Days Later, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dog Soldiers
Best Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (The Two Towers)
Best Director: Peter Jackson (The Two Towers)
Best Actor: Andy Serkis (The Two Towers); Runners-up: Frank Oz (Attack of the Clones), Christopher Lee (Attack of the Clones), Viggo Mortensen (The Two Towers), Bernard Hill (The Two Towers)
Best Actress: Naomi Watts (The Ring); Runner-up: Natalie Portman (Attack of the Clones)
Best Music: John Williams (Attack of the Clones); Runners-up: The Two Towers, Spider-Man
Best Visual Effects: Attack of the Clones; Runner-up: The Two Towers
Best Makeup: The Two Towers
Most Ridiculous Ending: Signs

2001

2009-01-16T22:50:00.004-05:00

A year that will live in infamy. Turns out Kubrick and Clarke were wrong. Planet of the Apes and A.I. were good, but didn't live up to expectations. Luckily The Lord of the Rings arrived at the end of the year to make everything right.

Best Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; Runners-up: Monsters, Inc., Shrek, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Donnie Darko, Vanilla Sky, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Others, Jeepers Creepers, Planet of the Apes
Best Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson (The Fellowship of the Ring)
Best Director: Peter Jackson (The Fellowship of the Ring)
Best Actor: Ian McKellan (The Fellowship of the Ring); Runners-up: Tim Roth (Planet of the Apes), Christopher Lee (The Fellowship of the Ring), Sean Astin (The Fellowship of the Ring), Jude Law (A.I.)
Best Actress: Helena Bonham Carter (Planet of the Apes); Runners-up: Liv Tyler (The Fellowship of the Ring), Nicole Kidman (The Others)
Best Music: Howard Shore (The Fellowship of the Ring); Runner-up: Danny Elfman (Planet of the Apes)
Best Visual Effects: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Makeup: Planet of the Apes
Best Production Design: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Costumes: The Fellowship of the Ring

My Bloody Valentine . . . in 3D!

2009-01-16T05:12:00.005-05:00

So I watched My Bloody Valentine 3D tonight (or at least most of it). I was in projection at the movie theater where I work (it was another shitty, understaffed night, but enough about that) so I snuck down on my break to watch the movie with an audience. It was a lot of fun.
I haven't seen the original movie, but the remake has the feel of an 80's slasher, which is a genre I love (most modern horror films are too slick for my liking). It even has horror legend Tom Atkins! Following the very bloody prologue, the film cuts to ten years later (though for some reason star Jensen Ackles doesn't look like he's aged a day) and attempts to create some mystery about whether the new rash of killings are the work of the original, supposedly deceased, murderer or a copycat (the final reveal of the killer manages to be both predictable and illogical).
The 3D technology is well utlised for the (literally) eye-popping kills. And it has the most gratuitous nude scene I have ever seen, with Betsy Rue running around naked outside for four minutes. The film is played straight for the most part, but the more absurd scenes seem to knowingly wink at the audience.
What it doesn't have, is great acting, interesting characters or smart dialogue. So if you're not near a cinema showing it in 3D, I suggest giving this film a miss. But it's a good movie to see with an audience wearing the 3D glasses. I give it three bloody hearts out of five.

2000

2009-01-14T22:21:00.003-05:00

A bad year for fantasy from Hollywood. Aside from X-Men and the guilty pleasure of Final Destination there was nothing that impressive. Luckily there was a Canadian take on werewolves and a Chinese martial arts fantasy to make the year worthwhile.

Best Movie: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Runners-up: Ginger Snaps, X-Men, Final Destination, Unbreakable, Titan AE
Best Screenplay: Karen Walton (Ginger Snaps)
Best Director: Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
Best Actor: Chown Yun Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon); Runners-up: Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable)
Best Actress: Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon); Runners-up: Emily Perkins and Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps)
Best Music: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Visual Effects: X-Men
Best Costumes: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

1999

2009-01-13T23:31:00.003-05:00

Oh boy. This was the year that Star Wars was supposed to come back and make our collective jaws hit the floor. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. I actually liked The Phantom Menace, but it was far from the best movie of the year. The Matrix did wow a lot of people, but that wasn't the best movie of the year either. The Sixth Sense? It was good, but anyone who's seen Jacob's Ladder could see that twist coming a mile off. Even Tim Burton's wonderful homage to Hammer Horror wasn't the best of the year. For me, the two best films were both animated.

Best Movie: The Iron Giant; Runners-up: Toy Story 2, Sleepy Hollow, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, The Green Mile, Galaxy Quest, Being John Malkovich, The Sixth Sense, Dogma, EXistenZ, The Matrix, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Best Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich)
Best Director: Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow)
Best Actor: Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow); Runners-up: Ian McDiarmid (The Phantom Menace/Sleepy Hollow), Tom Hanks (The Green Mile), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), Bruce Willis (The Sixth Sense)
Best Actress: Cameron Diaz (Being John Malkovich); Runner-up: Miranda Richardson (Sleepy Hollow)
Best Music: John Williams (The Phantom Menace); Runner-up: Danny Elfman (Sleepy Hollow)
Best Visual Effects: The Phantom Menace
Best Cinematography: The Matrix
Best Makeup: Galaxy Quest
Best Production Design: Sleepy Hollow
Best Sound Effects: The Phantom Menace
Most Overhyped Movie: The Blair Witch Project

1998

2009-01-13T01:29:00.002-05:00

A year of colossal overhype (I'm looking in your direction, big green fella) but few great movies. The best two films of the year were both about engineered realities. Funny that. There were also two meteor movies, only one of which was halfway decent.

1998
Best Movie: Dark City; Runners-up: The Truman Show, Pleasantville, The X-Files, Blade, Small Soldiers, The Faculty, Bride of Chucky, Deep Impact
Best Screenplay: Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show)
Best Director: Alex Proyas (Dark City)
Best Actor: Jim Carrey (The Truman Show); Runners-up: William Hurt (Dark City), Kiefer Sutherland (Dark City), Brad Dourif (Bride of Chucky), William H. Macy (Pleasantville)
Best Actress: Jennifer Tilly (Bride of Chucky); Runner-up: Joan Allen (Pleasantville)
Best Music: Dark City
Best Visual Effects: Armageddon
Best Makeup: Blade
Best Production Design: Dark City
Most Overhyped Movie: Godzilla

1997

2009-01-11T21:46:00.002-05:00

A landmark year, especially in the field of visual effects. Star Wars came back to the big screen (with some controversial changes), The Fifth Element was a unique mix of hard sci-fi and French farce and Event Horizon was scary as hell. But the best movie of the year was that rarity - intelligent sci-fi.

Best Movie: Contact; Runners-up: Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition, The Fifth Element, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Starship Troopers, Men in Black, Gattaca, Event Horizon)
Best Screenplay: James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg (Contact)
Best Director: Robert Zemeckis (Contact)
Best Actor: Will Smith (MiB); Runners-up: James Woods (Contact), Bruce Willis (The Fifth Element), Mike Myers (Austin Powers), Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers)
Best Actress: Jodie Foster (Contact); Runner-up: Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Men in Black); Runners-up: Contact, Starship Troopers, Event Horizon
Best Visual Effects: The Fifth Element; Runners-up: Contact, Men in Black, Starship Troopers, Event Horizon
Best Makeup: Men in Black
Best Sound Effects: Event Horizon
Best Costumes: The Fifth Element
Best Production Design: The Fifth Element

1996

2009-01-11T00:52:00.003-05:00

This year had rival alien invasion epics (Mars Attacks! was clearly the better one, despite what the box office would indicate) and a revival of the slasher flick. But the best movie of the year was Tarantino's insane vampire caper.

Best Movie: From Dusk Til Dawn; Runners-up: Mars Attacks, The Frighteners, Independence Day, Scream, The Arrival
Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino (From Dusk Til Dawn)
Best Director: Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Til Dawn)
Best Actor: George Clooney (From Dusk Til Dawn); Runners-up: Jack Nicholson (Mars Attacks!), Pierce Brosnan (Mars Attacks!), Will Smith (ID4), Jeff Goldblum (ID4)
Best Actress: Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact); Runners-up: Juliette Lewis (From Dusk Til Dawn), Lisa Marie (Mars Attacks!)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Mars Attacks!); Runner-up: Dragonheart
Best Visual Effects: Mars Attacks!; Runners-up: ID4, Dragonheart
Best Makeup: From Dusk Til Dawn
Best Production Design: Mars Attacks!
Best line: "Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them. I don't give a fuck how crazy they are." (From Dusk Til Dawn)

1995

2009-01-10T00:00:00.003-05:00

Two classics this year - Toy Story and 12 Monkeys - somewhat offset by a really shitty Batman film. Good soundtrack, though. Oh, and Waterworld wasn't that bad, even though it cost way too much money.

Best Movie: Toy Story; Runners-up: 12 Monkeys, Strange Days, In the Mouth of Madness, Jumanji, Fluke, Tank Girl, Screamers
Best Screenplay: David Webb Peoples & Janet Peoples (12 Monkeys); Runner-up: Joss Whedon (Toy Story)
Best Director: Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys)
Best Actor: Bruce Willis (12 Monkeys); Runners-up: Brad Pitt (12 Monkeys), Tim Allen (Toy Story)
Best Actress: Madeline Stowe (12 Monkeys); Runner-up: Lori Petty (Tank Girl)
Best Music: Batman Forever
Best Visual Effects: Jumanji
Best Makeup: In the Mouth of Madness

1994

2009-01-07T23:38:00.002-05:00

A funny year, this. The best fantasy movie this year was a true story. But hey, it's Burton. He could make the phone book into a surreal fantasy. Aside from that, the year was pretty unremarkable for imaginary cinema. Interview With the Vampire was better than the book, Stargate made sci-fi popular again and The Crow became a hit largely die to the tragic death of Brandon Lee.

Best Movie: Ed Wood; Runners-up: Interview With the Vampire, The Crow, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Stargate, The Mask
Best Screenplay: Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood)
Best Director: Tim Burton (Ed Wood)
Best Actor: Martin Landau (Ed Wood); Runners-up: Johnny Depp (Ed Wood), Brad Pitt (Interview With the Vampire), Tom Cruise (Interview With the Vampire), Brandon Lee (The Crow)
Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst (Interview With the Vampire)
Best Music: Howard Shore (Ed Wood); Runner-up: Elliot Goldenthal (Interview With the Vampire)
Best Visual Effects: The Mask
Best Makeup: Interview With the Vampire
Best Production Design: Interview With the Vampire

1993

2009-01-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

The year when dinosaurs trampled over everything in their path, even Schwarzenegger (but hey, I liked his movie). It was also the year that saw the birth of a holiday classic (though nobody realised it at the time) and Bill Murray's finest hour. But most of all it was the last time special effects actually wowed us.

Best Movie: Jurassic Park; Runners-up: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Groundhog Day, Army of Darkness, Return of the Living Dead 3, Addams Family Values, Demolition Man, Last Action Hero
Best Screenplay: Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day)
Best Director: Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park)
Best Actor: Bill Murray (Groundhog Day); Runners-up: Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), Charles Dance (Last Action Hero), Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness)
Best Actress: Catherine O’Hara (The Nightmare Before Christmas); Runner-up: Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park)
Best Music: (TIE) Danny Elfman (The Nightmare Before Christmas)/ John Williams (Jurassic Park)
Best Visual Effects: The bleeding dinosaur movie, stupid!
Best Makeup: Army of Darkness

1992

2009-01-05T23:47:00.001-05:00

This was an interesting year. Bram Stoker's Dracula and Batman Returns were slammed by critics, but for me they were by far the most visually stunning and interesting films of the year. Nothing else really stood out, although Alien 3 set a record for most depressing summer blockbuster.

Best Movie: Bram Stoker’s Dracula; Runners-up: Batman Returns, Aladdin, Death Becomes Her, Candyman, Alien 3, Universal Soldier, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Best Screenplay: Daniel Waters (Batman Returns)
Best Director: Francis Ford Coppola (Dracula); Runner-up: Tim Burton (Batman Returns)
Best Actor: Gary Oldman (Dracula); Runners-up: Christopher Walken (Batman Returns), Danny DeVito (Batman Returns), Michael Keaton (Batman Returns), Robin Williams (Aladdin)
Best Actress: Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns); Runners-up: Winona Ryder (Dracula), Meryl Streep (Death Becomes Her), Sigourney Weaver (Alien 3)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Batman Returns); Runner-up: Dracula
Best Visual Effects: Death Becomes Her; Runner-up: The Lawnmower Man
Best Makeup: Dracula
Best Costumes: Dracula
Best Production Design: Batman Returns
Best Cinematography: Dracula

1991

2009-01-05T23:36:00.004-05:00

A big year. T2 broke new ground both with its computer effects and its $100 million budget. And Terry Gilliam and the Coen Brothers did their weird thing to great effect.

Best Movie: Terminator 2: Judgment Day; Runners-up: Barton Fink, The Fisher King, Beauty & the Beast, The Rocketeer, Naked Lunch, The People Under the Stairs
Best Screenplay: The Coen Brother (Barton Fink); Runners-up: T2, The Fisher King
Best Director: James Cameron (Terminator 2); Runner-up: Joel Coen (Barton Fink)
Best Actor: Alan Rickman (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves); Runners-up: John Turturro (Barton Fink), Robert Patrick (T2), Robin Williams (The Fisher King), Jeff Bridges (The Fisher King)
Best Actress: Linda Hamilton (T2); Runner-up: Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King)
Best Music: John Williams (Hook); Runner-up: T2
Best Visual Effects: T2
Best Stunts: T2
Best Comedy: Dead Again
Best Tim Burton rip-off: The Addams Family

1990

2009-01-04T15:14:00.003-05:00

Hey, we're into the nineties with Tim Burton's masterpiece, the twin superb mindfucks of Total Recall and Jacob's Ladder and a bit of the old ultraviolence sprinkled though most of the films. The decade definitely started with a bang.

Best Movie: Edward Scissorhands; Runners-up: Total Recall, Jacob’s Ladder, Arachnophobia, Back to the Future Part III, Gremlins 2, Tremors, Ghost, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Predator 2
Best Screenplay: A whole bunch of writers (Total Recall); Runners-up: Edward Scissorhands, Jacob’s Ladder
Best Director: Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands); Runners-up: Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall), Adrian Lyne (Jacob’s Ladder)
Best Actor: Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands); Runners-up: Tim Robbins (Jacob’s Ladder), Michael Ironside (Total Recall), John Goodman (Arachnophobia)
Best Actress: Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands), Runners-up: Sharon Stone (Total Recall), Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands), Angelica Huston (The Witches), Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Edward Scissorhands, Darkman, Dick Tracy, Nightbreed); Runner-up: Total Recall
Best Visual Effects: Total Recall
Best Makeup: Dick Tracy; Runner-up: Edward Scissorhands
Best Production Design: Edward Scissorhands
Best Costumes: Edward Scissorhands

1989

2009-01-04T00:10:00.003-05:00

The year when hype began to explode out of control, as evidenced by the unstoppable Batman. But the best films of the year included some that were considered disappointments at the time, such as James Cameron's epic The Abyss. In fact, that would have been my choice for best film of the year if the director's cut had been the version released to cinemas.

Best Movie: Field of Dreams; Runners-up: The Abyss, Back to the Future Part II, The Little Mermaid, Batman, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Society, The Burbs, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Fly II
Best Screenplay: The two Bobs (Back to the Future Part II)
Best Director: James Cameron (The Abyss)
Best Actor: Ed Harris (The Abyss); Runners-up: Michael Keaton (Batman), James Earl Jones (Field of Dreams), Jack Nicholson (Batman), Sean Connery (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Best Actress: Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (The Abyss); Runner-up: Kim Basinger . . . just kidding!
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Batman); Runners-up: Field of Dreams, The Abyss, The Little Mermaid
Best Visual Effects: The Abyss; Runner-up: Back to the Future Part II
Best Makeup: The Fly II
Best Production Design: Batman

1988

2009-01-02T00:40:00.001-05:00

Another good year, though without the contributions of directors Burton and Zemeckis it would have been pretty lackluster. Special effects wise, it was most notable for the birth of morphing in Willow. Oh, and Terry Gilliam spent way too much money on Baron Munchausen.

Best Movie: Beetlejuice (Runners-up: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big, They Live, The Blob, Child’s Play, Monkeyshines, Earth Girls Are Easy, The Adventures of Baron Muchausen, Willow)
Best Screenplay: Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Best Director: Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit); Runner-up: Tim Burton (Beetlejuice)
Best Actor: Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice); Runners-up: Tom Hanks (Big), Boskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Christopher Lloyd (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Best Actress: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice); Runners-up: Geena Davis (Beetlejuice & Earth Girls Are Easy), Joanne Whalley (Willow)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice); Runners-up: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Willow
Best Visual Effects: Willow; Runner-up: Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Best Makeup: Beetlejuice
Best Production Design: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Best Product Placement: Return of the Killer Tomatoes

1987

2009-01-01T02:58:00.003-05:00

1987 was chock full of a bit of the old ultra-violence with Robocop, Predator and Evil Dead II. But there was also more gentle fantasy with the superb The Princess Bride. In fact, the winners and nominees this year have something for everyone. I remember this fondly as the year I saw my first two R-rated movies on the big screen - Robocop and The Lost Boys.

Best Movie: Robocop; Runners-up: The Princess Bride, Evil Dead II, Predator, The Hidden, Near Dark, The Monster Squad, Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Angel Heart, Innerspace
Best Screenplay: Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner (Robocop); Runner-up: William Goldman (The Princess Bride)
Best Director: Paul Verhoeven (Robocop); Runners-up: Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride), Sam Raimi (Evil Dead II)
Best Actor: Peter Weller (Robocop); Runners-up: Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride), Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead II), Kyle MacLachen (The Hidden)
Best Actress: Robin Wright (The Princess Bride); Runner-up: Michelle Pfeiffer (The Witches of Eastwick)
Best Music: Basil Poledouris (Robocop); Runners-up: The Princess Bride, Predator, The Lost Boys
Best Visual Effects: Robocop; Runners-up: Innerspace, Predator
Best Makeup: Evil Dead II; Runners-up: Hellraiser, The Monster Squad
Best Sound Effects: Robocop

1986

2008-12-30T23:01:00.005-05:00

I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but this was another great year for sci/fan/hor. David Cronenberg remade The Fly, James Cameron remade Alien (and sneakily added an s on the end) and John Carpenter made his last great movie. We also got to meet the lovable Johnny 5, though I still don't know why Ally Sheedy thought he was an alien and not a robot. But never mind. Oh, and how could I forget the great Highlander, with a Scotsman playing a Spaniard and Frenchman playing a Scot?

Best Movie: The Fly; Runners-up: Aliens, Big Trouble in Little China, Labyrinth, Highlander, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Flight of the Navigator, Little Shop of Horrors, House, Short Circuit
Best Screenplay: Charles Edward Pogue and David Cronenberg (The Fly)
Best Director: David Cronenberg (The Fly); Runner-up: James Cameron (Aliens)
Best Actor: Jeff Goldblum (The Fly); Runners-up: Kurt Russell (Big Trouble in Little China), Steve Martin (Little Shop of Horrors), Clancy Brown (Highlander)
Best Actress: Sigourney Weaver (Aliens); Runners-up: Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth), Geena Davis (The Fly)
Best Music: Howard Shore (The Fly); Runners-up: Aliens, Labyrinth
Best Visual Effects: Aliens
Best Makeup: The Fly
Guilty Pleasure: Howard the Duck

1985

2008-12-30T00:09:00.002-05:00

Another classic year. The movies went into the nostalgic past and the bleak future. More importantly, this year saw the feature debut of a young filmmaker called Timmy Burton. There were some good zombie films too. Don't ya love the 80's?

Best Movie: Back to the Future; Runners-up: Return of the Living Dead, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Young Sherlock Holmes, Brazil, Fright Night, D.A.R.Y.L., Enemy Mine, Cat’s Eye, Explorers
Best Screenplay: The two Bobs (Back to the Future)
Best Director: Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future)
Best Actor: Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future); Runners-up: Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure), Louis Gossett, Jr. (Enemy Mine), Robert DeNiro (Brazil)
Best Actress: Lea Thompson (Back to the Future)
Best Music: Danny Elfman (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure); Runners-up: Back to the Future, Young Sherlock Holmes
Best Visual Effects: Back to the Future
Best Makeup: Return of the Living Dead; Runner-up: Day of the Dead
Best Nude Vampire Movie: Lifeforce

The Day the Remakes Stood Still

2008-12-29T21:06:00.006-05:00

I'm taking a break from my annual awards to rant about Hollywood remakes. They suck. They've sucked for a long time now, and somebody needs to step in and ban them. It used to be that people remade a movie to either improve it or put a fresh spin on it (think of great remakes like The Fly and The Thing). But that time has past. Now remakes are made to cash in on the name and for zero creative reasons. Hollywood must be stopped before it's too late!

Well, we can dream, can't we? So I finally got around to seeing the unnecessary remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. The original is one of my favourite sci-fi movies ever and is still as relevant today as it was in 1951. If they had to remake it, all they had to do was keep the basic story and just update the effects. But no, they had to totally change the point of the story. Bad Hollywood.

The first half actually wasn't bad, with some clever nods to the original. Keanu Reeves is suitably alien and there was a nice buildup of suspense. I could even forgive that the CGI Gort looked like shit because he at least resembled the original. But once Klatuu goes on the run the film goes nowhere and the final special effects showreel had nothing we hadn't seen before and better. Then the film just ends, with no "Klatuu, Barada, Nikto" moment or warning for mankind. Add this to the long-list of dumbed-down remakes that will be forgotten long before people stop watching the classic original. Kudos to John Cleese for pulling off a serious role, though.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

1984

2008-12-29T00:13:00.004-05:00

The eighties just keep getting better and better! This year had it all: spooky fun with Gremlins and Ghostbusters, John Carpenter's ET for grown-ups, the debut of Freddy Krueger and the groundbreaking computer FX of The Last Starfighter. Even the bad films, like Dune, had much to admire. Then there was The Terminator, an unbelievably good film from the director of Piranha II.

Best Movie: The Terminator (Runners-up: Repo Man, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Starman, Splash, The Company of Wolves, The Last Starfighter, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Best Screenplay: James Cameron (The Terminator)
Best Director: James Cameron (The Terminator)
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Starman); Runners-up: Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator), Michael Biehn (The Terminator), Harry Dean Stanton (Repo Man), Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Best Actress: Karen Allen (Starman); Runners-up: Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters)
Best Music: Jerry Goldsmith (Gremlins); Runners-up: The Terminator, Ghostbusters, Starman, Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom
Best Visual Effects: The Last Starfighter; Runners-up: Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 2010
Best Makeup: A Nightmare on Elm Street; Runners-up: Gremlins, The Company of Wolves
Best Production Design: The Company of Wolves
Best Costumes: Dune
Best Guilty Pleasure: Supergirl
Best Cult Movie: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

1983

2008-12-28T21:49:00.002-05:00

This year saw a shock upset with a Star Wars film being beaten by two David Cronenberg classics (one of which was the best of many Stephen King adaptations released that year). It also saw a plethora of 3D movies, only one of which was any good.

Best Movie: The Dead Zone; Runners-up: Videodrome, Return of the Jedi, Christine, Krull
Best Screenplay: David Cronenberg (Videodrome)
Best Director: David Cronenberg (The Dead Zone and Videodrome)
Best Actor: Christopher Walken (The Dead Zone); Runners-up: James Woods (Videodrome), Iam McDiarmid (Return of the Jedi)
Best Actress: Debbie Harry (Videodrome); Runner-up: Dee Wallace (Cujo)
Best Music: John Williams (Return of the Jedi); Runner-up: The Dead Zone
Best Visual Effects: Return of the Jedi
Best Makeup: Return of the Jedi
Best Sound Effects: Return of the Jedi
Best Costumes: Return of the Jedi
Best 3D Movie: Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
Guilty Pleasure: Sleepaway Camp

1982

2008-12-28T04:31:00.004-05:00

For many, this was the year of Spielberg's cuddly alien. For me, I preferred Carpenter's shape-changing murderous alien. This was a great year for sci-fi, one that has never been matched since. Even films considered failures at the time, such as Blade Runner and Tron, went on to become classics.

Best Movie: The Thing; Runners-up: Blade Runner, Tron, The Secret of NIMH, Star Trek II, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Poltergeist, The Dark Crystal, Creepshow
Best Screenplay: Bill Lancaster (The Thing)
Best Director: Ridley Scott (Blade Runner)
Best Actor: Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner); Runner-up: Kurt Russell (The Thing), Jeff Bridges (Tron)
Best Actress: Daryl Hannah (Blade Runner); Runners-up: Sean Young (Blade Runner), Nastassja Kinski (Cat People)
Best Music: John Williams (E.T.); Runners-up: John Carpenter (The Thing), Vangelis (Blade Runner), Tron, Conan the Barbarian
Best Visual Effects: Tron
Best Makeup: The Thing
Best Costumes: Blade Runner
Best Production Design: Blade Runner

1981

2008-12-26T15:07:00.003-05:00

How do you top 1980? How about with the best werewolf movie of all time, Terry Gilliam's first solo hit movie and the birth of the "video nasties" with The Evil Dead? Oh, and that Indiana Jones guy. 1981 was a very good year.

Best Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark; Runners-up: An American Werewolf in London, Time Bandits, Scanners, The Evil Dead, Escape From New York, The Howling, Mad Max 2, Heavy Metal
Best Screenplay: John Landis (An American Werewolf in London)
Best Director: Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Best Actor: Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark); Runners-up: David Warner (Time Bandits), Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf in London), Kurt Russell (Escape From New York)
Best Actress: Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark); Runner-up: Jenny Agutter (An American Werewolf in London)
Best Music: John Williams (Raiders of the Lost Ark); Runner-up: John Carpenter (Escape From New York)
Best Visual Effects: Raiders of the Lost Ark; Runners-up: Dragonslayer, Time Bandits
Best Makeup: An American Werewolf in London; Runners-up: The Evil Dead, The Howling
Best Production Design: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Best Stunts: (TIE) Raiders of the Lost Ark and Mad Max 2

1980

2008-12-25T00:39:00.003-05:00

The 80's started with a bang. Kubrick did his take on Stephen King (which the author still regrets to this day), Superman returned, Flash Gordon took camp to new heights and Friday the 13th took exploitation horror to new lows. But once again the awards were swept by a Star Wars movie.

Best Movie: The Empire Strikes Back (Runners-up: The Shining, Superman II, The Fog, Altered States, Battle Beyond the Stars)
Best Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back)
Best Director: Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back); Runner-up: Stanley Kubrick (The Shining)
Best Actor: Jack Nicholson (The Shining); Runners-up: Harrison Ford (The Empire Strikes Back), James Earl Jones and Dave Prowse (The Empire Strikes Back), Terence Stamp (Superman II), Frank Oz (The Empire Strikes Back)
Best Actress: Carrie Fisher (The Empire Strikes Back)
Best Music: John Williams (The Empire Strikes Back); Runner-up: Queen (Flash Gordon)
Best Visual Effects: The Empire Strikes Back
Best Makeup: Friday the 13th
Best Costumes: Flash Gordon
Best Production Design: The Empire Strikes Back

Merry Christmas everybody! Even you atheists.

1979

2008-12-24T13:04:00.005-05:00

This was the year that the impact of Star Wars truly started to be felt. There was Ridley Scott's Alien (which was very good) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (which was not). Then there was crazy Mel in Mad Max, proving that Aussies could do sci-fi, too.

Best Movie: Alien Runners-up: Monty Python's Life of Brian, Being There, Mad Max, Time After Time, Phantasm
Best Screenplay: Jerry Kosinski (Being There)
Best Director: Ridley Scott (Alien)
Best Actor: Peter Sellers (Being There); Runner-up: Iam Holm (Alien)
Best Actress: Sigourney Weaver (Alien)
Best Music: Jerry Goldsmith (Alien)
Best Visual Effects: Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Best Makeup: Phantasm
Best Production Design: Alien

Next up, the 80's!

1978

2008-12-24T00:14:00.003-05:00

This year saw the first blockbuster comic book movie, George Romero's masterful follow-up to Night of the Living Dead, and a sci-fi remake that didn't suck. But my top pick is the greatest of all slasher movies.

Best Movie: Halloween (Runners-up: Dawn of the Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Superman: The Movie, Piranha)
Best Screenplay: Mario Puzo, etc. (Superman)
Best Director: John Carpenter (Halloween)
Best Actor: Christopher Reeve (Superman); Runner-up: Anthony Hopkins (Magic), Jeff Goldblum (Invasion of the Body Snatchers)
Best Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween)
Best Music: John Williams (Superman); Runner-up: John Carpenter (Halloween)
Best Visual Effects: Superman
Best Production Design: Superman
Best Makeup: Dawn of the Dead

1977

2008-12-22T23:15:00.002-05:00

If 1975 was the seed for modern Fantastic Cinema, then 1977 was when it exploded into full bloom. You had classic horror (The Hills Have Eyes) classic sci-fi (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and classic . . . um . . . weirdness (Eraserhead). But of course, all that was topped by one beardy Californian filmmaker who set out to make the best B-movie of all time, and succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. 31 years and countless unsold Jar Jar dolls later, and Star Wars is still somehow cool. So the following winners will come as no surprise.

Best Movie: Star Wars; Runners-up: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Eraserhead, The Hills Have Eyes, Rabid, Jabberwocky
Best Screenplay: George Lucas (Star Wars)
Best Director: George Lucas (Star Wars); Runner-up: Steven Spielberg (Close Encounters), David Lynch (Eraserhead)
Best Actor: Alec Guinness (Star Wars); Runner-up: Richard Dreyfuss (Close Encounters)
Best Actress: Carrie Fisher (Star Wars)
Best Music: John Williams (Star Wars, Close Encounters)
Best Visual Effects: Star Wars; Runner-up: Close Encounters
Best Makeup: Star Wars
Best Production Design: Star Wars
Best Costumes: Star Wars

1976

2008-12-21T23:58:00.004-05:00

1976 was the year that saw the first Stephen King movie. It was a good one, soon to be followed by many more (most of them not so good). In fact, it was a strong year for horror, as my awards show.

Best Movie: Carrie; Runners-up: The Omen, Logan’s Run, The Man Who Fell to Earth, To the Devil a Daughter
Best Screenplay: Lawrence D. Cohen (Carrie)
Best Director: Brian DePalma (Carrie)
Best Actor: David Bowie (The Man Who Fell to Earth); Runner-up: Gregory Peck (The Omen)
Best Actress: Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Runner-up: Piper Laurie (Carrie)
Best Music: Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen)
Best Costumes: Logan’s Run

Next: 1977. The year there were Wars in the Stars. Or something . . .

1975 was a good year . . .

2008-12-20T23:33:00.006-05:00

So, in the run up to the 1st Annual Imaginary Cinema Awards in the new year (more on that later) I thought I'd retroactively come up with my awards for the best in horror, fantasy and sci-fi movies from each of the last 33 years, starting with the year that I was only around for the last few months of.
The categories are fairly arbitrary, based solely on whether I could think of any deserving choices that year. So here's the best from 1975. A year that saw the rise of such future legends as Steven Spielberg, Terry Gilliam and David Cronenberg. Look for more to follow soon!

Best Movie: Jaws. Runners-up: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, A Boy and His Dog, Rollerball, Shivers
Best Screenplay: Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb (Jaws)
Best Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws)
Best Actor: Robert Shaw (Jaws); Runner-up: Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Best Actress: Susan Sarandon (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Best Music: John Williams (Jaws); Runner-up: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Best Makeup: The Devil’s Rain

Sparkly Emo Vampires!

2008-12-02T00:52:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, since I've been so busy with work and filming The Party (which is almost complete, by the way). But I had to post a quick review of Twilight.
I honestly wasn't expecting much from the film (the book made JK Rowling seem like Shakespeare) but it was a fairly entertaining comedy. Unfortunately I don't think the filmmakers intended it to be that. From the pale, pretty and pouty vampires to the overly serious dialogue this film is ripe for parody. I'll give the screenwriter credit for putting more action in the film (all the cool stuff happened off page in the book) but it has most of the same weaknesses as the book. It may be breaking box office records now, but I predict the inevitable sequel will have a far smaller audience.

The Party goes into production!

2008-10-21T23:46:00.002-05:00

I had the first night's shooting for my horror movie The Party tonight. It actually went pretty well. We had a few problems early on getting the lighting right and figuring out how to shoot in the car, but once that was solved I was happy. The actors I've picked are all great in their roles and hopefully I'll be able to assemble a pretty good movie once we're finished. Night two of shooting is tomorrow and as soon as I find a suitably spooky house we can knock out the rest of the movie. Watch this space!

Ghost Town

2008-10-02T22:27:00.003-05:00

Saw Ricky Gervais' first Hollywood star vehicle for my birthday. It was pretty good. The plot was predictable but Ricky had some good moments and overall it was a feelgood movie. Kind of like Ghost meets The Sixth Sense. But funnier.
In other news I'll soon be shooting my short horror film, The Party. I had a cast rehearsal that went really well. Now I just need to find a creepy house to shoot in and an evening when I can get everyone together (scheduling conflicts suck).