Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category
Classic Thanksgiving Traditions
Thursday, November 25th, 2010Roger Ebert Reviews Monsters
Sunday, November 21st, 2010Just like Howard and I liked it.
If it seems like I’m pimping Monsters a lot, it’s only because I am. It’s the sort of independent film that doesn’t have enough of an ad budget for people to hear about it without word of mouth. So I try to do my part to encourage people to see it if it’s playing in their area. Consider that a recommendation, and remember it for Hugo and Nebula voting.
Zardoz as 8-Bit Video Game
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010Though I’ve been running this blog for a while, I only recently installed a page-hit tracking module. One of the biggest surprises is what the most consistently popular posts are: My piece on Denver airport conspiracy theories and…my review of Zardoz.
Conspiracy theories always exert a certain fascination, even if (or especially if) you don’t believe in them. But I must admit to being baffled as why a review of a bizarre science fiction film more than 35 years old continues to draw such attention.
I went looking for reasons for this inexplicable interest…and didn’t find any (beyond the usual fascination with cinematic train wrecks). But I did chance across this rendering of Zardoz as the opening of an 8-bit video game:
To bad he only did the opening. Just think of all the other Zardoz video game sequences you could have:
- Shooting the Outlanders
- Sneaking into the giant stone head
- Arousing the Apathetics
- Avoid the Renegades (every touch “ages” you one life)
- Shooting the Hippies
- The boss fight against crystal computer, ala the mothership in Phoenix or the flagship in GORF.
Good times, good times.
In any case, I’m sure such a game would be a lot more fun than the E.T. video game or Mamma Can I Mow the Lawn.
(Hat tip: io9.)
OK, that’s going too far
Tuesday, November 16th, 2010“Skyline: The Most Inept Alien Invasion Film Since ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space”.
Sir! You have gone TOO FAR!
Plan 9 came out in 1958.
But Monster-a-Go-Go came out in 1965. The Creeping Terror (featuring killer carpet samples from outer space) came out in 1964. Prince of Space (which possibly shouldn’t count, since it was cobbled together from Japanese kiddie serials) came out in 1959. Laserblast (which sort of counts as an alien invasion movie) came out in 1978. All of those are, I assure you, much much worse than Skyline. Granted, most of those are available in a form in which Crow and Tom Servo are there to help ease the pain, but still.
There are much worse films than Skyline out there. Let’s not get carried away, people…
Massawyrm Chimes in on Skyline
Tuesday, November 16th, 2010Ain’t It Cool News movie reviewer Massawym also reviewed Skyline. He was even less impressed than Howard and I:
The Brothers Strauss are perhaps the single most inept filmmaking duo working in the studio system today. There isn’t a moment here they get right, not a single decision they make that doesn’t end ridiculously. In fact, there are three chief moments in the film where they seem to be making bold, inspired choices, only to completely fuck it up each time. The film opens with light descending from the skies – the alien invasion beginning right there in frame one. Wow, you think. They sure are dispensing with the bullshit. There’s no foreplay, no dicking around; just aliens showing up to kick some ass. And then, a moment later, just as things are getting really interesting, the movie jumps back 15 hours to give us 20 minutes of needless exposition (that never amounts to anything) about wafer thin characters we never are allowed to really give a shit about anyway.
Honestly, who the fuck thought it would be a good idea to make an alien invasion movie that, rather than following around scientists or soldiers or reporters or anyone interesting, follows around a group of AFFLICTION wearing, narcissistic, LA douchebags “living the life” off of new money they have no qualms about throwing around? These aren’t the types of people we want to connect with – these are the first ones to die in every other film EVER MADE. They are every bit as hollow, vapid and unlikable as they are when they are *supposed to be* hollow, vapid and unlikable; only here they get to be the protagonists. And the Brothers Strauss have no idea how to make them in any way endearing. They are thoroughly unlikable and just plain annoying from beginning to end. So when they start dropping off like flies, you not only aren’t invested in them, you kind of wish they would die off faster.
But don’t let that excerpt fool you. He also has some negative things to say about it.
Howard Waldrop and I Review Skyline
Monday, November 15th, 2010Over at Locus Online. We were not impressed.
Sadly, Skyline 2 is already in development.
As the first post put it in this Fark thread:
Skyline was a bigger budgeted SyFy movie of the week. I am waiting for the sequel, “Skyline vs MegaHorizon”.
Not Going to the Austin Comic Con
Thursday, November 11th, 2010As I’m going to be busy watching Skyline (another movie Howard and I are reviewing) and they didn’t have any literary SF guests, I won’t be going to The Austin Comic Con (though I have friends who are going). But they do seem to have rounded up a surprisingly large number of 70s TV stars (plus Chewbacca, Darth Maul, Billy Dee Williams and, err, the cast of The Film I Refuse to Name). (And I’ve already met Lee Majors, for certain values of “met” that include “have your hand touched briefly as you walk past in a line with 10,000 other kids and their parents at a Toys”R”Us opening in the 1970s.” Also “met” William Shatner that way. I wonder when Toys”R”Us stopped hiring TV celebrities for store openings?)
But I must admit I’m a little bit tempted to go just to meet Oscar Goldman.
Oh, and here’s a hint for the Austin Comic Con Webmaster: if you’re going to copy text out of a Wikipedia entry, it’s usually best to take out the “[citation needed]” bit…
Howard and I Rave About Monsters
Monday, November 1st, 2010Read the review, but the short version is that we really liked it. Here’s the short trailer:
The problem with that trailer is that it makers you think the movie is something from the “BOO shock” school of horror films, and it really isn’t.
And here’s an interview with director Gareth Edwards:
If it’s playing anywhere near you I would encourage you to see it.
New Wile E. Coyote Cartoon
Friday, October 29th, 2010Coyote Falls:
Given how very badly it could have gone (audio very NSFW), they did a remarkable job of capturing the original’s virtues.
Now if we could just get a worthy new Daffy cartoon…
Playboy Playmate, Star Trek Actress Charged With Murder
Thursday, October 21st, 2010Dwight mentioned this but didn’t blog about it: Former 1968 Palyboy Playmate of the Year Angela Dorian (AKA Victoria Rathgeb, AKA Victoria Vetri) has been charged with attempted murder for shooting her boyfriend during an argument.
What he didn’t mention was that she also appeared on an episode of Star Trek, among other shows. (She even appeared in Rosemary’s Baby.)
Hat tip: Ace of Spades‘s newsfeed.