Dr. Eric Norris (Richard Hatch) is infected by an alien parasite producing a tentacled offspring which shares his DNA and embarks on a legal battle for custody over the ‘child’. An interesting and original concept full of promise but which fails to fulfil its potential.
There’s a rumour that Director Robert Dyke kidnapped the Stars from a local Sci-Fi convention and held them at gunpoint until the filming was complete. Okay, so I made that up, but this movie is jam-packed with actors from Star Trek, Babylon 5, Stargate and Battlestar Galactica to name but a few. And, honestly, playing a game of star-spotting is probably to only way you’ll make it to the end.
The Peculiars is a actually a spin-off of my webcomic “The Pure and Hidden Truth” (www.pureandhiddentruth.com). It tells the story of a team of crime fighters based in Baltimore City that have just gone public as they take on their first big challenge of facing off with a domestic terror cell of dangerously imaginative mimes.
I’ve long suspected Mimes to be evil! Interesting villains to say the least; Mimes can do amazing things with their bodies. Have you cast actual Mimes and what feats can we expect to see from them?
During the casting process when I was casting the lead villain and and “henchmimes” I was very disappointed that I was auditioning ordinary people for these roles. And then I lucked out one day when I got an e-mail from an actual professional mime from New York! A week later the person came down to Baltimore for dinner and to talk about the movie and was cast on the spot for the lead villain! What’s cool is that the actor is a professional mime and can coach other villain actors during filming. I don’t want to give away too much of what these mimes are capable of but let’s just say that the phrase “dangerously imaginative” alludes to the very real possibility that their “miming”
of various actions or wielding certain objects could pose a serious threat to our heroes… 😉
I’m starting to believe that Dungeons & Dragons is to film what Macbeth is to Theatre: cursed. Invoke the name and you spell disaster. Perhaps you’ve seen the 80’s cartoon series or Dragons of Autumn Twilight? They were bad, to be sure, but this is worse – far worse than you can possibly imagine. Which, believe it or not, is sort of it’s charm; it keeps you watching with morbid fascination to see just how bad bad can get.
Blue lipstick? Bugger me!
The movie’s tag-line was ‘This is no game,’ and truer words were never spoken. The classic role-play game is only conspicuous in it’s absence from the production that bears it’s name. A few scant elements were incorporated from the source matter, but those inaccurately, so what was intended as fan service comes across as a kick in the teeth.
Kick-Ass is an irreverent pulp-style movie you’ll either get extremely offended by or like… a lot. It’s in-your-face, non-pc, and ultra-violent. So basically, if that’s not your bag, stay well clear. The film was independently produced by Matthew Vaughn alongside Mark Millar’s creator-owned comic book, so there is bags of creator input and cross-over with zero interference or censorship.
Unfortunately in some countries Kick-Ass was rated PG-13 and promoted in trailers as a light-hearted teen flick. This is outrageously misleading and I don’t know who in their right minds would classify it as anything less than an 18. We’re talking graphic violence and something like 250 hardcore profanities. It’s adult content; kids should not see it. Period.
Ben X is an emotional and thought-provoking ride by first-time Belgium director Nic Balthazar. Watching the trailer you might be forgiven for thinking this is a movie about the dangers of online gaming. In fact MMORPGs are portrayed realistically and in a positive light. Logging on every day is the one uplifting thing in Ben’s otherwise bleak world. He is being bullied mercilessly by his peers because he is different – he suffers from Asperger Syndrome – and online escapism helps him to cope. It’s also a way for him to express his feelings and make friends in a way he can’t in the real world.
Coraline is a Children’s horror film and, unsurprisingly, has been quite controversial within parental forums with some arguing it is too scary for it’s PG rating. The Nightmare Before Christmas – also directed by Henry Selick – provoked a similar reaction yet is a firm family favourite with a strong cult following. It’s very different from a regular children’s film, which may account for its success. Likewise Coraline is a refreshing break from the same-old same-old and pushes the envelope on children’s entertainment. It’s frightening in a surreal, psychological way evocative of nightmares with a sprinkling of creepiness. But by embodying these intangible childhood fears it also tackles how to deal with them, and is ultimately empowering and uplifting.
Coraline is a stop-motion animation and the hand-crafted feel is particularly appropriate to its theme. With the introduction of computer-generated animation stop-motion, which is a painstakingly slow process, is becoming increasingly rare. Coraline’s visuals are breathtaking with minute attention to detail in every frame. It’s a work of art with beautiful, atmospheric scenery and luscious, touchable textures. I could forgive a multitude of sins for something this pretty.
The cleverly named ‘A Dog’s Breakfast’* is an independent comedy written, directed and starred in by David Hewlett – whom you may recognise as Dr. Rodney McKay from Stargate: Atlantis. In fact there are more than a few cameos from the Atlantis cast including Hewlett’s real-life sister Kate (Jeannie), Paul McGillion (Dr.Beckett), Christopher Judge (Teal’c) and Rachel Luttrell (Teyla) – all in different roles of course!
Hewlett plays the obsessive-compulsive Patrick who lives reclusively in the house of his birth and relies on constants in his life to remain stable; these include his dog Mars, his sister Marilyn and the spiders that live outside his sitting-room window. When Marilyn introduces her fiancé, Ryan, Patrick becomes convinced he is trying to murder her and that the only way to stop him is to kill him first!
I have seen Avatar twice at the cinema, both times in 3D. The first time I found the 3D distracting, probably because I am not used to it. True, the three-dimensional effect is not ‘in-your-face;’ it is used to enhance the movie and create greater immersion, a feeling of ‘being there;’ however there are a few scenes with soldiers milling about and I had to keep checking that this was part of the film and not people walking around the cinema itself! Yes, the 3D is that good! It makes you believe you can reach out and touch things (the illusion only ruined when you try)!
The CGI is groundbreaking in itself; the alien race, the Na’vi, are so convincing, so realistic, the only way to tell them apart from real people is… they’re blue. Likewise the terrain, plants and animals that make up the planet of Pandora are breathtakingly realistic. You could not do better if you dropped a man off on an alien world with a video-camera.
I have seen Avatar twice at the cinema, both times in 3D. The first time I found the 3D distracting, probably because I am not used to it. True, the three-dimensional effect is not ‘in-your-face;’ it is used to enhance the movie and create greater immersion, a feeling of ‘being there;’ however there are a few scenes with soldiers milling about and I had to keep checking that this was part of the film and not people walking around the cinema itself! Yes, the 3D is that good! It makes you believe you can reach out and touch things (the illusion only ruined when you try)!
The CGI is groundbreaking in itself; the alien race, the Na’vi, are so convincing, so realistic, the only way to tell them apart from real people is… they’re blue. Likewise the terrain, plants and animals that make up the planet of Pandora are breathtakingly realistic. You could not do better if you dropped a man off on an alien world with a video-camera.
This film is bad. Really bad. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly bad it is. I mean you might have been appalled by The Crystal Skull but that’s just peanuts to this. Listen…
I read the Dragonlance books as a teenager and am, even as we speak, playing through the AD&D Modules. I was dead excited to hear there was a film and even enjoyed watching it for the first ten minutes. It begins at a quite relaxed pace, introducing the characters with some humorous banter and bloodless action. But this is soon replaced by break-neck pacing. The plot feels as if it is on fast-forward, with a lot being told in exposition and chunks of the story being missed out altogether. With a large cast of characters they get no more than a handful of lines each, and several are left standing around with very little to do. Ultimately 90 minutes just isn’t a sufficient run-time to do the story justice.
The animation is mostly 80s style 2D, with the jarring addition of 3D CGI for the Dragons and Draconians. The two styles just don’t mesh and make the production look amateurish. The bloodless action is replaced by amazingly inconsistent gore. One moment we are looking at Hobgoblins dying in pools of blood, the next the ground is perfectly clean! Continuity errors like this persist throughout the film, almost every time the viewpoint changes, and their lip-synching is about as good as mine!
So I was enormously disappointed and appalled to think that this might be anyone’s introduction to Dragonlance. So do yourself a favour and don’t let this film ruin what could be a wonderful experience. Read the books.
