Category: Sci-Fi
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The Avengers: A bold initiative that delivers on every level
The Avengers – 2012 Written & Directed by Joss Whedon Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Gweneth Paltrow, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Clark Gregg When Marvel announced, in 2005, that there was a plan to develop The Avengers into a major motion picture, most people outside of…
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The Darkest Hour is indeed quite dim
The Darkest Hour – 2011 Directed by Chris Gorak Starring Emille Hirsch, Max Minghella, Rachel Taylor, Olivia Thirlby, Joel Kinnaman Screenplay by Jon Spaihts It’s not the fact that we get to see the film’s signature move, disintegrating humans, dogs, etc, hundreds of times. It’s not the fact that the dialogue in the film is stiff enough to…
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The Thing is a good compliment to the classic
The Thing – 2011 Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Eric Christian Olsen, Jørgen Langhelle Written by Eric Heisserer So the word has it that this movie sucked. The box office receipts seemed to confirm this. Still, being a fan of Joel Edgerton (he of the wonderful move, Warrior) and so…
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In Time is Gattica with an eye on the clock
In Time – 2011 Written & Directed by Andrew Niccol Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Matt Bomer, Vincent Kartheiser, Alex Pettyfer So, if you’ve seen Gattica, you’ve pretty much seen In Time. Y0u have a lowly guy, who is a factory worker, eking out an existence while a privileged class lives on the other side.…
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Forgotten Gem: The original Total Recall
Total Recall – 1990 Director Paul Verhoven Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox Written by Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon & Gary Goldmanbased on the story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick When I found out that they were remaking Total Recall, it occurred to me…
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Another Earth: A familiar song, but almost a masterpiece.
Another Earth – 2011 Directed by Mike Cahill Starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana Written by Mike Cahill, Brit Marling There is an overwhelming melancholy that permeates every inch of Another Earth. Every action is a deliberate intention to right a wrong, to help a vacant heart, to serve someone completely. The wrong that has…
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Cowboys & Aliens only because it has Harrison Ford.
Cowboys & Aliens – 2011 Directed by Jon Favreau Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Clancy Brown, Keith Carradine, Noah Ringer Written by Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby based on Cowboys & Aliens by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg Harrison Ford has strolled into old age…
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Don’t let Draco take care of your chimps
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – 2011 Directed by Rupert Wyatt Starring James Franco, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton Written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Premise suggested by La planète des singes by Pierre Boulle One of the metrics I like to use to test the effectiveness of a movie is how…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 