Recently in Sci-Fi pg.2 Category

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert DeNiro, Anna Friel. Directed by Neal Burger. Drama/Sci-Fi. Synopsis: A struggling writer who is also unlucky in love tries an unknown drug given to him by his former brother in law and finds that it results in his being ultra focused and able to process all information that he has ever taken in. He puts this to good use initially, but his increasing reliance on the drug, as well as those who don't want him to have it soon pose life threatening problems.

 

Caught this one on the big screen the other day and glad I did. With the exhorbitant cost of the theather experience these days, I'm fairly admannt about really enjoying a flick I'm going to pony up the big bucks for like I did for Limitless.

Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper Failure To Launch, Midnight Meat Train) is a struggling artist-writer-living in New York City who has just been dumped by his girlfriend. (Abbie Cornish Stop Loss) It sounds like a bummer, and it is, but being the movies, you know there might just be a chance for him to redeem himself, and wouldn't you know it, there is and he does.

As can often happen to most of us (at least on the big screen) when we're scraping rock bottom, a chance pass by on the streets of Manhattan can lead to big things and it does here for Eddie as he bumps into his ex brother in law (Johnny Whitworth) who both gives him some dirt on his ex-wife and, most importantly, gives him a clear pill that he promises will make Eddie feel better.

Eddie is skeptical but he does take the plunge and, if you can believe it, this turns out to be one of those rare times when your ex-brother in law is right. After taking the pill, Eddie is able to focus to an extreme degree as well as instantly organize and recall anything and everything he's ever learned instantly and coherently. Obviously, he is going want some more of this mystery drug, which he finds out from his ex-bro-in-law is named NZT. His first indication that this is a drug made or desired by some unsavory people is when his brother in law is murdered within minutes of seeing Eddie. Fortunately for Eddie, and the plot, he is able to find a healthy stash of NZT and a wad of cash to get things going.

As you might guess, this kind of thing can really help a guy out and Eddie quickly has his book finished and is making money exponentially as  a day trader. As you might guess this makes him kind of an instant celebrity and Eddie enjoys the additional friendship and increased attention from females.

As Eddie becomes a well known phenom in the financial world, he catches the eye of Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro Taxi Driver, Men Of Honor) a multi-millionaire businessman with his eye on making billions in a huge corporate merger who wants Eddie to be his ace in the hole.

All isn't completely rosy, as you might guess, as there are some scary people who seem to know about NZT; the guy who seems to be following Eddie literally all over town as well as the Russian loan shark (Andrew Howard) What's worse is Eddie realizing how dangerous it can be to take too much NZT and how low the crashes can be.

This is brought home in one of the more powerful scenes in the movie, where Eddie meets with his ex-wife (Anna Friel Irish Jam) who sets him straight on the realities of NZT and why he should get off of it.

Look, there is little in this flick you haven't seen before, though probably in different variations or incantations than a miracle drug. What makes this work so well is how well the story is put together and, more importantly, we really empathize and root for Eddie, which is a testament to how good of a job Cooper did here because the whole question, in my humble opinion, of whether or not you'll like the flick is if you like the main character, at least as some level. It also helps having an all timer like DeNiro as your major secondary character but, make no mistake, this is Cooper's movie and he does well.

I also thought Burger did a good job with the pacing of the movie, and casting was excellent in the aforementioned minor roles, but I should also mention two well known (their faces anyway) character actors who do well in their short screen time Robert John Burke (Thinner, Cop Land) and Ned Eisenberg (A Civil Action, Primary Colors).

There is an ambiguous ending in terms of the 'did they live happily ever after' question, but I like that type of ending when its done well. My big complaints about the film are what I think is a big plot hole in the first meeting scene with Van Loon and an unresolved issue of a murder possibly involving Eddie. I thought those two things kept the flick from being excellent, but maybe I'm just being picky.

 

Definitely worth the night out or the matinee. 

Starring: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals, MIchael Gambon, Malcolm McDowell. Directed by The Hughes Brothers.Sci-Fi, Adventure. Synopsis: A wise and grizzled traveler makes his way westward on foot for years in a post apocalyptic and desolate American landscape, alll the while carrying and guarding a mysterious book.

 

Now, this one was a little bit different. The setting has been done before, post apocalypse/ nuclear war America, but I thought the flow of the story, not to mention the not-so-subtle underlying theme was kind of unique.

Eli (Denzel Washington The Manchurian Candidate  Inside Man) is a traveler who is walking across the country, going westward on foot, as he has been for the thirty or so years after "the flash", which is what everyone calls the huge event that, apparently, has made life what is at this time: desolate,  unforgiving and ravaged landscape with no rule of law or real societal structure. Many seemingly do not even seem to recall what life was like prior to the flash.

And, why is our protagonist trudging on foot? Well, the primary reason is that he has heard a calling to do so and he is a man of immense faith. The other is that the days of public transportation and in tact highways and biways are long gone. Eli carries with him a book, a large leather bound one and he is, to say the least, extremely protective of it. It seems obvious that some people would go to any lengths to get it. 

As you might surmise, such a breakdown in society will foster lawlessness and Eli has to fight off marauders and looters often...even when he comes to a town that appears to be relatively civilized.  

The town is run, effectively, by tough guy Carnegie (Gary Oldman Air Force One, The Contender)  who takes a very keen interest in obtaining Eli's book. He'll apparently stop at nothing, to the point of attempting to use his paramour, Claudia (Jennifer Beals Break A Leg Desolation Sound).  Attempts to pry the book, or any real information about it, from Eli prove unsuccessful, but Claudia's daughter, Solaris (Mila Kunis Extract Max Payne) is so fascinated by the mysterious Eli that she drops everything to follow him.

Eli, despite saving Solaris's life, is none to pleased to have her tag along but he eventually goes along with her presence reluctantly, though he is just as admant about not letting her look or touch the book nor will he tell her what it is or teach her to read. 

The Book of Eli is, in many ways, a very dark movie. The Hughes brothers do a great job of visually showing us a stark and decimated landscape where many people still bear the physical scars of what we presume was a nuclear holocaust, as well as some of the cultural and emotional ones as well.

For example, three decades after the "flash" there are a significant number of people who can't read, many of the younger ones have never seen a book.  Why is Eli's book so important and what will Carnegie do if/when he is able to get his hands on it?

There is a major reveal at the conclusion of the movie and, in my humble opinion, how you feel about the way the reveal is set up will likely be how you feel about the flick as a whole. For me, this is a good, not great film. I do think some might be turned off by the strong spiritual undertones of the film but, to be honest, in my opinion you can pretty much tell from the title what you're in for with this flick.  I'll probably never fully understand those who are so threatened by people who feel there things bigger-much bigger...incomprehensibly bigger...than  themselves and their immediate desires and needs.

Oh well, what the hell do I know, I just blog about flicks!

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Directed by Stephen Sommers Starring:Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Dennis Quaid, Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje, Byung-hun Lee, Marlon Wayans, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce. Action/Sci-Fi. Synopsis: An elite and secretive military unit goes up against a rising international criminal organization led by an arms dealer.

I think you know what you're getting when you look at this one even if, you're like me, from the generation who thinks of "G.I. Joe" as an action figure with the kung fu grip. Well, he's not anymore, in fact its not even a "he" anymore, G.I. Joe is "them" and I really do think those who will enjoy the flick the most are the ones who are familiar with the current incantation of G.I. Joe in comics, along with the over-the-top bad guys ( and gals) they face off against.

Look, if you're seeking action and FX, you've come to the right place because this flick is chock full of them, not to mention the required hardbodies and sexy characters that are going to be in any Hollywood blockbuster film.

And, I have to admit, visually this flick is pretty cool, no doubt. As far as the story, it was muddled in parts and, in my opinion, difficult to follow unless you're familiar with the back story which is, of course, the comics. Our protagonist is Duke (Channing Tatum Fighting) a hard charging Army officer in a special ops unit who, along with his buddy, Ripcord (Marlon Wayans White Girls)  find themselves running into a super elite military until named G.I. Joe. Well, of course they want it, the cool weaponry alone is enough to make you want to sign up if you can hack it. I mean, virtual image projection and gear that lets you see behind you? C'mon, it doesn't get much cooler than that.

Not only that, but there are some ultra cool soldiers already in G.I. Joe, such as General Hawk (Dennis Quaid Any Given Sunday); Scarlett (Rachel Nichols The Woods), Snake Eyes (Ray Park),  and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje Oz).
 
Of course, every silver lining must have its cloud and, for G.I. Joe, its the fact that the bad guys have just as cool advanced weapons and gadgets...maybe even more so. Heck, what about a drug that causes you to not feel pain, fear, or remorse? You can make a hell of a soldier with that drug.

And, we have sleek and sexy villans, too, such as the Baroness (Sienna Miller), who used to be Duke's fiancee when she was on the good side, but things have really changed...though there just might be a little spark still there; and also Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee)-my personal favorite.

The action is fast paced and visually entertaining which in my view is the primary point of a comic book turned action flick.The actors all do fine but, lets be honest, its not really about them, its about the action and the FX and against that standard, G.I. Joe is pretty good.  
I don't think many who go into this one will be disappointed if you are realistic about what you're going to see: people kicking butt for a couple of hours.   

Directed by Marcel Sarmiento & Gadi Harel Starring: Shiloh Fernandez, Noah Segan, Candice Accola, Eric Podner, Andrew DiPalma, Jenny Spain.Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi. Synopsis: Two high school friends skip school and spend the time messing around in an abandoned mental institution when they find a woman tied to an operating table who is alive and apparently cannot be killed. 

Now, those of you are constantly looking for something original in your horror simpy have to check out DeadGirl. I will tell you in full disclosure that, personally, I don't consider this to be straight horror but it is undoubtedly the genre  most who are looking for it online or in the video store will be likely to find it.

I also am not completely sure if the "supernatural" designation might not be better than Sci-fi, but since I think there are elements of both that would be mutually exclusive in this story, i just went with the one I think fits best.

Now, as far, as the plot is concerned, like I said, its unique. Rickey (Shiloh Fernandez) and J.T. (Noah Segan) are two high school buddies who are less than enthusiastic about their studies, and skip school to drink some beer and whatnot. (In my day, we called them "burnouts") Whether you finished high school 5 years ago or 45 years ago, these characters will be familiar to you. (As should go without saying, the actors playing these high school students are in their mid to late 20s, but that is such a staple of horror films it really isn't worth critique any more) In a move that, I'm sure, will not ring familiar to most of you, they decide to spend most of their "skip day" hanging out in an abandoned mental institution.

There, in a dark room in a small corner of the hospital, they find a young woman who is nude (Jenny Spain), and tied to an operating table under a layer of plastic. Now, that would be interesting enough, but there is a little more. She seems to still be alive. Well, as you might guess, suprise is followed by shock followed by awe, which is followed by brief thoughts, primarily from Rickey, about calling for medical or law enforcement help.

But, his pal J.T. has, if I can use the phrase, more carnal intentions. See, this woman, in addition to being tied down and nude, is incredibly attractive with a great body. Frankly, its just too tempting a set of circumstances for a virile young guy like JT to resist, and he has no intention of doing so.

Rickey objects and does not stay around for what is going to happen next. His resolve to just forget the whole thing when J.T. comes around and tells Rickey that, if what they'd seen wasn't enough, there was something else he just had to see. Rickey agrees and, with his own eyes, sees J.T. shoot and stab this woman and, guess what, she doesn't die. Hence, they give her the name-you guessed it!-the 'dead girl'.

Now, just so the more lecherous among you don't think this is the ultimate scenario, understand this about the dead girl: she is not perfect. She doesn't speak, but more annoying than that, she bites. Hard and often.And, her beautiful facial features notwithstanding, her teeth are a little on the sharp side. In fact, at one point, a menacing stray black dog (heavy smybolism) who periodically appears to growl and bear his fangs at people makes the mistake of getting too close to the dead girl. And, that was the dog's last scene.

How did she get there? A medical experiment gone bad? Something from the occult? Well, that is a good question but, frankly, our two protagonists don't spend a whole hell of a lot of time trying to figure that one out. J.T. isn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and Rickey will deal with it, if not partake, as long as things are kept quiet.

Well, as you might guess, things aren't kept quiet, because J.T. decides to share the situation with another buddy of theirs, Wheeler (Eric Podner). Wheeler just might enjoy this more than J.T.

The only character who is really developed in terms of multi dimensions is Rickey, and he has a tough personal situation, in addition to the deadgirl, with his home life. His mother, whom we never see, is shacking up with a guy (Michael Bowen Kill Bill Jackie Brown)  whose primary functions seem to be to drink beer, lounge around the house, and get on Rickey's nerves with unwanted advice. Furthermore to that, the object of his true affections, Joann (Candice Accola) is nice enough, but she isn't particulary interested in Rickey. He gets the impression she thinks he's a little below her station, so to speak, plus she is dating the star of the football team, Johnny (Andrew DiPalma) 

These two story lines meet head on when Johnny takes physical exception to Rickey's interest in Joann. Wheeler and Rickey have the presence of mind to "invite" Johnny to the hospital. The true meaning, of course, is to expose him to the deadgirl's agressive behavior. You know, the biting and all.

Not to spoil this flick, but Johnny gets bit-in an extremely sesitive region-and it is only then that yet another truth is revealed: people who get beat by the deadgirl turn into beings like the deadgirl.

Well, you can imagine the possibilities, now, especially since J.T. and Wheeler are getting a little tired of the deadgirl. Could there be a replacement? Though this is as far from a comedic film as you can get, I will tell you that the scene where J.T. and Wheeler attempt to abduct a feisty and buxom woman (Susan Marie Keller) to take the deadgirl's place starts out as disturbing and ends up being hilarious when she beats the hell out of both of them. I don't know, maybe that says something about me.

Those of you who like your flicks to end with a twist will not be disappointed, though I predict some of you will see it coming about 2/3 of the way through.

You'll have to watch it to find these things out, but believe me when I tell you this is a well directed and well acted film. There are a couple of plot holes, not least of which is how someone can be restrained, not fed or given opportunites for other things (my euphemism for bodily functions) and still look so good. But, once you accept that she can't be killed, I guess the rest is easy.

But, the movie is so well directed and shot, I don't think you will mind too much. And, let me tell you, we're dealing with some heavy issues here: rape and perhaps necrophilia among them. Know that you will not see those depicted directly, but it is shot close enough around the actions you will feel like you have.

To me, the film is really about friendship, and the choices people can make when someone close to them makes a different type of choice. There are also elements of how we view other people; as less or more value than ourselves, or as being there only for our personal use in more ways than one.

Any good story has something for you on multiple levels and Deadgirl is no exception. However, it needed good acting to succeed and it gets it here. Segan is exceptional as the ne'er do well and sinister-not to mention highyly intelligent-J.T. Fernandez also delivers well as Rickey is the closest thing we have to a hero in the story, but he is not necessarily likable all the time, however he is empathetic and I think that was the point.  I think mention also has to go to Jenny Spain here.

This couldn't  have been an easy role, she is completely naked throughout every scene she is in and her fellow actors are not. And she is in a good portion of the movie. In my opinion,  most of the shots of her were not meant to be overtly titillating-though some surely will find them so-but she is stark naked nevetheless. I know some of you might say, "Pay me enough and I'll lay naked without remembering any lines, too, and growl and spit fake blood a few times, what's so hard about that?" I hear 'ya. But, I just think it had to be difficult. Maybe I'm wrong. It is true that she doesn't utter a single word throughout the film, but her performance is critical.

When actors play characters who do not speak, it often becomes very imperative for them to bring their character to life through eye movement and facial expressions. (John Hurt set the standard for that, in my opinion, in The Skeleton Key, where his character didn't speak and barely moved)  Spain does that well, she is both alluring and scary.

Film buffs, you have to give this one a look see, I would love to talk to anyone who has seen it and get his/her take on the all important "underlying meaning" of the flick. As for me, this one immediately goes into the "faves".   

Directed by James Gunn. Starring Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks, Don Thompson, Nathan Fillion, Gregg Henry, Tania Saulnier, Jenna Fischer. Horror/Sci-Fi.Synopsis: A small town is overrun by symbiotic extra terrestrial creatures who have an insatiable taste for all kinds of meat.

There is always room for a couple of good snickers not to mention some outright laughs when you're looking a lower budget horror movies. And, when your main protagonist has the same first and last name, "Grant Grant" (Michael Rooker Eight Men Out) you know the flick is not going to take itself too seriously, which is more often than not a good thing when it comes to this genre.

Grant seems like a decent enough guy, married to a beautiful though much younger wife, Starla Elizabeth Banks(40 Year Old Virgin, W) who both might have just a little bit of the old wandering eye, though neither has acted on it...yet. One night, when Grant is very close to doing so, something strange happens...some kind of funny looking thing-a-magig is right near a tree in a spot where Grant might be breaking his vows. When going over to investigate, something shoots out quickly, entering his mouth (the preferred orifice of entry for our creatures, we will soon learn).

Things kind of get going from there, Grant is feeling real hot, but he can't say much because he was kind of being almost naughty when this weird thing happened. The big thing is he is just developing this hunger for meat...raw, cooked, and otherwise. When his appearance starts to deteriorate and his "infects" his intended mistress by letting the slithery thing out of his mouth into hers, well, the cat is out of the bag and soon the whole town is in danger.

The thing about these snake looking creatures is that they enter the mouth and sometimes incubate, as in the case of Grant's unfortunate intended fling, who blows up to four times her normal size before she, ready for this? Bursts with countless slithery things coming out of her. Very good schlocky horror movie stuff.

Grant is, if you will, the "host" or the "main" slither thing and even we morphs into some half human, half slither thing that preys on live meat like cows (the 16 oz. cuts from the grocery store just don't satify anymore) he still has mad love for Starla. And, Starla, being the faithful wife, tries to reciprocate...its just that Grant isn't looking so good anymore. One of my favorite scenes is when Starla, looking like she is trying to keep her food down, approaches the mutant that is now Grant (in an effort to lure him for the kill by the other survivors) and mouths the "we said it was for better or worse, Grant, I'm still with you..." I don't know, just loved that scene.

As I said, the humor is always there in this flick without going into too much slapstick. A special shout out has to go to Gregg Henry (White Lie,  uncredited as a corrupt congressman in Scarface) as the fast talking local politician who is long on complaining and sex drive, short on courage and couth. He was hilarious.

The good thing is that, despite the dark humor, the film stays true to the genre, we have creepy and disgusting creatures, empathetic heroes, and the obligatory messy 'kill scenes' and one god bathtub scene. You'll get what you expect and probably even a little more with Slither, I predict one day it will qualify as a cult classic. Some actors have a low budget horror in their past they probably wish they could erase from the CV (e.g. Kevin Bacon Friday The 13th, Laurence Fishburne & Johnny Depp Nightmare On Elm Street)

I don't think any of the actors in this fun little horror flick will feel that way, nor should they.