Tagged: Sci Fi
The Doppelganger Genre Gets a Good Solid Entry with “+1”!
Really now who does’t love a good doppelganger movie? Forget about that crappy 90’s Drew Barrymoore movie because last night I had the pleasure of watching “+1” and to my surprise it was pretty neat little flick. At first I was about to write this one off as another crappy teen horror movie but I’m glad I gave this one a chance to get it’s engine heated. The story revolves around around a few college kids who hit the party of the century one summer. Jam packed with irritating party goers, things get twilight zone-y pretty quickly as a meteor hits nearby and they begin to see duplicates of themselves roaming the party.
It gets a little confusing at times but really feels like a good extended episode of the Twilight Zone. It explores some interesting revelations as well by all who have attended the odd bash. Without giving to much away I’d say this a bit of a new, fresh spin on the whole doppelganger idea and it’s really best if you know as little as possible about the plot.
The movie was directed by Dennis Iliadis who also helmed the remake of “Last House on the Left” (which I haven’t seen and really have no interest to) yet “+1” is pretty mild on the blood and guts. The movie does have it’s shortcomings though as most of the characters look like they walked out of a Justin Beiber video and the party seems a little bit too “Mtv choreographed” at times. But hell, I haven’t been to a full on rager these days in quite some time, so as far as I know this could be how the kids are doing it these days. Either way this one was a neat little self contained sci-fi movie with some truly intriguing plot twists and turns. Check out +1 if you’re in dire need of a good ol’ fashioned doppelganger flick!
‘Shout! Factory’ Rules My 80’s VHS Nostalgia!!
There are movies way back from when I was a kid that I never thought would see the light of day on dvd. I’ve fond memories of going to the video store (back in the 1980’s when everything was VHS or Beta!) on the weekend and picking out movies with my friends on our parents video store cards. Mostly what I remember most are the amazing VHS box cover art from the 1980’s and how excited I was to get back home and watch the movies! We had to be sneaky around our parents because a lot of these movies they would’ve never allowed us to watch. It’s funny to, looking back because most of these movies we were sneaking around with were incredibly cheezy horror, action or sci-fi flicks that most people today think are nothing more than laughable cinema. To us though that shit was fully legit!
So years have passed and many of those flicks have been forgotten right? WRONG!! Thanks to Shout! Factory we are getting a LOT of those classic movies released now on DVD! I recently had some extra money to blow and found two movies I’d thought would remain on VHS only forever. However not only did they have them both on DVD but they also came with three other movies each that I have never seen before, but fondly remember their cover art from back in the 1980’s!! First up is one of my faves as kid, The Eliminators!
This movie was featured a couple times at our Bad Movie Nights we have here in Pdx and it delivers the goods above and beyond every damn time! If you are looking for the ultimate movie to get wasted with your friends and laugh (and love at the same time) this is IT!
The DVD of this one also includes three other movies which I have never seen, “Arena” from 1989, America 3000 from 1986 & The Time Guardian from 1989. So for a mere $9.99 you’ve got quite an exciting quadruple feature!!
Second I found that they released “The Dungeonmaster” from 1985 which was also one of my all time favorite movies as a kid. Being eleven years old and seeing this one for the first time back then was a real treat. The movie is downright ridiculous but it’s jammed to the brim with stop motion monsters, puppets, animatronics, crazy action, adventure, Richard Moll in a cloak & a rock and roll battle against the heavy metal band W.A.S.P.!
This one should really be viewed as a double feature with Eliminators but the DVD also features 3 other flicks two of which I have never seen before! “Cellar Dweller” from 1988 which is a pretty cool little monster flick, “Catacombs” and “Contamination 7” from 1993. So if you love those old video store movies of the 1980’s as much as I do but don’t have a VHS player or access to these on video do yourself a favor and spend some time exploring the Shout! Factory website!
Star Trek: Less Action Please!!
I’ve been thinking about for it for quite some time now and I’ve just GOT to say it: Current Star Trek has way too much damn action! After watching the most recent “Star Trek: Into Darkness” I realized that the franchise is going in the wrong direction. No, I won’t deny that JJ nailed it on the first Star Trek he directed, it was fun, action packed and nostalgic. However the lackluster sequel where he tried to recreate the whole Khan storyline was not necessary to us Trekkers! We had two previous installments (Space Seed and The Wrath of Khan) which simply cannot be touched. It was a loud mess of story with a decent villain but who unfortunately just wasn’t seen as the legendary Khan in the eyes of Star Trek fans. I felt it was such a disappointment that I am actually glad that Abrams is leaving the franchise.
Yep, I realized that this current “Star Trek” doesn’t really represent real spirit of Star Trek. It’s so jam packed with wild explosions, glitter and insane action sequences that it is missing what really made Trek so intriguing in the first place. A good solid story. Nope we didn’t get crazy effects heavy action, we got good sci-fi about traveling the universe looking for new alien civilizations, beaming down to unknown planets, exploration and strong bonds that slowly grew within the crew in the process. it wasn’t about being flashy, it was the perfect blend of action, story and adventure. I’d like to see the next movie be a more intelligent plot driven adventure of discovering new worlds and the the unknown threats or challenges that are waiting on the planet’s surface.You know like a star trek should be…
Let’s not try and modernize an old story or try to redesign an old villain with a “cool factor”. Give us a good story without all the pointless hyperactive action- this is Star Trek not The Fast and the Furious! “Into Darkness” really made me miss the spirit of the old shows and movies. I think Abrams did a great job of kick starting a franchise and making it “cool again” for the kids but as we continue this journey let’s remember that all that glitters is not necessarily gold, let’s remember what made Star Trek great in the first place. Star Trek was never broken, its crew just got old and eventually retired, let’s remember even in their younger days they were never concerned about being hip and cool for the kids, they were there to explore the final frontier! Give us some good ol’ fashioned science fiction dammit! You remember episodes like “City on the Edge of Forever”? “Mirror Mirror”? “Arena”? “The Naked Time”?! The Savage Curtain”? Well if not maybe all you Trek fans should go back and revisit the classics, the foundation of it all. Who do you think would be a good choice to helm the next movie?! Do you think Star Trek is on the right path?
He’s Back: Arnold Will Be The Terminator Again & I Smell Disaster….
It seems it’s confirmed Arnold will be appearing again soon as everyone’s favorite cyborg. It’s now been confirmed that he will be reprising the role as the killer/hero robot in the upcoming fifth film slated to begin filming in January. Sounds great on paper but I’m not so sure this one is gonna go over well onscreen. Arnold has aged significantly, even in Terminator 3 he was starting, in my opinion, to look a bit to aged to play the legendary role.
I originally thought he might be playing the creator of the T-800 in the next installment, which would make perfect sense but somehow it seems Hollywood just couldn’t resist trying to get him back in his original role. So what are they going to do about his, um, well..ahem changed face and physique? CGI over him? Not Cool. Just play the role the way he is now as an aged Terminator? Not believable. Heavy make up? Unlikely. A beat up Terminator with a ton of battle scars? Best option.
I can’t say I’m too excited about this announcement. I think there are roles that just don’t work for aging actors and this one here is a prime example. A Terminator is not supposed to age. We all saw how terrible Terminator Salvation was and how that CG Arnold stuck out like a sore thumb. So what do you think will be the solution to the old Arnold back in his classic role as a man machine that doesn’t age? Are you pumped for this next chapter?
Building a Human Replica is Harder Than You Might Think!
Seriously folks, check out this extensive video for building a human replica by Peter Serafinowicz! This new sci-fi short proves it’s harder than it looks I guarantee this one will make you laugh your ass off! Check it out it’s a great vintage style film that brings to mind classic stuff like Westworld. Now you know why people act so weird-they’re most likely human replicas on a mission to build a million Eiffel Towers!!
The Expendables 3 Plot Ideas With Jackie Chan!
Hearing that Jackie Chan is going to joining third installment of The Expendables is great news for any action fan! He’s the perfect addition to the team assuming he’s a good guy and not a villain which I don’t think would be a wise casting idea. i also see this as a chance at maybe some better comedic moments. The second flick was pretty hit or miss in the comedy department, it tried awfully hard but Arnold was a bit stiff in his delivery although his presence was very well welcomed. I hope he returns for the third movie in an even bigger role and by that time maybe he’ll have his chops back to form. So adding Chan is a big deal and it makes me wonder who else will be entering the fold?
So the news of Chan joining is great but what about all these recent plot rumors? First we heard that the next movie was going to switch genres…we all assumed that didn’t mean it’d be a rom com co starring Julia Roberts. It’s been hinted at that the movie would be taking a more sci-fi theme which I think would be great. It’s even been rumored that Sly may finally use the “Hunter” book storyline that he has the rights to. Which would mean the team would be hunting down a gentically mutated mercenary gone on a sadistic killing spree. To me this would be the plot I’d like to see, done perhaps better than the 1982 Chuck Norris flick of similar plot “Silent Rage”!
It’s also been hinted at by Sly that new blood would be taking over as the third installment would see the old vets retiring and passing the torch to new younger guys who rely on tech like drones and computers to kick the bad guys asses. To me that sounds….lame. Finish the trilogy with a bang. Bring in Segal, Arnold, Mr. T, Ford, Bolo Yeung, The Rock or new guys like Iko Uwais or Tony Jaa. He also said a third possibility would be some females entering the fold. That sounds wonderful bring on Linda Hamilton, Michelle Rodriguez, Brigitte Nielson or yeah Grace Jones!! I have my hopes set high on a sci fi twist, it’d be perfect for the crew….what do you think would be the best for the final chapter?
Send Your Dirty Laundry to Vulcan?!!
Who would have ever know that the answers to clean clothing here on Earth was solved by Vulcans?!! Don’t believe me? Need proof?! Well take a look here at this old school Cheer commercial from 1969.
Here you will see how one lone housewife had quite an epic experience one day while pondering one of life’s greatest wonders…..Laundry!!
More Mignola Cartoons Please!!
For those of you cartoon lovers out there I wanted to make sure that none of you missed “The Amazing Screw-on Head” from 2006. Based off of a Mike Mignola of Hellboy fame, one shot comic book of the same name from 2002. This single episode was the pilot for what was hoped to be a Sci-Fi channel original series. For whatever reason it was not picked up and we are left simply with this 22 minute episode full of brilliant animation, awesome quirky characters and a ton of action! I love Mignola and weekly read his comics and if there were more cartoons out there like this one the world would be a much better place!
Screw-on Head is the occult robot investigator of Abe Lincoln (this ass wipe again?! don’t get me started!) who can screw his head on and off into different bodies. He then follows Lincoln’s orders to fight zombies werewolves and whatever else goes bump in the night-kinda like a prequel to BPRD. The pilot had a survey to get peoples reactions, apparently it was too out there for the masses. It even had a star studded cast of Paul Giamatti, Patton Oswalt, Molly Shannon & David Hyde Pierce. What more could you ask for people? Well anyway if like rad cartoons and have never seen this check it out – you won’t be disappointed as it looks exactly like Mignola’s artwork has jumped off of the page of one of his comics!!
How Could it Be? I Just Now Saw “My Science Project”?!
Yes it’s true I just saw 1985’s “My Science Project” for the first time last week! What?! Maybe you have never seen it either? Well if that’s the case get your booty onto Netflix or wherever you get your movies and rent it now! If you are like me and love 80’s teen comedies packed with a bunch of cool sci-fi and dinosaurs then this is your movie! The basic premise is that Mega Gearhead Michael needs to come up with a science project so he can graduate, only problem all he does with his time is work on cars. So much that his bitchy girlfriend dumps him and he ends up hanging out with the even hotter (yet supposed to be nerdy) Ellie by default. They end up running around in an old military junk yard and stumble up a strange device which Michael decides is going to be what he passes off as his science project. He takes it home and starts messing around with it and it seems to transport things and people to other dimensions.
Madness ensues and without spoiling the whole movie I will say this, it’s got some great goofy 80’s adventure along the lines of Weird Science or the Goonies. It’s got Dennis Hopper playing the washed out hippie science teacher, crazy neanderthals and an over the top annoying side kick teenage buddy along the lines of Evil Ed from Fright Night. It’s also got cute nerd girls and lots of great 80’s electricity that I love so much. So if you’re a dork for the 80’s check out this one it’s about as perfect as they come, as long as you don’t take it too seriously…..
The 8 Other Movies “Super 8” Owes it’s Success to…
So I’m here to tell tell you a few things today, as you guessed “Super 8” is the movie to see this summer, I loved it. Secondly it’s very obvious that JJ Abrams was a fan of The Goonies and E.T. and was trying his best (he succeeded) in replicating the nostalgic vibe of those movies for the big screen this year. He gave us that feeling we all have missed for so many years in our summer movies. But most of all it was a formula that had been used many times throughout the 80’s not only in E.T. and The Goonies but many more that have been all but forgotten.
It was a formula that seemed to put kids on dangerous adventures, most often supernatural ones, usually in small towns or the suburbs and most often trying to prove to their parents some crazy story to be true with often times unlucky results. These stories were filled with wonder and most of all they were so undeniably fun to watch that to see a movie like “Super 8” or even Joe Dante’s latest movie “The Hole” in this day and age is a breath of fresh air. So here today in response to Super 8 I’d like to honor 8 more movies Abrams was likely heavily influenced by when he made his latest
1. The Gate (1986) To say JJ wasn’t influenced by this movie when making Super 8 would be a crime!! Continue reading
Universal Dork 