I remember taking this one home from work at the video store when it came out. And I enjoyed it. Sure that was some thirty years ago (how is that possible?), would I still like it if I watched it today? Apparently the answer is yes. A pulpy blend of special effects, characters and production…
Tag: cgi
The Lawnmower Man – Director’s Cut (1992) – Brett Leonard
I remember when The Lawnmower Man came out. Me and some pals from school went to take it in, and we all came out disappointed. There was some potential there, but it didn’t seem to work, and didn’t really entertain. The big draw for me and the guys was the fact that it was based…
The Arrival (1996) – David Twohy
David Twohy wrote and directed this sci-fi thriller starring Charlie Sheen which was lost in the summer of ’96 when Independence Day shook the world. Obviously a bit of a smaller film than Fox’s big-budget alien attack film, it doesn’t quite boast as big a cast, but has some great names, Richard Schiff, Lindsay Crouse,…
Sharksploitation (2023) – Stephen Scarlata
Sharks. Since Peter Benchley’s iconic 1974 novel, Jaws, they have been a ready-to-use monster for Hollywood moviemakers. With Steven Spielberg’s big-screen adaptation of the novel, sharks became the ‘it thing’ for films. However, they were arguably already on their way to being cast as the baddie thanks to some casting in the 60s Bond films….
Cocaine Bear (2023) – Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks settles into the director’s chair again and delivers a mostly entertaining comedy thriller, which is loosely based on a true story, Cocaine Bear. Featuring an all-star cast led by Keri Russell, the film swings from working brilliantly to just falling a little flat. But damn if Banks doesn’t swing for the fences. There…
Dagon (2001) – Stuart Gordon
So I figured I would take a look at another Lovecraft adaptation, and despite the title of the film, the story is more in line with The Shadow Over Innsmouth, with a slight lean towards Dagon. And while I appreciate what Gordon set out to do, he’s hampered by horrible lighting and photography, and terrible…
Mission to Mars (2000) – Brian De Palma
Director Brian De Palma delivers what feels like his spin on Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, unfortunately the shoddy and very obvious CGI in a number of the sequences of the film, and especially during the climax when a practical effects would have served better, and leant a stronger reality to the film, which needed…
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) – Rob Cohen
There is a fun, if not a good movie somewhere in this mess of a mummy film that is my next stop in the mummy chapter of DK Canada’s highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. Unfortunately there are a number of things holding it back, there are some casting changes that affect onscreen chemistry,…
Shazam! (2019) – Blu-Ray Review
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has been a little shaky since its launch, but with Wonder Woman, Warner Brothers and DC Comics proved they could do it right, and tell an empowering story. Then there was the fumble that was Justice League. Aquaman showed that they could do a big budget, CGI-filled action set piece…
War of the Worlds (1989) – The Raising of Lazarus, and The Angel of Death
This week we come to the conclusion of Season 1 of Paramount Pictures’ War of the Worlds television series, and by my count, I think the morthren are definitely winning. The Raising of Lazarus, the season’s penultimate episode was written by Durnford King, and aired on 8 May, 1989. Team Blackwood may have their hands…
The Mind Reels 