The Sci-Fi Chronicles brings me another Spielberg film to cover that I previously hadn’t for the blog. A.I. This one proved to be a very divisive film for a lot of viewers, originally planned to be a Stanley Kubrick film a lot of film fans believe that Spielberg over-sentimentalizes it and makes it a…
Tag: effects
Stranger Things (2016) – Season 1
Picture a Stephen King novel directed by Steven Spielberg, with a score by John Carpenter, and a beautifully balanced touch of nostalgia and you have the wondrous, scary, funny, and exciting ride that is Netflix’s latest winner, Stranger Things. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the series is set in Indiana in the year,…
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – Jonathan Frakes
The journeys with the U.S.S. Enterprise continue in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book as Picard (Patrick Stewart), Riker (Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner) and the rest render their version, more or less, of The Magnificent Seven. The story behind this film, covered on the blog previously here, shows that it could have been something different than…
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – Jonathan Frakes
The strongest of the Next Generation films is the next stop for the Sci-Fi Chronicles book as I continue the exploration of the Star Trek cinematic universe. This one combines the best elements of the Next Generation universe, with drama, action and comedy as it combines a time travel tale with a war story and…
The Ten Commandments (1956) – Cecil B. DeMille
Melodrama and spectacle are the order of the day as I dive back into the Historical genre of the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book. DeMille’s remake of his own 1923 is a towering, four hour long epic that boasted top of the line effects (at the time), stellar casting, including Charlton…
Planet of the Apes (2001) – Tim Burton
It’s time for a different vision of Planet of the Apes, as I continue my exploration of the series as I delve into the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. This time around, Tim Burton directs an all-star cast including Tim Roth, Helena Bonham-Carter, Mark Wahlberg, Kris Kristofferson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, David Warner and Estella…
Doctor Who (Tom Baker) – The Keeper of Traken
Tom Baker’s penultimate tale as The Doctor was a four-parter written by Johnny Byrne that aired from 31 January to 21 February, 1981. It introduced a new companion, Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and the return of The Master in the form of Geoffrey Beevers and the Anthony Ainley. The Doctor and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) arrive…
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner (1996) – Paul M. Sammon
Most everyone who knows me knows that I love Ridley Scott’s work, and Blade Runner was my introduction to not only the talented English director, but also to the world of noir films. I didn’t necessarily understand it all at 12, but I know I was blown away by the look of the film,…
Village of the Damned (1995) – John Carpenter
John Carpenter’s take on the Midwich Cuckoo’s tale is next up in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, and boasts a pretty fine cast in the form of Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Marlk Hamill, Linda Kozlowski and Michael Pare. The location has been changed to small town America, but the basis of the story remains the…
The Fly II (1989) – Chris Walas
Having previously reviewed Cronenberg’s classic remake of The Fly, it’s time to move onto, thanks to the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, the sequel to that classic, that sadly pales in comparison, and ends up being more a popcorn film than a worthy follow-up to the body horror film, that chilled so many. Eric Stoltz is…
The Mind Reels 