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…
Tag: effects
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 Matrix Reloaded (2003) – Andy and Lana Wachowski
Having previously stepped into The Matrix, I was delighted that the Sci-Fi Chronicles would give me a chance to revisit the two sequels from 2003. Once again written by the Wachowski’s the first sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, was set 6 months after the events of the first film, and Neo (Keanu Reeves) is settling…
Doctor Who (Tom Baker) – The Power of Kroll
We’re closing in on the end of the Key to Time arc, as this week, we are on the 5th story of the adventure. This four-part tale was penned by Robert Holmes and ran from 23 December, 1978 to 13 January, 1979. The story itself seems to have overtones of British Imperialism and Expansionism…
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) – David Twohy
The adventures with the Sci-Fi Chronicles continues with the second Riddick film, once again written and directed by David Twohy. In all honesty, of the two films so far, I like this one more. There was more world-building, the introduction of a mythology for the character and the universe, though lets call the mystical…
Pitch Black (2000) – David Twohy
The Sci-Fi Chronicles book has been serving me well lately, so I decided to stay with it for a bit longer, and consequently dug into the first Riddick film, Pitch Black. It’s a modest little film that helped launch Vin Diesel to fame when he took on the role of the ocularly augmented killer, and…
This Island Earth (1955) – Joseph Newman
A flawed but enjoyable space opera is my next port of call in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, and is notable also because it was one of the first color science fiction films to be made, and This Island Earth does like to show off its Technicolor look, and boasts some pretty solid effects considering…
The Mind Reels 