Screamers is a bit of a mess. It has a solid pedigree but somewhere between its origin and its filming, I imagine a number of things went wrong, culminating in the disappointing movie it became. The film stars Peter Weller and is originally based on a story by Philip K. Dick and Dan O’Bannon had…
Tag: visual effects
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) – Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, Murder on the Orient Express has its good and bad points. I love Branagh’s attention to detail in bringing the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, to life. Unfortunately, that same attention isn’t given to the supporting cast that brings to life the trouble Poirot finds himself embroiled in….
Spiritwalker (2020) – Yoon Jae-keun
Hitting digital, DVD and Blu-Ray today from Well Go USA Entertainment is this Korean bare-knuckle action flick with some sci-fi undertones that keeps things moving right until the last frame. The film gives a new spin on familiar territory, and features solidly constructed, and executed action and fight sequences. Ian (Yoon Kyesang) isn’t who he…
Highlander III: The Final Dimension (1994) – Andrew Morahan
The one good thing about the third Highlander film is that it does away with the horrible second entry in a franchise that did NOT need to happen. For countless fans everywhere, there can be only one, and the diminishing returns on the sequels, no doubt caused by the horrible stories supports that. This story…
TAD 2021: Post Mortem dir. Peter Bergendy
Toronto After Dark delivers it’s first spectral tale of the festival, with the beautifully crafted Hungarian film, Post Mortem from director Peter Bergendy. This one, has all the trappings of a classic ghost story, and does it right, well, and without going overboard on the visual effects. Tomas (Viktor Klem) is recovering from a near…
Friday the 13th (2009) – Marcus Nispel
In 2009 Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers (who own New Line Cinema) working with the production company Platinum Dunes gave us a soft reset on the Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) story and did their best to up the gore and nudity. The script seems to want to be a combination of the first three films,…
Jason X (2001) – James Isaac
While writers attempted to crack the Freddy vs.Jason showdown, New Line Cinema was intent on keeping the Friday the 13th i.p. alive and also wanted to do something different. Jason X is definitely that. And unquestionably the worst entry in the entire series, despite boasting a cameo by David Cronenberg, a fun starring turn by…
The Fate of the Furious (2017) – F. Gary Gray
The first Fast and the Furious film after the death of Paul Walker changes speed, and I’m not saying the series jumped the shark, but the speed has changed from fast to ludicrous. The cast is huge, with some big hitters in supporting roles, including a wonderful cameo appearance by Helen Mirren. We learn that…
Indiana Jones 4K – 40th Anniversary Celebration!
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Paramount Pictures has remastered the original four films into a gorgeous 4K collection that is as crystal clear as my memories of seeing each and every one of them in the theatre… In 1981, I remember seeing television ads for Raiders on the television,…
Fast Five (2011) – Justin Lin
Justin Lin delivers another action packed entry in The Fast and The Furious franchise. If the fourth film was about tying off the themes and story threads from the first film, the fifth film really wants to up the game and play in the world the series has created, and brings back familiar faces from…
The Mind Reels 