On second viewing it must be conceded that Guillermo del Toro’s film is far more of a disappointment than many wee willing to admit – but still manages to be lots of fun. The characterisation is non-existent, the acting almost uniformly terrible and the relationships perfunctory at best, but where it counts – when big […] Read more »
In what promises to be a new landmark, both in science fiction cinema and the craft of filmmaking itself, Alfonso Cuaron’s deep space survival thriller offers jaw dropping spectacle, nail-chewing suspense and an incredibly intimate character study, shot against the stunning backdrop of planet Earth itself. A difficult filmmaker to pigeonhole, Alfonso Cuaron has accumulated […] Read more »
Bong Joon-ho's English language debut is an incredible work of dystopian sci-fi that delivers a career-best performance from Chris Evans in one of the most emotionally complex and challenging action thrillers in recent memory. Read more »
There was such a giddy sense of anticipation for Bong Joon-ho’s first English language film that ultimate disappointment seemed almost inevitable. But, where his countrymen Park Chan-wook and Kim Ji-woon failed to transplant their unique cinematic perspective into Stoker and The Last Stand respectively, Snowpiercer is by comparison a monumental triumph of dystopian science fiction. […] Read more »
Guillermo del Toro pits huge metal mech suits against giant creatures from a parallel dimension in his epic science-fiction beat 'em up. But is sheer spectacle enough, when the characters involved in the struggle are so lacking? Read more »
After months of anticipation, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim arrived in Hong Kong on a wave of muted praise and widespread disappointment. The feverish anticipation for the film had waned slightly following a poor performance at the US box office, proving that the general public at large were unenthused by a summer blockbuster lacking recognisable […] Read more »
Futuristic Disney adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel has some interesting concepts smuggled in between servicing the source material. The alien designs are particularly good, and the action scenes are mostly well directed, but throughout the film I couldn’t help but feel the two concepts never quite married together harmoniously and that what I […] Read more »
Building on the success of the first film, the adorable and hilarious minions are given much more screen time this time around. When Gru is approached by the Anti-Villain League to track down a criminal mastermind in a local shopping mall, he is teamed with a female partner and given a cake shop to run. […] Read more »
I first saw Repo Man (1984) on its original cinematic release. I was in the high school at the time and can still remember walking out in the street after the screening, feeling invigorated and challenged. Repo Man felt like the perfect portrait of what it meant to be a confused youth entering the hollow […] Read more »
A rather baffling melange of horror, science-fiction and comedy that screams out to be embraced as a late night cult classic in the vein of Repo Man or director Don Coscarelli’s own Bubba Ho-Tep, but never quite finds its groove. It’s filled with ghoulish demons from other dimensions, wise-cracking slacker heroes and potent, power-giving soy […] Read more »
Made right off the back of Doctor Who and the Daleks‘ success, Peter Cushing reprises his role as the affable time traveller, who this time stays on Earth, albeit nearly 200 years into the future. The daleks have invaded and only the Doctor, with plucky Bernard Cribbins by his side, can save the Earth from […] Read more »
I can remember the eager sense of anticipation when I heard The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was (finally) being made into a major motion picture. See, in primary school, I was a huge fan of the original radio series, which predated the now famous series of books and the somewhat less famous TV series. […] Read more »
Chilean-born Alejandro Jodorowsky is responsible for some of the weirdest, most psychedelic movies of the 1970s. His breakthrough hit was the quasi-Western El Topo which become a monster hit on the midnight circuit in New York City, which he followed up with the even more wildly ambitious The Holy Mountain. On the back of these […] Read more »
This rather quaint soft-hearted approach to the beloved timelord sees Peter Cushing portray a human version of the time travelling space adventurer, who brings along his niece, granddaughter and the clownish Roy Castle for a family-friendly adventure to the land of the Daleks. Encased in protective metal shells following an apocalyptic war, the Daleks now […] Read more »
I had fond memories of Peter Hyams’ cult-classic Sci-Fi Western, Outland (1981). But, I only saw this film once, a long, long time ago. It felt like a good time to revisit this film. Outland, adapts the themes from High Noon and puts in a futuristic context. Sean Connery plays a marshall, William T. O’Niel, […] Read more »
I only heard about this film from the special features on Arrow’s excellent Zombie Flesh Eaters disc, and it seemed the perfect late-night splatter flick. For large parts, Contamination seems to blend that earlier Ian McCulloch venture into Italian schlock with Ridley Scott’s Alien, which opened the previous year. In turn, Luigi Cozzi’s film seems […] Read more »
Will Smith and son Jaden must face their fears after crashlanding on a post-apocalyptic Earth 1000 years in the future. M. Night Shyamalan directs this bland, uninspiring vanity project that could put to bed the acting career of at least one Mr. Smith. Read more »
Will Smith continues to create work for his son and heir, Jaden, this time playing on a decimated, post-apocalyptic Earth. As was the case with fellow Scientologist Tom Cruise’s recent Oblivion, Will Smith’s latest venture into the realm of sci-fi takes place long after most of the human race has abandoned the planet for deep […] Read more »
I managed to miss this at a couple of different festivals last year, before finally catching up with it this week on iTunes. The feature debut from Eron Sheean stars Michael Eklund as Geoff, a troubled geneticist called to Dresden to help a team of research students. There he discovers old flame and former student […] Read more »
Brandon Cronenberg follows his father's path into the gruey world of body horror with this assured satire on celebrity culture. Read more »