Tag sci-fi

Short Film Review : 12:01 P.M. (1990)

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Directed By – Jonathan Heap
Starring – Kurtwood Smith and Laura Harrington
Academy Award Nominee for Live Action Short Film

A man is stuck living his life in the same 59 minute time frame. He tries various methods of finding out why, eventually consulting a physicist.

So I recently viewed some short films from this years Tribeca Film Festival. I decided not to write about them due to the fact that they are hard to find and it would be easier to post the actual movie on here so that readers can view the film themselves before or after reading what I have to say. Unfortunately there weren’t many films I could find that had a full viewing that I could post on here, so I decided to find some other films to write about. I stumbled across “12:01” and gave it a shot. It was nominated for an Oscar and also features a sci-fi plot. That coupled with Kurtwood Smith, who may or may not have stuck his foot up someones ass, and I had all the reasons in the world to watch it.

I have to get the obvious over with first. This is a lot like Groundhog Day. Actually, it almost is Groundhog Day. The only real difference is that instead of an entire day that gets repeated, Mr. Forman gets to relive the same hour over and over again, beginning at 12:01 P.M. Now, considering it’s less than a half hour long and is available for your viewing pleasure RIGHT ABOVE, I’m going to talk about the film a bit more in depth. So please, watch the film and then continue reading.

So, back to Mr. Forman. He has a different name in the film but I’m going to refer to him as Mr. Forman throughout this thing so get used to it. Mr. Forman is not Bill Murray. There really isn’t any comedy involved in this entire short film. He is distraught. First of all the universe decides to be the biggest asshole it can be and not only makes him the only person who remembers what happens after the hour restarts, but also leaves him in the middle of a goddamn intersection twenty minutes away from where he works. He starts out by going to the park and by the time he ends up anywhere near a phone the whole hour has almost gone by. Not to mention he has probably the worst secretary on the planet. Did you watch the film yet? Holy shit. How annoying is that woman? I literally screamed when he called her a bitch. I was like, “TAKE THAT BITCH! YOU TELL HER RED!” Groundhog day had Bill Murray carving ice sculptures and learning piano and french poetry and stuffing his face with cake. Now, I loved seeing this. Groundhog Day is one of my favorite comedies ever. However, we didn’t get a lot of “Why the fuck is this happening to me?” moments which is the main theme in “12:01”. I mean, we got some montage of Bill throwing himself off a clocktower and taking a bubble bath with Mr. Toaster, but other than that it was a romantic comedy, and a superb one at that.

No, this is more serious. The man is pretty much having a nervous breakdown throughout the entire film. He is desperate to not live forever and he is willing to die trying. The film played like an episode of The Twilight Zone more towards the end as Mr. Forman has started to give up on finding a cure and starts behaving erratically, hence verbally shoving his foot up that cows ass. There are some nice moments, like his conversation with the too lovely to be a human being Delores in the park. Seriously, that woman shoudl have been the first sign that the universe is fucked up. She was nicer than Jesus.

The film ended as it began, with Red Forman staring at traffic as another hour begins. The dude can’t even kill himself. What he thought was a chance at a recurring divinity is really a cruel joke played by the universe. It’s a deep and bleak short film but the kind of short films/stories I love. It almost reminded me of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson; not in subject matter, but in straight forward bleakness. It’s a great little film.

4.5/5



Film Review : Akira (1988)

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IMDB Score – 8.1
Rotten Tomato Score – 87%

Directed By – Katsuhiro Ohtomo

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only two kids and a group of psionics can stop.

Up until now my experience with Japanese anime has only consisted of a few films and every Miyazaki film ever made. I’ve never really been into the fantasy element that accompanies such anime shows as “Full Metal Alchemist, “Bleach”, and “Dragon Ball Z”. I’ve read about “Akira” in articles detailing the history of sci-fi and have read on multiple accounts that it is the best anime film ever made. When I was browsing Amazon a week ago I noticed that “Akira” has recently been released on blu ray and I decided I could afford to spend a moderate amount of money on a blind buy. I’m glad I did. What I ended up witnessing is in fact the greatest anime film I have ever seen and one of the finest animated films of all time regardless of country of origin. I only thing is that I don’t really understand what the hell I just watched.

The film is set in 2019, thirty years after World War Three. Tokyo was devastated but has only recently rebuilt its city center. The setting in the city is one of light dystopian future. While there aren’t raving lunatics trolling the streets, there are street gangs and more specifically, street bike gangs. This is where were find our main characters. The gang is run by Kaneda, a member who may be in possession of the coolest bike in the city. Along with him, Tetsuo, Yamagata, and a few others attend their run down high school during the day and prowl the streets at night invading bars and looking for fights. During one of these street fights the gang runs into demonstrators fighting the government over the use of human experimentation and general imperialism. Tetsuo, trying to create an identity for himself, takes Kaneda’s bike and runs into a local gang. Tetsuo is saved by a mysterious boy who comes into contact with Tetsuo, possibly transferring over some kinetic energy to him. Tetsuo is then taken by the government after they learn he has come into contact with the boy.

Got it? It may seem complex as hell, mostly cause it is, but the overall plot of the film is laid out pretty well during the film. What follows next cannot be explained in detail because it was that fun to watch it all unravel. I can say that it was an animated experience unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The film goes down a rabbit hole into psychotic masterpiece and never looks back. The cover of the box claims that without this film there could never be a Matrix. I happen to agree. The concept of perceived reality is questioned about twenty times throughout the duration of the film but also keeps the entertainment factor high with excellent violence and breathtaking hand drawn animation. The colors, which are important considering most of the film takes place at night, are vibrant and unrelenting. It;s a gorgeous film rendered perfectly on this new blu ray disc.

If you’re a fan of anime I’m sure you’ve already seen this film but if you’re into science fiction or animated films at all I suggest giving this a watch, hell maybe two viewings would do it. It’s a fever dream of a film that I can’t begin to comprehend but will certainly try over many more viewings.

5/5



Film Review : Her (2013)

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IMDB Score – (Currently) 8.6
Rotten Tomato Score – 91%

Golden Globe Nominee for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay

Directed By – Spike Jonze
Starring – Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde, and Rooney Mara

A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that’s designed to meet his every need.

A week ago I thought I saw my film of the year. Inside Llewyn Davis was a bleak and ultimately devastating story about a folk singer who can never catch a break. It was soulful and moving and really just hit me in a way that no other film this year hit me. “Her” is the complete opposite. It is soulful and devastating but in the complete opposite direction. They are my ying and yang picks for films of the year.

I’ve been a fan of Spike Jonze since seeing him wear granny make-up and swing his boobs around in “Jackass”. His music videos are some of the most memorable videos of the late 90’s and early 2000’s and his films are visceral experiences that are unique and one of a kind. This time, Jonze puts his pen to the paper and crafts not only the best screenplay of the year, but one of the most intimate and personal films I’ve ever seen. The film stars Theodore, a lonely recently divorced man who is seeking a friend. Theodore walks past a kiosk advertising a new operating system which developing intelligence and personality. The operating that Theodore purchases is named Samantha and is voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The film takes place in an obvious future world but instead of being a dystopian nightmare, the future we see is vibrant and colorful. Social media seems to have evolved into a living breathing entity and everybody walks about with ear pieces in their ears which reads them the news, emails, or just converses with their user. This is really all you should know plot wise as the film grips you and takes you on the ride. Two hours never flew by so fast.

Having some relationship issues of my own at the moment, the film spoke to me. It’s premise is ultimately a very strange one. A man falling in love with a computer? How silly. Is it really that silly? Who is to say that a person can’t have a connection with somebody who is not there physically. I know it is usually frowned upon, but long distance relationships do work in small amounts. Those relationships are kept through phone conversations, letters, and recently with the ability of video conversations. I know people who have gotten married after meeting on the internet. I know people who have had extensive relationships with people miles away. Samantha may be a voice of a computer but in this world, that voice has a mind and personality that only builds more and more every day.

Spike Jonze created a perfect screenplay here. It is nearly flawless in its pacing and immersing in its intimacy. I don’t know what is going on in the mans life but he wrote from the heart and it showed. The whole film radiates red like it’s the center of a beating heart. I’m not usually a huge romance fan. I have been slowly integrating and finding wonderful films of this genre and am really warming up to the idea that romance films can not only be made well, but be considered important pieces of art. Jonze created a piece of art that is directly linked to the heart. Whether we have had many or only a few relationships, we each have gone through life changing events with another person. These events and the time we spend with somebody builds our character. They make us into the people we will eventually become. This is the main theme of Her. The relationships we have with other people, whether they end badly or flourish, create the people we turn into and help us learn from our mistakes until the next person comes along. I just can’t write enough how touched and moved I was with this film after this year. I have regretted more things than I can count. I wish I could change things. I wish there were some way to do things different. This is no way though. Those things happened and it’s only up to me to make sure that the future is made with all the love and happiness I experienced along the way. That is human nature. We push on and try to maintain happiness. The film just reiterated to me that everything is going to be okay.

I’m sorry I got a little personal there. It just it me hard.

The aesthetics of the film should also be noted. It’s a gorgeous film. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema should honestly win all the awards for this. As I stated before the film just radiates red which only goes to further the emotions thrown at us by the cast. Geez I haven’t even mentioned the cast. Scarlett Johansson could actually be nominated for a supporting role in which she doesn’t appear on screen in any way. She was that good. It was just a voice but it represented one half of a completely real and touching relationship with co-star Joaquin Phoenix who was incredible as always. Phoenix, who appears in nearly every single scene dominates as a lonely man who finally finds love after going through a difficult and draining divorce. Amy Adams, who really can’t do anything wrong recently, rounds out the trio by giving a heartwarming performance as Theodores friend and neighbor. It’s a film full of just amazing everything.

Go see this film. Take your girlfriend. Take somebody who is going through a rough time or recently lost somebody they love. It is a smart, funny, and incredibly real science fiction film that produces such honest and earned emotional response. Some people won’t get past the premise, but the people who have experienced loss in their lives are going to feel amazing at the fact that we still have so much to gain and learn. It’s my top film of the year along with “Inside Llewyn Davis”

5/5




Film Review : Elysium (2013)

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IMDB Score – 6.8
Rotten Tomato Score – 69%

Directed By – Neil Blomkamp
Starring – Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Shartlo Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, William Fichtner, and Wagner Moura

In the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

One of my favorite theater experiences of my life was walking into “District 9” without really a clue what it was about and being glued to the screen for the duration of the film. It was a sci-fi movie that was both unique and entirely captivating. It featured amazing acting, badass action, and state of the art visual effects on the equivalent of a shoe string budget. It encapsulated the idea that completely original cinema is alive well and that all it needs is the backing of executives. Blomkamps follow up to that film is a promising yet ultimately disappointing one. I had high hopes for the film and couldn’t get out to see it in theaters due to its bad box office results and frankly disheartening reviews. I’m going to have to agree with the negative reviews on this one but the film does feature some positives.

What I liked…

There were some great set pieces in this that showcases not only Blomkamp’s visual style but his ability to shock his audience with a perfectly timed gruesome scene. “District 9” certainly had its share of shocking scenes and I expected more of those in Elysium. We got a few, one coming from a perfectly timed grenade, but overall the dead spaces between the action was just too boring for me. Matt Damon wasn’t terrible but it seemed like he was phoning it in at times. The only real acting highlight for me was Shartlo Copley who played a pretty menacing villain.

What I didn’t like…

Like an earlier original sci fi film, “Oblivion”, this film just seemed to be too heavy on visuals and futuristic set pieces and just completely skimped out on a coherent and logical plot. Too many times I was sitting there going “Why the hell is this happening? I hope they’re going to explain this—-okay they’re not explaining anything”. That;s not good for a film that is almost 100% comprised of technology that we don’t have right now. If you’re going to introduce a device that can put somebodies face back together then you should at least tell us why the hell that is even possible considering the man had no damn face. Also, Jodie Foster should stop acting. I’ve never really been a fan of hers and this was possibly the worst acting I’ve seen all year. She tried to be this cold robotic evil woman but it just came off completely corny and just plain strange. You can’t just movie your face around while trying to give off a horrible accent to make yourself seem more bitchy. It was horrible. The ending could be seen from space and they totally ripped off the ending to “Blood Diamond”. The whole film just fell apart at the end without really having a leg to stand on besides a very promising middle.

Overall it just wasn’t very good. I think if Blomkamp gets a big budget film again he’ll prove he’s one of the best up and coming sci fi film makers but to be honest he really didn’t do much to impress me with this.

2.5/5




Film Review : Oblivion (2013)

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IMDB Score – 7.0
RT Score – 54%

Joseph Kosinski directs this sci-fi thriller a couple years after his take on Tron. I still haven’t seen Tron: Legacy but I could tell from the visuals in the trailer that it’s a beautiful looking film. My thoughts as Oblivion ended were that Kosinski certainly has a future in the industry as a visual up and comer. The film is gorgeous. The first half of the film gave us grand views of a desolate landscape that once was the Earth that we know. The action pieces were pretty good as well as Kosinski didn’t fall into the popular habit of making the action too fast to realize what the hell was going on. The problem I ultimately had with the film wasn’t the visuals but every other aspect of the damn thing.

Michael Arndt, who won and Oscar for his fantastic Little Miss Sunshine screenplay, helped Kosniski write the screenplay and pretty much failed on all accounts. There were some ideas that were there. I’ll give them that. The problem is that they’ve been done before. This film could have been called 2001: A Blade Runner Moon. Just think about that and then try not to kill me for potentially ruining this film for you. There was just way too many recycled concepts used in the second half of this film. I also had no real connection towards the characters. Tom Cruise gave a respectable performance but got nothing really out of the supporting cast besides the typical awesome voice of Morgan Freeman.

Overall it was definitely a watchable attempt new sci-fi. There was just little substance to have a lasting effect on me. Perhaps seeing Gravity multiple times has ruined sci-fi for me.

2.5/5