One of the best movies this year. Set in the near future, Hugh Jackman plays the unlikeable Charlie Kenton, who fights robots in the underground fighting scene. Destroying robots as fast as he can purchase them, Canton is soon saddled with new responsibilities: taking care of his son for the summer The movie really gels when we meet, Canton’s son Max Kenton played by Dakota Goyo. In stereotypical fashion, the two do not get along at first due to a long estrangement. Soon they are knee deep in the world of underground fighting. We meet the heart of the movie when the hero, Atom an expressive robot, is found in a scrap yard. The movie boosts great robot bouts and you soon wishing for a real WRB association.
Reviews
Tim Burton at LACMA
For over 30 years, Burton has had a creative career with highs and lows. For the past two years, an exhibit has been touring the world giving his fans a brief insight into his creative mind.
The entrance hinted at the freakiness that await you inside.
Unfortunately, the museum staff kept a vigilant watch and banned all photograph from the exhibit.
A timeline on the first wall outline Burton’s history was one of the first items to greet the visitor, along with a museum attendant barking that no pictures were allowed. This was to be an annoying recurring theme all night.
I was surprised by the amount of written detail included in the exhibition. Mementos from Burton’s childhood including sketches and award winning signs produced for local businesses. One fascinating item a book mock up sent to Disney along with the rejection letter.
Burton studied at CalArts and there were a significant number of drawing and sketches from this period. Rick Heinrichs, a fellow graduate of CalArts, created three dimension images of Burton’s work. Together they produced an absolute highlight of the show: Vincent.
Vincent, short stop motion film about a young boy who dreamed of being Vincent Price. Although only seven, Vincent had ghoulish dreams straight out of the mind of Edgar Allan Poe. Burton wrote and directed while Rick Heinrichs created the figures for the stop motion film.
Another highlight were the demented sketches create while Tim worked as a concept artist at Disney. Standouts included a man’s eyes undressing a woman and what not to do with a constipated dog, which made me laugh out loud.
Of course, there were dozens of props from feature and short films including the carousel hat and extending arms from Beetlejuice; Catwoman’s outfit from Batman returns, costume from Edward Scissorshands, etc. In addition, there a lot of conceptual drawings, which was great so you can see where the project started and ended.
Interestingly there were a lot of conceptual photography.
I appreciate seeing how Burton’s style evolved through the years. The basic tenants of his work could be seen in his earliest works. I also forgot a lot of the great work that Burton has down over the years like James and the Giant peach, which was sorely underrepresented.
Tim Burton at LACMA until midnight on October 31, 2011.
For those of you who can’t make it – checkout the following websites for images:
Star Trek of Gods and Men on the Big Screen
The penultimate night of the Burbank film festival was a night of Sci Fi and Horror with a special tribute to Roger Corman.
The highlight of the night was what has been billed as the final screening of Star Trek of Gods and Men. The first independent Star Trek movie began as a labor of love for its cast and crew. Written by Ethan Calk, Sky Conway and Jack Trevino and directed by Tim Russ, Star Trek of Gods Men is set 12 years after Star Trek Generations. Set in the year 2305, Captain Uhura attends the dedication of a new USS Enterprise, a replica of the original 1701. It is designed as a museum ship and a tribute to all who served on the original Enterprise. At the dedication, Uhura meets up with Pavel Chekov and John Harriman, captain of the Enterprise-B. During the ceremony the crew receives a distress call from a nearby planet housing the Guardian of Forever. Charlie X (from ST:TOS Charlie X) seeks revenge on Capitan James T. Kirk for not having saved him 40 years earlier from the Thasians. Upon learning of Kirk’s death, Charlie decides to travel through the Gurdian (from ST:TOS City of the Edge of Forever) to enact his revenge. This act has lasting implications on the universe.
As an independent film, Star Trek: OG&M, accomplished a great deal on a small budget. The movie benefited from a great set – a replica of the enterprise and locations like Vasquez Rocks which was used a lot in the original series Although the screenplay was uneven, the plot was wholly original. The cast committed to the part and everyone was delighted by appearances by actors from all five series: Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Tim Russ, JG Hertzler, Chase Masterson, Grace Lee Whitney, Gray Graham, Cirroc Lofton, Ethan Phillips and from Battlestar Galactica Herb Jefferson. I was especially impressed by the score and special effects. The movie features a top notch battle at the end.
A Q&A with the actors, writer and director was scheduled, but had to be cancelled because of the night running long. Everyone was introduced before the film and everybody spoke briefly about their experiences making STOG&M. The
The night ended with an after party at TDJ Studios in North Hollywood. Revelers were treated to walking down the red carpet and were able to mingle with some of the stars of the movie. Music was provided by a local DJ and the Tim Russ band.
The movie can still be viewed online at: http://startrekofgodsandmen.com
Movie Review – Apollo 18
The only thing I love more than being scared senseless is a high quality sci-fi film. I regret to inform you that Apollo 18 is NASA’s interplanetary rip off of The Blair Witch Project. In 1974 three American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon. Decades later footage of their mission has mysteriously resurfaces to document their discoveries. Three relative unknowns to the big screen, Warren Christie, Lloyd Owens and Ryan Robbins play the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed astronauts. With very little time spent getting the audience acquainted with who these men are on Earth, Apollo 18 works harder at establishing the characters’ patriotism, inner circle camaraderie and sense of duty. With scene after scene of the astronauts maneuvering through the shuttle’s cramped quarters, a movie hasn’t made me feel this claustrophic since Buried. But if I’m going to gasp for air for over an hour, I demand something in return. After the men reach the moon some of the things they were told about why they were sent there are not adding up. This film had every chance to be suspenseful, terrifying and innovative. After all, movies about outer space, man’s undiscovered territory, have no creative limitations. Unfortunately, Apollo 18 chose to mimic the cinematic styles of four “scary” movies that came before it (The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, Rec, TrollHunter) and the original which was done ten times better!
Guest blooger in Seattle
Attack the Block. Allow It.
Billed as a Sci Fi film, Attach the Block is one of the best action films of the year.
On Guy Fawkes Night, the night commemorating King James I surviving an attempt on his life, a gang of teenagers mug a young nurse on her way home. During the robbery, a strange object falls from the sky. Believing the object is some sort of firework, the teens continue their attack. Upon being attacked by an unknown creature, the teens lead by Moses (John Boyega) set out to kill the creature. Believing the strange being could be profitable, the teens look to hold it in a secure location. This decision sets off an chain reaction that is both funny and thrilling.
As the invasion continues, we get to know the young teens and the people who inhabit their block in South London. Because of the circumstances Sam the nurse (Jodie Whittaker) teams up with the teens in order to survive the night. She is eventually won over by them as the audience is.
A must see.
We are not alone
American Cinematheque presents two classics from Steven Spielberg: ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
September 2nd. 7:30. Aero Theatre
Another Earth
Another Earth is more of an existential drama than a science fiction flick. On the same night that a planet resembling Earth appears in the sky, a teenage girl commits one of the worst crimes imaginable. After contact with the second planet is made, the world soon discovers that every human on Earth has a duplicate on “Earth 2.” It’s not long before a contest is launched by a spaceflight agency. The small group of people who win will become civilian passengers on the first shuttle to Earth 2. The interplanetary theme is a fascinating backdrop to the real matter at hand: the teenager wants to contact one of her victims. Actress Brit Marling (who plays Rhoda Williams) brings balance to a controversial character who could easily polarize an audience. The real fun is asking yourself one question: If there was a lottery to meet another version of yourself, would you have the courage to play?
Guest blogger from Seattle
Cowboys and Aliens
One of the highly anticipated movies of the summer arrived a couple of weeks ago. Instead of a bang it landed with a meh.
Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford leads an all-star cast that includes Keith Carradine, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell and Clancy Brown. Daniel Craig is perfectly cast as the amnesic Jake Lonergan who wakes up in the desert with a mysterious band on his wrist. He has no memory of who he is or why he’s there. He learns that he is a wanted criminal. As he tries to solve the mystery of who he is, a group of town folk are kidnap by some mysterious entities. The town bands together to fight the unknown band guys. Along the way the group encounters the typical western folk: Indians and bandits.
Cowboys and Aliens has a cool steampunk look to it. The western style has a very modern feel to it from skinny pants to stylish prairie dresses. The alien technology gets the short shift and we never get a feel for what their tech can do. The aliens look great and are wholly original. Unfortunately, the aliens are not given a personality or an opportunity to communicate their nefarious motivates.
With an impressive list of writers and producers, the plot is surprisingly paper thin. The special effects are great but not enough to hold your attention.
Catch it as a rental
Through the Wormhole
The new series “Through the Wormhole” seeks to unlock the secrets of the universe. The premiere episode “Is There a Creator?” follows different theories examining the creation of the universe. Various scientific disciplines are challenging our perceptions of the universe. We get a peek at Garrett Lisi’s “The Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything”, which is a unique attempt to unify the universe through mathematics. Next up, Michael Persinger, a leading neurologist, puts forth in our minds. As humans evolved our brains have developed a system to help us filter our understanding of our place in the world. The most controversial theory is that God is real that we are living in a simulated world. The hypothesis is that the details found in computer code can be found in reality and maybe a higher being has created our world and the people who live in it.
Although advance theories are discussed the premises are broken down so that a lay person can follow. If the premiere episode is any indication, this series promises to open our minds to fresh and challenging ideas.
Wednesdays on the Science Channel
Hubble 3D – An Appreciation
Hubble 3D is a both an amazing and humbling experience. For the past twenty years, the Hubble telescope has beamed spectacular images from distant stars that are light-years from Earth. Images of black holes, infant galaxies and mind-bending nebulae are brought to life in the new 3D film about the history of the Hubble telescope.
The telescope’s inauspicious start began in April 1990. Its first few years were marred by poor quality because of errors in its construction. The first repair mission, which took place in 1993, resulted in breath-taking images of our galaxy. Awe-inspiring images, such as the Eagle Nebula, would have not been possible without Hubble. The cameras that accompanied the last three NASA missions document the efforts of our well-trained and dedicated astronauts as they successfully repaired the telescope. The images beamed back of our galaxy, as well as billions of other galaxies, reveals mysteries of the universe that would have remained unknown had it not been for Hubble.
When you witness the images of the billions of galaxies that exist in our universe, it will humble you to be a part of the species that had the ingenuity to create such a complex and important machine..
Now playing.
Sci Fi Maven 