A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breath-taking humanoid A.I.
Director:
Alex Garland
Stars:
Alicia Vikander,
Domhnall Gleeson,
Oscar Isaac
At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
Director:
Guillermo del Toro
Stars:
Sally Hawkins,
Octavia Spencer,
Michael Shannon
A young blade runner's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.
Thor is imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, and must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, which is at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
Director:
Taika Waititi
Stars:
Chris Hemsworth,
Tom Hiddleston,
Cate Blanchett
Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares for battle with the First Order.
T'Challa, the King of Wakanda, rises to the throne in the isolated, technologically advanced African nation, but his claim is challenged by a vengeful outsider who was a childhood victim of T'Challa's father's mistake.
Director:
Ryan Coogler
Stars:
Chadwick Boseman,
Michael B. Jordan,
Lupita Nyong'o
In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shapeshifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.
Director:
Andy Muschietti
Stars:
Bill Skarsgård,
Jaeden Lieberher,
Finn Wolfhard
A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
Director:
Jordan Peele
Stars:
Daniel Kaluuya,
Allison Williams,
Bradley Whitford
A biologist's husband disappears. She puts her name forward for an expedition into an environmental disaster zone, but does not find what she's expecting. The expedition team is made up of the biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, a surveyor, and a linguist.
One filming location was Holkham Beach, Norfolk in the U.K., during July 2016. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Scientist:
What did you eat? You had rations for only two weeks. You were there for nearly four months.
The Biologist:
I don't remember eating.
Scientist:
How long do you think you were in there?
The Biologist:
Days. Maybe weeks?
See more »
The Mark (Interlude)
Performed by Moderat
Words and Music by Gernot Bronsert, Sebastian Szary and Apparat (as Sascha Ring)
Licensed courtesy of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Limited
Published by Monkeytown Music Gmbh / Sony/ATV Music Publishing Limited,
Random Noize Musick, Budde Music See more »
'ANNIHILATION': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
The new science fiction horror flick from writer/director Alex Garland (who also performed both duties on 2014's 'EX MACHINA'). It's about a biologist who volunteers to lead an expedition into a dangerous environmental zone, after her husband comes out of the zone seriously injured, and the sole survivor of his expedition. It's based on the novel, of the same name, by Jeff VanderMeer. The film stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac. It's gotten nearly unanimous positive reviews from critics, but it also performed really poorly at a test screening (which prompted a Netflix release overseas, instead of a theatrical one). I think the film is a very dark and bizarrely beautiful sci-fi masterpiece, and I can also see why a lot of people won't like it.
A year has passed since a team of soldiers entered an environmental disaster zone, and never returned. One soldier, named Kane (Isaac), suddenly reappears, much to the desperate relief of his biologist wife Lena (Portman), but he doesn't remember where he's been or how he got home. Then he has a sudden medical emergency, and is rushed to a hospital. In an attempt to help him, Lena decides to join a team of all female scientists, on an expedition back into the environmental zone. Things of course don't go as planned.
The movie is very hauntingly beautiful, and it's especially highlighted by an awesomely haunting score, and some breathtaking visuals. The story is interesting, but it's definitely slow-paced, and the climax is much more of an intellectual payoff than a spectacular action scene (which many viewers might be hoping for). So I can definitely see why some people would hate this film, but I loved it. It's one I definitely won't forget anytime soon too, and it's great to see Natalie Portman (my old favorite actress) back in top form!
322 of 601 people found this review helpful.
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'ANNIHILATION': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
The new science fiction horror flick from writer/director Alex Garland (who also performed both duties on 2014's 'EX MACHINA'). It's about a biologist who volunteers to lead an expedition into a dangerous environmental zone, after her husband comes out of the zone seriously injured, and the sole survivor of his expedition. It's based on the novel, of the same name, by Jeff VanderMeer. The film stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac. It's gotten nearly unanimous positive reviews from critics, but it also performed really poorly at a test screening (which prompted a Netflix release overseas, instead of a theatrical one). I think the film is a very dark and bizarrely beautiful sci-fi masterpiece, and I can also see why a lot of people won't like it.
A year has passed since a team of soldiers entered an environmental disaster zone, and never returned. One soldier, named Kane (Isaac), suddenly reappears, much to the desperate relief of his biologist wife Lena (Portman), but he doesn't remember where he's been or how he got home. Then he has a sudden medical emergency, and is rushed to a hospital. In an attempt to help him, Lena decides to join a team of all female scientists, on an expedition back into the environmental zone. Things of course don't go as planned.
The movie is very hauntingly beautiful, and it's especially highlighted by an awesomely haunting score, and some breathtaking visuals. The story is interesting, but it's definitely slow-paced, and the climax is much more of an intellectual payoff than a spectacular action scene (which many viewers might be hoping for). So I can definitely see why some people would hate this film, but I loved it. It's one I definitely won't forget anytime soon too, and it's great to see Natalie Portman (my old favorite actress) back in top form!