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Reviews
They Found Hell (2015)
Just no...
I enjoy cliché over the top movies and I enjoy well written well directed movies. Casting can be hit or miss but with a good script and direction can be hidden well.
Unfortunately the writing isn't quite cliché but uncomfortable. They use historical references without actually giving any real or fun bits from mythology.
I tried very hard to like this movie but the motivations of the characters, the cheap hooks that fail to hook let me cringing for most of the film.
It is a shame because this movie could have been great if there was more planning and time spent working on the nuances that get the view to care about the plot and characters.
Cruel & Unusual (2014)
More movies should be like this
In a world where movies continuously disappoint, there is a title by the name of Cruel & Unusual that brings a ray of hope to this bland over budgeted world of terrible movies.
**Spoilers Below **
Cruel and Unusual takes us on a journey through the after-life, possibly some type of purgatory, reserved for people who have taken a life. Our characters are stuck re-living when they killed and died. Is there a way out? Can they break the cycle or are they stuck there forever?
**End Spoilers **
The film held my attention from start to finish and proves that a huge budget and a ton of A list celebrities doesn't make a good movie. All you need is a unique and interesting story put together well.
If your wondering if the movie is worth a shot, please do yourself a favor and watch it.
Dominion (2014)
Couldn't Sit through it
I enjoy shows like doctor who, stargate, farscape, and outer limits. These were great shows with wonderful writing, acting, and stories that would unfold and eventually reveal a depth that connects everything. At the core of these shows was something important, a story that made you think and feel connected after watching it.
The motion picture was fine, it wasn't anything I would make a series about but it was interesting and held my attention. The first 5 minutes of the spin off Dominion was painful. The inconsistencies consist of a large demonic woman jumping at least 20 feet high and running sideways across wall but she couldn't quite catch a guy on foot or do anything once he got in a car.
I was hoping the style would shift, or acting would get better or maybe the story would reveal itself but the series seems to be relying on its ties to the motion picture to hook the audience rather than putting any effort into creating something enjoyable for science fictions fans. I kept thinking of random things to look up online as that was more interesting then what I was seeing on screen.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
"All you need is Kill" L.N, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
I went into this movie with low expectations. I hadn't read the synopsis or watched the trailer but I am a sucker for Science Fiction, good or bad, I like to watch it. About 15 minutes in I found myself in an odd situation, because what I was seeing on screen was good, more than good, entertaining. My curiosity was peaked and I genuinely wanted to know what was going on and what was going to happen next.
When the loop began I didn't know this movie involved time travel so I started thinking, "maybe it's a virtual training simulation? ", then I thought, "no maybe he is stuck inside his head?". It was fun not knowing, so I wish they hadn't given so much away in the trailers and synopsis. I have to go see this movie again it was really entertaining, really engaging, and I have tons to talk about with everyone who has seen it.
*Important Information * This movie is based on a Light Novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka written in 2004 entitled "All you need is Kill". You can find the credit under the Writers section of IMDb, click on "2 more credits" then the very last writing credit is for Hiroshi. I found more information on the wiki here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_You_Need_Is_Kill. I love Anime, most of which is based of Light Novel or Manga. I hope we see more adaptions like this, the movie proves Anime and Manga aren't just cartoons and comics geared toward children, they are diverse mediums and many are used to share deep and intense stories and characters.
Rewind (2013)
No hope left for science fiction
Syfy has done it again, this time taking bits from continuum. I don't mind bringing greats shows to America but Syfy just ends up ruining everything with all the Americanizing, cough being human for example. The time travel based procedural cop show angel is fine but this show is more procedural cope show than science fiction.
The first 5 minutes of any story should grab the audience, with Science Fiction that is incredibly easy, show some flashy tech, some amazing event, a character saying incredibly crazy almost incomprehensible things that will later make sense, any of those will do, they are all solid sci fi hooks and really not anything that needs to change. When I see science fiction turn into a procedural cop show with bad acting, shaky camera angles to add intensity, and awful dialogue, I no longer have a reason to watch.
Syfy, if your going to make a science fiction show, focus on the science, even if your acting and dialogue are bad, people tuning into to Syfy to watch a science fiction may stick around. Trying to change the format of a genre to get viewers that prefer cop shows, drama, or reality TV, only makes science fiction fans turn away. I don't understand the logic, people who like Science Fiction and are always infront of a computer and TV so why should you make shows appeal to people that never watch or watch other genres? Make Syfy for science fiction fans.
"Science fiction is an existential metaphor, that allows us to tell stories about the human condition" -- Isaac Asimov