Sci-fi Saturday - Puppet Master

AVATAR (2009)

I was thinking of a witty introduction to this re-review of James Cameron's monolithic money making machine. But it brings me no joy to be so sarcastic in this instance. When it comes down to it the guy released some of my favourite movies of all time between 1984 and 1991 and then promptly lost the magic touch. Yes there are plenty of True Lies fans around these days, and it's a fun movie. But it's a very basic Schwarzenegger vehicle at its core without having much else going on. Yes there are plenty of Titanic fans around these days, but it's not for me. The central drama comes from an insipid romance without nuance or depth, via characters than are so poorly drawn that it's often irritating instead of engaging. Both films feel like imitations of previously told stories and a series of recycled tropes. Which brings us back around to Avatar...

Sci-Fi Saturday - Et tu Koba?

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014)

Reboots, and worse yet 're-imaginings', are something of a sore point for many franchise fans. After all, we all have our favourites and on most occasions remakes simply add a frustrating 'not that one the other one' moment to cinema discussions. It was interesting to see then, that Rise of the Planet of the Apes did the unthinkable by escaping the shadow of a much maligned Tim Burton effort some years before. It even managed to go beyond the trite 'Rise of' style moniker which usually signifies a sub-par effort from the creators. But they pushed forward with motion capture technology, provided a story with some emotional resonance and managed to offer many viewers a good time. There were some questionable inclusions of course - the casting, the clichés, and the unnecessary references to the Charlton Heston film. But overall it was pretty impressive once things got moving. Would a follow be able to do the same, or even up the ante?

Winter Horror-Thon

PART THREE: ICONS OF SIN

Time for some religious imagery in this last stop on the tour, as we move away from science fiction and into a few fantasy worlds. It's still going to be a pit stop of world cinema locations mind you. If anyone was expecting a review of something mainstream like Ti West's X they're going to be disappointed. Day Shift? Yeah right. I'm going to need something more outlandish than that. Call me when the much needed spin-off starring Scott Adkins is ready to go. Instead get ready for trauma as everyone's childhoods are ruined by visions of hell and a lot of monsters formed from puke and entrails. I'm not sure the representations of Catholic or Buddhist faiths are entirely accurate here. It's just a hunch. But they're frequently entertaining as a result.

Scorecard

NOVEMBER

FILM OF THE MONTH: Tokyo Fist