Which One’s Better: Ghosthouse or After Dark
When it comes to independent horror films, it’s hard to find a film or films that stick out; films that make you sit back a minute because you were utterly scared. Of course the budgets are small and many of the writers and directors are fairly new in the craft. Every year, Ghosthouse pictures and After Dark release movies that are are marketed as either “too scary to show in theaters” or something along those lines. Scary marketing and scary movies, too…not in the I-scared-myself-silly kind of way. Scary as in the movies, cinematically, are pretty bad. However, there are a fair share of good ones, which leads to the debate: who has the better movies, Ghosthouse or After Dark. Read more
Have No Fear, Battlestar Fans: Caprica, BSG’s Prequel Coming
For Battlestar: Galactica fans, have no fear. The much-anticipated prequel to Battlestar: Galactica is coming on DVD and digital download on April 21st. Caprica will take place approximately 50 years before the events of BSG take place. Esai Morales and Eric Stoltz star as two power hungry individuals who try to take advantage of the artificial intelligence discovery which ultimately leads to AI destruction. Caprica won’t tie up anything from BSG; rather, it is straightforward and there are no strings attached. Preorder is now available but those intending to download must wait until the 21st to do so.
Romero Fails to Live Up to His Own Genius
George Romero, progenitor of the Dead series has, in very few ways, failed to live up to those famous movies. I sat down and viewed a recent Romero film, Bruiser, which he also wrote. While the direction of the film was good, the storyline was not. Couple Bruiser with his most recent attempt at a zombie movie, Diary of the Dead, and one has to wonder what happened to such a creative genius. Could it be that he faltered under his own genius or is it the fact that he’s given up? I go with the former; the latter seems rather pretentious because he created a genre that’s at times hard to duplicate. I find it rather difficult to think someone gave up on his craft. After all, Ernest Hemingway collapsed under his weight as a literary mastermind so it’s not uncommon in the literary business. The chilling suspense and the action of his Dead movies are far from a movie like Monkey Shines or Bruiser where the storyline is often convuluted with watered down themes that fail to make the viewer cheer for the protagonist. Rather, his latest string of films, including Diary of the Dead, fail to make viewers understand the deeper meaning of conflict as expressed in his Dead movies. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Romero and his previous works, but in an age where writers are resorting to cliche and generic prose…Romero is no different.
Dragonball: Evolution: Don’t Waste Your Time
Undoubtedly there are many people who are interested in watching this movie. In recent weeks, the marketing for the film has died down significantly and that might have been for a reason. The anime or manga series of Dragonball is probably the favorite for many anime and manga fans, but this movie, riddled with bad puns, cliche and bad acting, will be an assaul to your senses. The lack of a storyline also distracts from the movie viewing. In the Dragonball world, the movie is a conglomeration of details that are so prevalent in the cartoon series. Screenwriters producers couldn’t possibly get all the details correct in the Hollywood movie; there’s too much to touch upon. If you’re a Dragonball fan, you know what I’m talking about. That was one knock on the movie. Could you possibly have a roughly two-hour movie and put out a decent storyline given all the details laid out in the show? No! Many of the characters don’t even emulate what they were in the anime version. This movie is a waste of time, not worthy of your time or money. On a scale of 1-10, this movie is deserving of a 3.
Monsters vs. Aliens, fun, new for the family
Dreamwork’s new hit Monsters vs. Aliens is in a word, fun. It’s comedic wit and more than decent voicing makes this movie very family friendly and can even be enjoyed by fans of science fiction or adventure. Sure, this movie is void of gore and extreme violence, but the movie still shows areas of science fiction mixed with the occasional story arc of a scifi movie. The viewer will recognize many voice talents such as Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen and Hugh Laurie and they deliver a wonderful performance. And, dare I say, fits the characters they all play very well. Monsters vs. Aliens employs a simplistic story line with not a lot of structure, but there’s not a lot of need for structure, particularly in a kid’s movie. This movie isn’t an inquisitive movie like the Seventh Seal. There are mild themes of violence it is very stylized and cartoonish. Nothing too frightening to the child, for sure. This movie, dare I say, is appropriate for all ages. For the rough and tough exteriored person, this movie will still have themes that you’ll enjoy. I give this movie a 9.