When James Cameron came aboard the “Alien” series, he essentially took what was a dark science fiction horror film and transformed its sequel in to a action packed monster movie. When it came to Cameron’s love child “The Terminator,” Cameron seemed to work in reverse starting his series off as a tale about a robotic monster from the future, and then transformed his premise in to a darker science fiction parable about the imminent apocalypse and the sheer labyrinth that is time travel.
Category Archives: Movie Reviews
Argo (2012) (Blu-Ray/DVD + Ultraviolet Copy)
Director Ben Affleck has compiled a wonderful and small list of films that bring substance, relevance, and real depth of cinema to the table. Once a man on the verge of fading in to obscurity, Affleck has now really re-invented himself as a man who has something to contribute to the world of cinema that doesn’t involve a smile and a cleft flash. Ben Affleck has revealed himself to be an understated and often under appreciated cinematic artist, who can often explore the worlds he chooses with great complexity and restraint. “Gone Baby Gone” remains his truly unnoticed masterpiece, but Affleck has managed to completely topple the last film, with thrillers and dramas that provide audiences with something unique and bold, while exploring themes of redemption, salvation, and hatred.
2 Hours (2012)
There was something particularly haunting about director Michael Ballif’s short film “Two Hours” when I was finished. I have seen short zombie films over and over in the course of three years, but “2 Hours” manages to achieve a certain morbid and disturbing nature to it that will stick with viewers long after the credits have rolled. Shot on an apparently small budget that’s defined as “no budget” over the course of two years, director Michael Ballif manages to paint an interesting post-apocalyptic world based around the walking dead.
Alma (2009)
Director Rodrigo Blaas’s short film “Alma” presents the illusion of whimsy and magic at first sight, but deep down “Alma” is one of the spookiest short films made in years. Its entire premise seems to be a metaphor for child endangerment and how easily children could get sucked in to the darkness of the world and disappear forever. The sentient store in the story could very well double for a stranger offering a child a treat, while the young girl in the movie is the child submitting to the temptation and paying a deadly price.
Let's Make a Movie (2012)
In order for “Let’s Make a Movie” to be half as good as it is, it really had to cast the right performer for the character of Cassie Thompson, and director Elana A. Mudgan accomplishes that task with Hallie York. Granted, “Let’s Make a Movie” is a really good and entertaining dramedy about the obstacles of filmmaking, but Hallie York really is the heart and soul of the film. On surface level, York doesn’t seem like a polished actress, but York really manages to carry the film with her portrayal of the troubled and conflicted young Cassie, who is struggling to find a direction in her life. Badgered by her parents to find something useful to do with her life, Cassie quits her job to work on an indie film that she is convinced will grant her success as a film director.
After Porn Ends (2010)
Yet again, we have a documentary that pretty much intends to shed a light on the porn industry that hasn’t been seen before. It depicts the industry as anything other than fantastic and filled with raunchy sex. Director Bryce Wagoner’s “After Porn Ends” seems on a mission to show the human side of porn stars, and how many have fared after they’ve left behind the industry. But once you’ve finished “After Porn Ends,” not only will you have a new insight on the industry, but you’ll likely want to burn every pornographic film you’ve ever seen, and follow it up with a bullet to the head.
Cemetery High (1989)
Basically, Gorman Bechard’s “Cemetery High” is a comedy spoof of every rape revenge movie you’ve ever seen. Except when it tries to be funny, it fails painfully. When it tries for exploitation revenge, it manages to be a pretty absurd and interesting bit of revenge horror. I wonder why someone thought mocking this material would make for an entertaining movie. Granted, the tale of women striking down rapists isn’t exactly a dramatic bit of cinematic fare, especially in the late eighties, but mocking the material so incessantly feels so shoe horned, the comedy is awkward rather than unfunny.