The Brothers Levitch’s “Swine” is a film that’s right up my alley. Told in three parts, “Swine” is a post apocalyptic steam punk Western that takes two warring groups of soldiers and pits them against each other in a wasteland void of human decency and nobility. This reminded me an awful lot of “Firefly” and in many respects it has that epic potential because “Swine” has a really good head on its shoulder with a creative vision that can make it a hit at festivals and garner an immense fan base. I sure as hell would follow this if it became a feature length film. In a world where all law has been abolished, there are two fronts on the battlefield.
Tag Archives: S
Submarine (2011)
“Submarine” isn’t just the anti-teen romance, it’s actually a film that doesn’t glamorize the romance even though it’s essentially about falling in love and losing love. Almost like a lost Wes Anderson film, director Richard Ayoade’s dramedy is a bold cinematic venture that dares to defy any preconceived freshman notions about his film making and fully grasps on to pretension (featuring title cards and monotonous narration et al). This is basically because our main protagonist Oliver is anything but a humble heroic young man. In actuality, he’s very much filled with enormous pretension, and enough self-loathing to garner expectations from the girls of his dreams that are rock bottom.
Superman: Requiem (2011)
Speaking as a hardcore Superman geek, I’m especially happy to see more indie filmmakers come out of the wood work to put on display their storytelling chops for Superman. What with the newest Superman film arriving in theaters in 2013, it’s especially pleasing to see more of the Man of Steel in the fan film circuit. I mean why the hell should Batman get all of the good fan films, anyway? “Requiem” is an admittedly ambitious and intimidating undertaking. Much like “Superman Returns,” it owes much of its mood and tone to the classic Christopher Reeve pictures, and director Gene Fallaize pretty much acquires the same atmosphere and implements the classic score the original Reeve films once had.
Specimen (1996)
“Specimen” is one of those late nineties relics that has to be seen to be believed or else you’ll be sure it never existed. A TV movie and straight to video film, “Specimen” is by and large one of the many blemishes on its stars filmographies that acts as merely a vehicle and some work during their down time and serves as nothing more than filler. A rip off of “The Terminator 2,” “Firestarter,” and “Fire in the Sky,” Douglas Bradshaw’s film is one I discovered in the 1999 and have yet to get over. It’s a cheesy knock off and one that prides itself in being a shameless carbon copy, but I love it just the same at the end of the day.
Superheroes (2011)
Director Mike Barnett’s chronicling of real life superheroes wants to ultimately have it both ways. It’s at times very exploitative and mocks its subjects relentlessly with tricky editing and bloopers that depict the subjects as lunatics in costumes, and by the second half Barnett tries to depict his clan of costumed lunatics in to something of a do gooder bunch with well meaning intentions that will undoubtedly get them killed one day. You can do nothing but feel pity for these people who have taken to creating ridiculous costumes and using Power Rangers as their inspiration for patrolling streets and risking being murdered rather than take up admirable trades like EMT services, law, and so much more that they can contribute society.
The Surge (2002)
I guess it’s too much to ask for a good time from a film from The Asylum, but I’m an ever so optimistic movie watcher. Some would say naive, in fact. “The Surge,” also known as “The Secret Craft” also known as “The Source,” has a relatively good idea on its shoulder that could be turned in to something of a magnificent low budget epic if it really had some talent in its corner. Alas it doesn’t, thus we’re subjected to what is primarily a really bad rip-off of “The Craft.”
S: A Superman Fan Film (2011)
Director Johnny K. Wu thankfully doesn’t try to re-invent the wheel when it comes to “S: A Superman Fan Film.” Essentially it’s an homage to the classic tropes of the Superman mythos that tells its story under thirty minutes and uses its array of dazzling green screen effects and top notch costumes to get the job done in conveying a simplistic and rather meat and potatoes Superman tale. While at times a bit campier than I would have liked, “S: A Superman Fan Film” is a loyal and rather entertaining Superman fan film that pits the man of steel against his two greatest nemeses.