Tag Archives: Science Fiction

Man Underground (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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manundergroundA conspiracy theorist living in a small North Eastern town removes himself from society more and more after having a visit from aliens on his government job.  As he lives his life as best he can following the loss of his job and of his marriage, he gives talks about aliens to dwindling crowds.  After meeting an actress, he decides to make a film about his life with her and his only friend left.

Co-writers/co-directors Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec work very well together, building a film laced with the lead’s paranoia and showing three sides of what he has to deal with: friendly people who want to help; people wanting to use him as s how; and people who have complete condescension for him.  They build a world where the audience feels for him while understanding where others come from on how they deal with him.  They build a character study of a man who may have lost his mind or not, a man with an absolute conviction in his belief that is unbreakable even if he is.  The way they construct the characters and story pulls the viewer in even if alien conspiracy is not their thing like this reviewer.

The cast of course helps a lot.  George Basil does a phenomenal job in the part of Willem Koda, the alien conspiracy theory at the center of the film.  The way he embodies the character makes him so human and believable.  His portrayal makes Willem the town kook that everyone wants to know more about and care about.  As the actress Willem takes an interest in, Flossie Ferguson, actress Pamela Fila shows that interest and care, bringing the viewer in further as she becomes their stand-in in his life.  The conflict she shows in parts of the film looks genuine like her interest.  Rounding out the great lead cast is Andy Rocco as Todd Muckle, Willem’s best and only friend who stands by him no matter what, even when they don’t agree on everything.  His performance is also spot-on and creates a character everyone can care for and who is a little goofy but with his heart in the right place.

Man Underground is a carefully planned and made film that makes more than the most of its small budget.  From the production design by Amber Cicardo to the art direction she did with costume designer Alexandra Lopez to the music by Zach De Sorbo to the cinematography by Maximilian Lewing, everything looks and sounds like a bigger budget film. It’s a testament to the talent of all involved and to the importance of choosing a great team to work with and stretch your dollars.

Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine craft a great film about a man who wants to be believed, who needs to be believed, a character study of a conspiracy theorist and whose beliefs have affected his life.  Their film is touching while giving a glimpse into the life of someone considered crazy without turning it into a satire or a comedy at the expense of this man.

Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.

Supergirl: The Complete First Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]

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supergirlseason1The series “Supergirl” is in a tricky dilemma from episode one. It’s been created by a network like CBS in America that doesn’t quite understand it. CBS has never really embraced the superhero boom of the aughts, and “Supergirl” pretty much was walking on egg shells from episode one. It’s a good bit of fortune it’s been ported over to the CW where it can live and breathe among other superhero fare like “The Flash” and “Arrow.” After swearing off Supergirl for many years, I decided to be a good little super fan boy and check out “Supergirl” and I’m glad that I did. It’s a pretty remarkable and loyal adaptation of the DC Comics character that is so much more Superman than Superman has been in the last sixteen years.

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Tank 432 (2015) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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tank432A military-trained group wakes up in a forest with no clue how they got there or how to make it out.  They venture to a farm where they find dead bodies and live prisoners.  Taking the latter with them, they head for a field where they find the titular tank and hole themselves up in it.  While looking for a way out of their situation, things go from bad to worse.

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Harmony (2015) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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harmonyHealth and happiness conscious people have found a way to live forever and without despair.  In this utopian future, Tuan Kirie is an investigator for the health agency.  As she breaks the rules at her outpost position, she is brought back to Japan where a sudden wave of suicides happens as she arrives.  Tuan Kirie is dispatched to investigate these and she takes advantage of this to investigate her past as well.

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Embers (2015) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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embersIn the not too distant future, most of the population has been affected by a neurological disease robbing them of their memories.  While a few people try to retain their minds and stay healthy, the rest of the population is trying to remember and reconnect.

Director Claire Carré co-wrote Embers with Charles Spano and they create a dystopian future where the majority of the population, what’s left of it anyways, has no memories but can function as adults.  This leads to some scenes reminiscent of what it’s like to deal with someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.  These people still care about others but they simply do not remember each other or who they are themselves.  This could have led to a film where it’s difficult to care about the characters or overly schmaltzy, but that is not the case here.  Carré and Spano’s attention to detail and to creating humans and not simply characters brings forth people that are highly flawed yet trying to connect with each other which lead the audience to connect with them.

As the characters do not remember who they are, the two leads are credited as Guy and Girl.  In these roles are Jason Ritter and Iva Gocheva, both of whom give their characters’ memory loss and loss of self a level of dignity as they search for who they are.  Ritter shines in particular as a man lost while trying to help this girl he feels close to and wakes up near every day, not knowing if they are together or not.  His performance shows care and love while being lost and fighting the despair of losing one’s mind.  His performance steals most of the scenes he is in.  Playing opposite Ritter in most of his scenes is Iva Gocheva who plays well with him, their performances complement each other.  The ensemble of the cast does also quite well, but these two stand out the most.

The production design by Chelsea Oliver and art direction by Matthew Lackit and Wojciech Zogala create a future that is both dystopian and realistic.  The environment in which most of the population lives is counter-productive to them figuring themselves out, in contrast, the rich, unaffected people’s places are filled with technology yet colder than the outside world.  The dichotomy of both worlds is carefully calculated and built.  These set or settings bring a lot to the story and the characters.

All of this is put together to create a film that shows a potential future for Earth, one that is not perfect or even all that good, but the good of people shines through.  The representation of the mystery disease feels like something that could happen if humans do not kill each other first.  The film makes its viewers think and does not take them for idiots.  Some of the mysteries are never explained. It’s simply a slice of life with no explanation how we got there or of what comes after.

Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.

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Kaijyu Mono (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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kaijumonoIn the only logical location for Kaijyu attacks, Japan, a Kaijyu wakes up and eats teenagers in a forest.  A scientist and his assistants look into the event and get involved in the fight against the Kaijyu. The film is directed and co-written by Minoru Kawasaki who also worked on The Calamari Wrestler, a film with a very particular story line.  With his co-writer on Kaijyu Mono, Takao Nakano, they create a delightfully bizarre tale that only makes sense when screening at Fantasia.

The story they build here is full of surprises and twists, not all of which make sense but they somehow fit in this film.  It’s hard to explain, but it works, possibly because the whole premise is completely crazy.  The characters they have created are not particularly original or deep and they feel like crazy caricatures which brought this viewer to the conclusion that it’s a wanted thing.  They add so many odd selections to their film that it all has to be planned.

The cast for this is composed of Saki Akai, Bin Furuya, Shinzo Hotta, etc.  They all are a bit cartoon-y and definitely do so on purpose as this is what the story lend itself to.  That being said, the acting, within its confines and limitations, is quite good.  It cannot be easy to keep a straight face when the elder actor on set shows up dressed as Sailor Moon for example.

The titular Kaijyu us fun, but not particularly original.  It looks similar to many Kaijyus seen before, which is most likely a wanted thing as a throwback to old school Kaijyu films.  This particular monster is clearly a man in a suit and it shows, adding charm to its appearances and to its fight sequences.  In these sequences, the monster fights a giant man, made so by shots in the story and by using cool maquettes in the film techniques, bringing even more nostalgia to the proceedings.  The fights themselves are more like wrestling than martial arts even though they do through some of that in there, they are very exaggerated, but quite entertaining.

Kaijyu Mono is a fairly simple film, keeping proceedings to a minimum of locations and characters.  It’s fun and entertaining but doesn’t re-write the book on its genre or bring much new elements to the table.  It’s silly, many elements are just there to be funny or look cool, but it works in a sense that it’s entertaining non-sense with a strong sense of nostalgia.  Fans of old Kaijyu films should love Kaijyu Mono.

Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]

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invasion-blurayPhilip Kaufman’s 1978 remake and adaptation of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” remains one of the most resounding arguments for the purpose of remaking films. Often times like the case of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” directors can rework certain ideas and add something to the mythology, allowing for a starker and very bleak vision that helps a film stand on its own. John Carpenter achieved that with “The Thing,” and Philip Kaufman succeeds in adding his own layer of dread and futility with “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” A lot of horror movies are filled with some tinge of hope that perhaps humanity or our heroes will prevail over the unusual menace threatening to consume a portion of Earth.

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