Tag Archives: Science Fiction

5 Reasons Why You Should Buy “The Strain: Season One” and 5 Reasons Why You Should Pass

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Season One of “The Strain” is finally here, and after a pretty good run on FX in America, its mixed bag first season is ready for consumption. Perhaps it plays better as one fluid marathon, but as a week after week series, it garners a lot of filler, some really inconsistent direction, and a crew that can never be sure if they want to embrace the vampire formula, or ignore it altogether. “The Strain” is a fine horror series, just a very mixed bag that will frustrate as well as entertain. Here are 5 Reasons to Buy and 5 Reasons to Pass On Buying “The Strain” Season One.

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Remembering “Surface”: Sea Monsters, Dragons, and Lake Bell

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“Surface” is the definition of a series with a one note concept that would have worked much better as a mini-series when all is said and done. Around the mid-aughts, NBC television began working their way in to science fiction and began airing the quite ambitious “Surface.” During 2005, ABC’s “Lost” was taking America by storm and dominating pop culture with its mysterious storylines and baffling plot twists, so every network attempted to build their own franchise in the same vein. “Surface” is a valiant attempt with misguided writing.

And yes, I sat through the whole thing.

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The Rover (2014)

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If there’s anything more I love than post apocalyptic films, its post apocalyptic films with substance and meaning to them. “The Rover” is a slow boil drama thriller set in Australia where the continent has now economically collapsed. Set ten years after an apparent apocalypse, Australia is the Wild West where law is so corrupt that its citizens have zero respect for those in blue. Director David Michôd thrives on ambiguity by introducing a cast of characters with their own moral codes that conflict with everyone else’s. “The Rover” garners nothing but slime balls and the amoral, but that doesn’t stifle the utterly compelling storyline.

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Into the Storm (2014) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

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If it’s at all possible, “Into the Storm” manages to out silly “Twister” by miles. It features a giant hurricane, absolutely valiant attempts to comment on global warming, and a fire tornado! A fire tornado trumps a flying cow any day of the week, sad to say. “Into the Storm” is a silly movie without a single compelling character, but when it stops trying to create drama it’s actually a lot of fun to sit through. From the great special effects, to the absolutely tense carnage inflicted by nature, “Into the Storm” is that kind of movie you could see Paul Newman and Red Buttons co-starring in 1979.

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Why are Archers So Popular?

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While watching “Hunger Games: The Mockingjay, Part One,” my mind wandered. When Katniss Everdeen gets her new set of arrows (this is not a spoiler, is it?), some are explosive – “trick” arrows, similar to the ones used by Oliver Queen on Arrow or Hawkeye in The Avengers.

When these characters came to mind, I started to sense a pattern. In the 21st Century, people love archers: Legolas in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films; Green Arrow on both Arrow and Smallville; Hawkeye over at Marvel is experiencing great popularity both on the silver screen and in the pages of his own comic; Neytiri from James Cameron’s Avatar; Sterling Archer; Merida from Pixar’s Brave and Katniss offer girls positive role models, while Hanna maybe not so much. I think there’s also a girl who shoots arrows in the Narnia movies, but I’ve never seen those. I started to think about why these archers are so popular.

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Squirm (1976): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]

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I understand director Jeff Leiberman for his anger about his film being mocked on “Mystery Science Theater.” But I also understand why “Squirm” was such good fodder. Intentionally silly or not, “Squirm” is not a good movie, nor is it a good horror movie. It’s barely competent storytelling. I never could quite comprehend why “Squirm” was such a classic, but oddly enough it’s that movie that always rose to the surface to play on late night cable, or in drive in theaters. Don Scardino is laughably miscast as Mick, the hero of “Squirm” who visits his girlfriend Geri in her small Southern town for a romantic rendezvous. Of course, them hill folk don’t take too kindly to Mick’s straight forward attitude.

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Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

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Seeing as I never liked the original animated shorts the movie is based on, I was very skeptical toward “Mr. Peabody and Sherman.” There hasn’t been much interesting entertainment mined from the Rocky and Bullwinkle short series. Surprising enough, “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” doesn’t just adapt the shorts, but expands on them, injecting heart, characterization, and isn’t reliant on pop culture nods and winks to keep the audience entertained. It’s that refreshing element that makes this adaptation such a stellar piece of animation.

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