Tag Archives: Science Fiction

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

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“They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

Ed Brubaker’s acclaimed source material is the basis for “The Winter Soldier,” a remarkable and incredible follow-up to 2011’s “Captain America.” I’m very secure in declaring that “The Winter Soldier” is the “Empire Strikes Back” of the Captain America trilogy thus far, as the sequel manages to not only give Captain America the much needed conflict with his American ideals, and age old views on the concept of freedom and liberty, but turns him in to a hero who is no longer fighting for America, but for the idea of America. “The Winter Soldier” picks up right after “The Avengers” where Captain America has essentially taken to SHIELD headquarters as a home base, and doesn’t really keep in touch with his old teammates.

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Marvel Knights: Wolverine Weapon X (DVD)

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A sentient organization is sent in to the past to assassinate future heroes and revolutionaries through robotic drones, you say? No, it’s not “Terminator,” it’s actually “Tomorrow Dies Today,” save for minor tweaks here and there. “Tomorrow Dies Today” is based on the Weapon X comic series issues 11-16, where the new Deathlok is introduced in the form of a hive minded group of robotic zombie assassins, tasked with violently murdering everything from young couples, to newborn babies.

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Her (2013)

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It would take Spike Jonze and only Spike Jonze to be able to grasp the more awe inspiring subtleties of “Her.” It’s an incredible technological tale about love, human connection, and a question of a higher power. Though usually I’m not a big fan of films about higher powers, “Her” doesn’t sermonize so much as postulate the idea of a higher power that was once very devoted to their servants and then evolved over time to where they eventually left them to fend for themselves, altogether.

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Nightbeasts (2010)

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“NightBeasts” is a really silly, camp drenched movie. It’s Sasquatchsploitation with a surprisingly tongue in cheek tone that undercuts all menace it possesses. And the good thing is that star Zach Galligan at least seems to be in on the joke. He sports a terrible Southern accent, is probably the worst father in the world, and really does nothing but puff his chest and go shooting at some sasquatches in the woods. “NightBeasts” doesn’t aim for “Abominable” levels of horror, but it’s worth a viewing, if only for Galligan who hams it up big time.

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Fallout (2011)

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I’m not entirely sure what “Fall Out” was aiming for from minute one. All I know is that director Derek Dubois keeps the audience in the dark, providing a narrative that’s about eighty percent ambiguous. And I was okay with that. If you can’t really offer a larger exploration of the world you’ve built, especially considering when it’s set during the apocalypse, the best thing to do is focus on getting us to know the characters in this situation, and director Dubois accomplishes that in spades.

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Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)

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Roger Corman’s contributions have been unmatched by most Hollywood directors, and sadly he’s become a mostly unappreciated presence in filmmaking. As viewed in “Corman’s World,” Roger Corman is one of the most ambitious but very money conscious filmmakers that’s managed to build an entire legacy out of creating entertainment on low budgets, while discovering some of the best filmmakers of all time. From giving Martin Scorsese and Peter Bogdonavich their breaks, to teaching Ron Howard how to direct around limited resources, Roger Corman has been a wizard of giving studios what they want, and doing it his way.

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Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1 (2013) [Blu-Ray]

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Director Lloyd Kaufman leaves no stone unturned with his return to Tromaville, as he revives his iconic “Nuke Em High” series, except for a modern age. Though it’s teeming with eighties flavor, including mutant punks that delight in mutilating unfortunate victims, Kaufman has a blast destroying most of society’s quirks and obnoxious qualities, including veganism, the obsession over social media, and how political movements are about being trendy and not actually caring. Despite many years to polish their films, and hone their craft, the return to Nuke ‘Em High is still an ugly and offensive film, but damned funny to boot.

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