These days many people just do not enjoy “The Blair Witch,” and that’s a shame. I still love the movie, and I still think it’s a frightening simplistic horror film about curiosity killing the cat. But in a day and age where gore is on the menu, it’s not hard to fathom why it’d be disliked. “Altered” is an admirable if flawed follow-up from the “Blair Witch” boys that is much different in every sense. Gore and guts are present, as well as a fairly simplistic alien carnage story. Ah, the joys of being a horror fanatic. “Altered” is a good old fashioned horror film, and one that relies on the conventions of typical claustrophobic horror fare to get us through.
Tag Archives: Science Fiction
SuperCroc (2007)
I really can’t understand why companies on tight budgets insist on attempting to create humongous epics on such a small pittance. “Supercroc” is part rip-off of “Primeval,” a part rip-off of “Alligator,” and a part rip-off of “Godzilla.” But mostly, it’s just an animals-on-a-rampage flick typical of low budget fare these days. And as all low budget fare, the animal in question does very little. As I’ve seen with many low budget movies, the film thinks it can base the story around our characters, so the audience won’t notice that the thing they came for only appears every twenty minutes and does very little. And this would be well and good, were the writing worth something. I mean, hell, the first ten minutes of this snooze fest involves soldiers on a mission on… I want to say a lake resort.
TMNT (2007)
Michelangelo: I have nightmares about birthday parties…
I’ll happily admit this again and again, “TMNT” was one of my most anticipated movies of 2007. Because whether I say it or not, the Ninja Turtles were just a big part of my youth. And they’re a franchise I consistently trail back to and enjoy. I loved the original movie, loved the animated series and hell, I even dug the 2003 animated series. Remember that period when they were a rock band? I digress. This franchise is not without its hitches, as every franchise is, but “TMNT” was a step in the right direction. Computer animation, great cast, and bringing the turtles back to the dark without abandoning their major audience. I’m assuming you know the story of the turtles by now, so I’ll segue into the review.
Stan Lee Presents: The Condor (2007)
What Stan Lee has basically done here is create his very own Spider-Man. With the Condor, we have a basically privileged young man whose life is really in need of a boost. When his parents die, he is rendered basically crippled after being attacked, and becomes a superhero. One that talks the villains to death to piss them off. The Condor is basically the equivalent of the Spider-Man rogue Rocket Racer with a mixture of that lame superhero from the nineties: MANTIS.
Stan Lee Presents Mosaic (2006)
“Mosaic” lured me because, well, anything these days that doesn’t look like quasi-anime made just gets a pass with me, and “Mosaic” gets a pass for looking like honest to goodness animation. “Mosaic” is made up to look like a moving comic book. Wherein the recent Marvel cheap-o cash-ins, “Mosaic,” from Stan Lee’s Company “Pow” entertainment, seeks to be unique, while also possessing the same novelty of a comic, fonts and all. But don’t let the animation fool you, it’s not something I’d suggest for anyone under fifteen, basically because watching the villain break a guard’s neck, was something that drew a furrow of the brow. But hey, the writing by Scott Lobdell paired with Anna Paquin’s name really drew me to this fantasy actioner, I must say.
The Invincible Iron Man (2007)
You have to give it to Marvel Comics. While DC refuses to allow certain freedoms to separate properties of their characters for fear of “confusing fans” and undermining our intelligence, Marvel Comics openly allows their characters to be portrayed in different mediums. Even with a big budget film adaptation in the works, with Robert Downey Jr. starring, and John Favreau directing, they still allow this animated adaptation to be released to fans. Because, we can tell the difference. We just can. We’re not as dumb as WB and DC perceives us to be. One of the better improvements upon the Iron man animated film is that it bears no real connection to the previous “Ultimate Avengers” series of films. Meanwhile, the story of Tony Stark and Rhodey is played with a level of espionage and suspense of your typical spy film, shying away from any sort of camp. Here Stark is hardly ever referred to as Iron Man, and the character is more of a presence, and less a superhero.
Sidekick (2005)
I’ve been a comic book fan since I was a very small kid. Before I could read they were great to look at, and I’d have someone tell me their names, when I learned to read they were fun to dive into, even if I didn’t always understand the stories. When I became older, they were fun to read because the stories were so damn good depending on what comic you read, and when I became a man, I learned subtext, commentary, and undertones for the better, and I sought out deeper material. Either way, comic book fandom is a hobby that evolves over time, and de Graaf has the right idea of the love for comic books. There have been many an homage to the Superhero genre, but “Sidekick” is a completely different one altogether.