ROTTEN EGGS Movie,Reviews & Previews

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:25:00 +0000

STAR TREK {2009 )

That's it folk. I've completeley given up on finding anything remotely worth watching since the original star trek series.

The motion picture was dissapointing and from then on so was everything else, but this new one is absolutely awful.

Promises of a return to the original series are immediately dashed into an absolute disregard to the virtues of the original. Characters are wildly innapropiate clones and the whole enterprise ( pun intended ) is an absolute mess! Goodbye Star Trek!

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:50:00 +0000

PUSH ( 2009 )

Nick Gant is a second generation "mover", or telekinetic, who has been on the run from The Division ever since Agent Henry Carver murdered his father. He has sought refuge on the streets of Hong Kong, secreting himself from the "sniffers" who are trained to track down the gifted and bring them back to Division. Nick plans to flee the city when his location is uncovered, only to encounter 13-year-old Cassie, a "watcher" or clairvoyant, who needs his help to overthrow Division and free her mother from imprisonment. The girl needs Nick to find escaped "pusher" Kira, who is able to get inside people's minds and plant false memories. Unfortunately, Carver and his goons are also on Kira's trail.

If all we're heading for are doom, gloom and global catastrophe then why bother planning for tomorrow when we could just live for today? Cast aside gritty, realist dramas and probing documentaries and plug into an endless cycle of cutesy animation and feel-good romantic comedies. Then there would be no place for a film like Push, a suspense thriller set in a grim, foreboding future and penned by David Bourla, in which the most gifted among us are lab rats for a shadowy government agency known as The Division. This covert organisation rounds up psychics for the express purpose of creating an army capable of controlling every thought and event. Those unwilling to participate in this shadowy enterprise are eliminated. Unfortunately, top-secret experiments to boost the powers of the psychic warriors using a genetically engineered serum always result in death.

No one has survived... until now. Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is a second generation "mover", or telekinetic, who has been on the run ever since Division Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) murdered his father. He finds refuge on the streets of Hong Kong, hiding from the "sniffers" who are trained to track down his kind and bring them to Division. When his location is compromised, Nick plans to flee the city, only to encounter 13-year-old Cassie (Dakota Fanning), a "watcher" or clairvoyant, who needs his help to retrieve a suitcase containing �6 million. To find the cash, the girl needs Nick to locate escaped "pusher" Kira (Camilla Belle), the only person to live through Division's experiments, who is able to get inside people's minds and plant false memories. Sceptical at first, Nick eventually agrees. "I haven't even gotten to the bad part yet," adds Cassie sombrely, "we die." Unfortunately, Carver and his right-hand man Victor (Neil Jackson) are also on Kira's trail.

Push unfolds through nervous, handheld cameras, which refuse to stay still as Cassie and Nick sacrifice themselves for a greater good. Director Paul McGuigan directs with confidence, including a couple of blistering action sequences like a chase through a market and a showdown on a building site. The script, however, is riddled with unanswered questions and plot holes, such as Cassie's uncanny ability of drawing her dreams to show Nick the way, even when she is running for her life. Fanning is solid without ever being tested in an undemanding lead role, gelling nicely with Evans' buff action hero who concocts the elaborate master plan to save the world without breaking a sweat. Belle brings an ambiguity to her role, while Hounsou obliges with a cardboard cut out villain who wild rather shoot his underlings than jeopardise the mission. If only they were watchers - they might have seen it coming.

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:54:00 +0000

POSIEDON ( 2006 )

Seems like Wolfgang Peterson had other things on his mind while making this film.Although the original Posiedon Adventure was not admitedly a great film, it certainly had more going for it than this recent incarnation.

Character development is virtually non existent and everything seems to be on fast forward to find a way out, giving very little room for anything else. The only saving grace i can think of are the special effects.The wave engulfing the ship is excellently done as are all the on board explosions where bodies are flung violently and bursts of flames spew out from lift shafts etc.

BAD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:23:00 +0000

Tears Of the sun (2003 )

'Tears of The sun ' is an engrossing and above average look at modern day soldiers , as navy seallieutenant A.K. Waters ( Bruce Willis ) and crew must choose between duty or humanity to rescue Dr Kendrcks and her companions.

Kendricks an american citizen helps victims of an ongoing civil war at a Catholic mission in a remote village to which Waters and his elite squadron are sent to rescue. Refusing to leave without the rest of the villagers Waters reluctantly agrees to Kendricks demands to escort them all to safety via helicopter lift. Going back on his words, Waters leaves the villagers behind and only takes Kendricks. Refusing to obey strict orders Waters decides to head back and rescue the rest of the distraught villagers by escorting them to the border and hopefully out pursue the army of rebels at there tail.

It is this trek through the perilous and dense jungle where they try to evade their pursuers that really gets you involved. Witnessing at first hand the brutality of the gathering rebel army makes there passage to safety even more compelling. 'Tears Of The Sun ' is an unusually thought full and compelling movie. Basically an action movie yes! But much more than that may suggest at it's most basic level with it's moral dilemmas and humanitarian concerns.

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:10:00 +0000

THE MUMMY - TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPOROR

Having rather liked the the first two mummy films i was looking forward eagerly for this , the third installment.Sadly it is a great dissapointment.

One could criticize the film on many levels, with it's cheap looking CGI effects, terrible convoluted storyline and some of the most irritating dialogue your likely to hear. Not to mention also the absolute lack of chemistry between the main characters. One major criticism being the replacement of Rachel Weisz by Maria Bello. Such a massive error here, her fake accent and clumsily unconvincing action scenes are to put it mildly, horrid. I get the feeling that Rachel Weisz wisely { no pun intended } gave this whole affair a miss by realizing what a mess it would turn into.

John Hannah fairs slightly better and tries to bring some comedic relief to it all, but ulimately fails to do so. At one point he yells at the mummies ,while attacking them from an aeroplane, calling them bastards... oh dear, how far out of character could you possibly get!

Brendan Fraser looks and acts decidedly miserable throughout and one gets the impression he wished he were somehere else. Also Frasers son has no charisma whatsoever , he's truly cardboard, dead as a brick , and his romantic epsodes are totally redundant. Jet Li is also far removed from the more menacing Arnold Vosloo.

All in all this seems like a big cash in on the previous two films which were in a different league to what we have here.The film feels and looks like a cheat on the mummy idea as well. None of this properly relates to Egypt which is surely what one thinks of first when it comes to mummies and what we would expect.

ROTTEN EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:12:00 +0000

LOST IN SPACE ( Season 3 )

For those that enjoyed the first series of Lost in Space, by the time of the third season, things had taken on a very different tone indeed, and became much more childish and predictable with stock situations being repeated over and over again. As many have qouted as sayng, the Space campiness had irrevocably crept in, and Smith had become an increasingly irritatingly cowardly persona, which was far from the scheming and darker smith as portrayed in the first season, which is by far the most enjoyable especially if you like your science fiction on the more serious side.

It's sad really , but it's true of most of Irwin Allens shows that they started off very promising, but gradually went down hill, untill the plug was eventually pulled.

The Third season though did have some redeeming factors in that it was a little better than the second series which to my mind contained some of the worst episodes. The third season even did on occasion harken back to the first.

At best most of the acting in lost in space was forgettable except for Jonathan Harris, but there's something very nostalgic about the whole series and somehow demands repeated viewings ,which given it's age, is much more entertaining than many Sci Fi series made today, which although containing much more expensive special effects are mostly totally devoid of atmosphere and characters. Lost in Space certainly still has a lot more going for it.

SERIES 1 GOOD EGG

SERIES 2 PAR BOILED

SERIES 3 PAR BOILED

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 08:34:00 +0000

JOHN RAMBO (2008)

John Rambo the indestructable Vietnam vet returns once again to our screens. This time around , the fourth in the series , a group of Christian aid workers in Thailand recruit John Rambo to guide them up the Salween River to deliver medical supplies to the Karen tribe of neighboring Burma (aka Myanmar). When the missionaries fail to return, Rambo is persuaded to take a group of mercenaries back into the war-torn border region to find them. What follows is a descent into hell on earth.

The body count is high and the violence extreme. Stallone pulls out all the stops here . Older he may be ,and more intensely morose than ever, but for his age Stallone still maintains a presence to be reckoned with and quite literally towers over everybody else. His charisma and sheer star quality shine through as ever and makes for possibly the best film in the series. There's some cool flashbacks to the earlier Rambo films included, and the ending ( without giving too much away ) is a nice touch which kind of ends where First blood began. One thing i found missing though was Richard Crenna who died in 2003 sadly.

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:30:00 +0000

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada ( 2005 )

Tommy Lee Jones desrvedly won the 2005 Cannes Film Festival best actor award for this film , which he also directed. Showing there's more to his talent than acting which has gained him a strong presence in the movies for 35 years.

Although Three Burials has a rather unmemorable title , the film certainly is VERY memorable.Jones plays Pete Perkins, a laconic, weathered cattle ranch foreman inthe
bordercommunity of Van Horn, Texas. He has formed a closefriendship with Melquiades Estrada (Julio César

Cedillo), a cowboy from Mexico. Meanwhile, Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) and his beautiful if vapid blond wife Lou Ann (January Jones) have just come from Cincinnati to Van Horn, where Mike has a taken a job as a border patrolman. He reports to Dwight Yoakam's hard-nosed Capt. Frank Belmont, who refers to undocumented workers with a racial slur.

Mike and Lou Ann's lives peaked in high school, and the swiftly bored Lou Ann has little to sustain her. Mike is a mindless macho type who pores over Hustler magazine on the job and immediately displays a propensity for excessive violence in capturing illegal immigrants. When
Melquiades spots a fox menacing a herd of sheep he takes aim, and trigger-happy Mike, on duty nearby, returns fire, killing the cowboy.

Pete promised Mel that should Mel die he would see that his body was buried in his village in Mexico. With Pete, a man's word is taken seriously, and acting on a tip, he kidnaps Mike into accompanying him.

Arriaga backs into his story, alternating among its variousstrands, moving between past and present without warning; it's his way of plunging the audience into the lives of the various people who will soon interact in convoluted and unexpected ways.

The trek south of the border, which holds a climactic surprise revealing the depth of Melquiades' yearning for family ties and a life in an idyllic setting close to nature, is crucial in that it forces a
reevaluation of Mike, heretofore easily dismissed as a lethal jerk. The adventures and hardships become a transforming experience for him and reveal Pepper as a young actor of range and depth.

Beautifully photographed throughout , ' Three Burials ' recalls the gritty westerns of Bud Boetticher and there's more than a passing resemblance to Sam Peckinpahs ' Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia ' . Besides Tommy Lee Jones , Brad Pepper turns in a fine performance too. Definitely one to watch!

CRYSTAL EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 23:26:00 +0000

The Condemned ( 2007 )

A choice selection of convicted death row inmates are offered the opportunity to compete in a deadly game on an abandoned island where the winner will win his or her freedom and there sentences dropped.

Becoming part of a reality TV show the 10 condemned killers from all over the world are pitted against each other and ultimately fight to the death to gain there release. Unknown to the prisoners until later on, hidden cameras are placed in obscure places all over the island and there fights filmed and realyed back to the TV team which are camped on the other side of the island.

The condemned is one exceedingly violent film as one might expect. About several leaps ahead of anything Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwartznegger appeared in. Unlike those stars however there's no one in this that comes remotely as close. Former WWE wrestler Stone cold Steve Austin as he's known stars as Jack Conrad , yes he's grim and cold and really mean yet not as much so as Vinnie Jones, who here goes way overboard at being overly obnoxious.

What we have here is an an overly preachy tone and a nastiness which is taken to the utmost levels. Having said all this i don't think it's quite as bad as most other reviewers have said it is. There's plenty of action to be had , if somewhat grisly and it,s almost fiendishly enjoyable to see the TV crew get there comeuppance at the hands of McStarley - Vinnie Jones with guns blazing.

HARD BOILED

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:47:00 +0000

Captivity ( 2007 )

Can't say anything good about this deplorable movie.It doesn't make any real sense; is totally unconvincing ; is voyeristic and grubby in the worst sense and is so predictable and horridly cold it's a very unpleasant and nasty view all round. Alright ...it's slickly directed by Roland Joffe' but it's almost totally devoid of any suspense and character.

If watching a beautifull woman ( Elisha Cuthbert ) being trapped in a room and having mind games played on her is your bag you will probably enjoy this.

Unfortunately in this day and age there seems to be a growing demand for films like this, which is very sad. Definitely a bad and rotten egg!

BAD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:58:00 +0000

RESCUE DAWN (2007)

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:03:00 +0000

RESCUE DAWN ( 2007 )

Based on a true story ' Rescue Dawn ' depicts the plight of real life german - american vietnam war survivor Dieter Dengler.Director Werner Herzog here creates a very real and gripping experience who earlier made an excellent documentary on the same topic called 'Little Dieter Needs To Fly', with Dengler reliving his traumatic experence while in the clutches of the enemy.

Unlike most war films Rescue Dawn is a sincere and focused portrait of not only a soldier but also the bonding between fellow prisoners. Cutting out any obligatory love story, flash backs or any political statements which have spoiled many other war movies Rescue Dawn gets right to the point without any extraneous clutter. What we have here is a genuinely moving film which certainly ranks as one of Herzogs finest achievements who remains still one of the most unique directors around. One can't help but feel had this been made by one of hollywoods big guns it would have turned out a lot different.

Dengler is played by Christian Bale who having crashed must try to survive and look out for any means of rescue, which is cut short when captured by a group of Vietnamese. Staying true to his morals he refuses to sign a paper discrediting his fellow americans and is therefore abused, tortured and psychlogically victimized.

Eventually Dengler is sent to a makeshift camp where he meets four other prisoners and forms a close relationship with POW Duane Martin played by 'Steve Zahn'.Conditions in the camp are horrific but Hertzog treats them matter of factly and they are not overdone, as in most other peoples hands they would have been.With there feet Manacled to boards and hands handcuffed the prisoners can only roam the guarded camp by day; at night it is impossible, and this is where Dieter finds a way to pick the handcuffs with a nail he secretly procures.

With food being scarce for not only the prisoners but the guards also, conditions get worse and Dieter hatches a plot to escape.The escape is a success and Dieter finally manages to escape by waving down a passing helicopter but his buddy Duane is unfortanately killed.These final secenes are very moving!

Excellent performances here by the two main leads 'Christian Bale ' and ' Steve Zahn '
makes for a must see film.Hertzog turns in a fantastic movie here and it gets my highest accolade the CRYSTAL EGG award.

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:46:00 +0000

ACTRESS OF THE MONTH - GENE TIERNEY

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:49:00 +0000

Room 1408 ( 2007 )

"Room 1408" is an adaptation of Stephen's Kings short novel and take us on a strange phenomenal journey of hallucinations,and terror.Like Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller "Psycho", and Nimrod Antul's "Vacancy" director, Mikeal Hafstrom directs our attention to a hotel room where the unexpected happen, in this movie adaption of a short story by Steven King of the same name."

John Cusack portrays a famed occult writer who is highly sceptical about the very thing he writes about....ghosts. Samuel L. Jackson plays the sinister owner of the Dolphin Hotel who introduces this movie's antics of horror, and the unexpected in this psychological/ horror thriller.

Famed occult writer Mike Enslin (John Cusack) makes a visit to New York's Dolphin Hotel. The Dolphin Hotel is an interesting place for Mike Enslin because of its legacy of horror that have affected every tenant that checked into its isolated room, numbered 1408. The residents check in, but they don't check out having either been murdered or driven impossibly insane. Wanting to check into room 1408 Enslin decides to investigate these ghostly findings, and eventually write another successful story for his newest occult book.

When meeting the hotel manager portrayed by Samuel Jackson, Enslin is warned not to check into room 1408 because of its hideous legacy.So adamant is he not to let Enslin enter this room he tries to bribe him with unreleased material in a folder of other unknown cases in room 1408. Enslin insists though, and checks into room 1408. Upon checking in his nightmares start to begin.. He encounters a radio that won't turn off, and its digital numbers spins out of control; he sees a woman jump from a window, a hideous looking person lunges at him with an ax, bleeding walls, a decomposed corpse that chase him while he attempts to escape, and a host of strange noises that echo his room. Encompassed with the torments of room 1408 Enslin comes to grips with himself and goes on a pathology of hallucinations of his past and future that seemingly never ends his dilemma in room 1408.

Personally I thought this movie was a bit confusing at times, especially as it seemed to shift into a different gear after his trials in the room and didn't really seem to make any sense.Horror fans will no doubt enjoy this film though which certainly has many fine moments despite a lack of coherence.

PAR BOILED

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:53:00 +0000

TARANTULA ( 1955)

Another splendid science fiction come horror film by film director Jack Arnold.My prevoius review of ' THEM ' was released a year earlier and has a similar beginning , being part of the popular 'Giant Insect ' cycle of the period. Rather than having the little girl fleeing from the unseen THEM Arnold has a strangely distorted man with head and hands twisted into bestiality, jump out into the desertr and collapse as the title credits appear.

Performances are much better than average in TARANTULA. Leo G Carroll ( remember him in ' The Man From U.N.C.L.E ) plays a biochemist experimenting with artificial nutrients which consequently have devastating abnormal effects not only on man but also a huge TARANTULA which escapes from the laboratory.

John Agar and Mara Corday, are also smoothly effective with some touches of humor.Look out near the end for a fleeting glimpse of a young and uncredited Clint Eastwood as the fighter pilot who drops some napalm.

Universals desert town standing set is used to great advantage as it did in THE MONOLITH MONSTERS. Used here as a focus of action and a bridge to the rather more threatening world which lurks just beyond the lamplight. Arnolds feel for the desert is once again perfectly realised.

Obviously the special effects are not up to todays standards but what we have here is all atmosphere throughout and not like todays CGI perfectly rendered mostly lifeless FX. Travelling mattes and giant sets were mainly used making the spider appear enormous. I think we can forgive tha fact that the spiders legs don't seem to touch the ground.

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:51:00 +0000

28 Weeks Later ( 2007 )

Zombies are once again wreaking havoc in england in this sequel to 28 days Later. This as another great attempt at rejuvenating the zombie film and injecting it with new life. I found this film even more disturbing and scarier than the previous.

Directed this time around by Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo with Danny Boyle ( director of 28 Days Later ) as co producer. He certainly piles on the non stop action in this one with numerous chase scenes and out and out gut wrenching zombie rage.

After the initial outbreak of the rage virus , 28 Weeks Later takes place in a post plague London. Thousands of people begin to rebuild there lives in a quarantined section of Canary Warf where the majority of the action takes place.One can probably fore guess what's going to happen .... red alert is announced as the viral infestation begins to take hold and overcome everyone except most of the american soldiers, and whats left of a small group which tries to escape via helicopter from Wembley satdium.

Great sequel to the original then. If you like more action you will probably enjoy this one more. Personally i found 28 Days Later the better of the two.

PAR BOILED

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:02:00 +0000

28 Days Later ( 2002 )

Directed by Danny Boyle 28 Days later is a post - apocalyptic sci fi come horror film.

As such this is a pretty good film and compares rather favoroubly to the more famous horror films made by George A. Romero. Emphasis here however seems to be much more focused on the small group of people escaping from the diseased ridden zombies as they travel across country to find refuge with like minded survivors and eventually wind up at an army blockade led by none other than Christopher Eccleston. Yes folks this is a british film and starts out being centered around London when Jim ( Cillian Murphy ) awakens from a coma and finds himself alone in a deserted hospital where he is recovering from some accident.One scene i found a complete rip off though from George A Romeros Dawn of the Dead was the very similar supermarket sequence, but much less effectively done here where they raid a store picking up items willy nilly from the shelves.

Definitely worth a look see this one although it doesn't come across as scarey when compared to similar more greater films. Another odd thing is that unlike the slow moving zombies in the classic Romero films , these are extremely agile and fast moving.

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 19:37:00 +0000

Recommended Casino Movies

When thinking of Casinos one obviously thinks of Las Vegas which has inspired many filmakers. 'Oceans eleven ' is one film which springs to mind, and sees the original members of the Rat Pack planning to rob no less than five casinos in Las Vegas in one night.Remade in 2001 Steven Sondeheim presents a successful and updated version.

Nocolas Cage also appeared in Honeymoon in Vegas, again revolving around casinos with much black humor.Cage loses his job due to drinking and heads for Vegas to have one final fling at the tables while drinking himself into oblivion. The tables unexpectedly turn however. James Caan as the suave and sinister gambler is outstandingly good here.

Rounders starring Matt Damon as Mike Mcdermott is another fine casino / gambling film. Mcdermott is one of the worlds best poker players who gives up gambling but inevitably returns to it when persuaded by an old friend who has just been released from prison , to pay off some debts he owes.The ever increasing stakes along the way make this a very exciting and entertaining film.

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 17:56:00 +0000

Get the most out of your time in Paris!

Why not include a show at the Moulin Rouge, or a dinner cruise down the Seine? How about some unusual Paris sights, the ones most tourists never get to see? Or a day trip to the Normandy D-Day beaches, or the Loire Castles? Include a day at Versailles Castle and Monet's Gardens at Giverny - your choices are really endless. Don't forget to take in some movies along the way too!

Wining and dining can be a luxurious treat for the senses in Paris.French Wine Explorers can open the doors for you to the best wineries, from the most exclusive to the lesser-known gems of each region. Cooking classes on how to learn and create dishes reflecting the authentic cuisine of France and Italy are at yoyr fingertips. Shopping? - then here are open-air food markets . You'll have a great wine and food adventure in France for sure!

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 20:18:00 +0000

QUATERMASS 2 ( 1957 )

Brian Donlevy reprises his role in this Nigel Kneale TV adaption sequel.

Somewhat ponderous and less effective than the earlier film Quatermass 2 is nevertheless a splendid slice of british SF cinema. It is also much darker than the other two.

Director Val Guest maintains and conveys a nice sense of mystery and threat throughout as we find out just exactly what is being manufactured at the secret plant and about it's monstrous occupants.

Best scenes are the ones at the plant ,especially where one of the touring crew, a minister, accidentally falls into one of the domes and stumbles screaming down the steel steps covered in a corrosive black sludge. A very impressive scene.

Only minor complaint, performance wise is Sid James in a cameo role as the drunken press reporter Jimmy. Definitely the worst performance in the film!

If you enjoyed either of the other Quatermass films you will most certainly enjoy this one. I know i did!

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:44:00 +0000

THEM! [1954]

Giant mutant creatures featured prominently in many science fiction films of the 50's and 60's , especially ones involving atomic explosions. Films such as "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" This time around we have giant ants. "THEM" is a classic of the sub genre and is without equal, especially as it's the only giant mutation movie of any coherance and genuine dramatic tension.

Right from the introduction of the giant ants to the final showdown in the storm drains beneath Los Angeles " THEM " comes across as genuine and really scary of what we could unleash if we carry on testing atomic bombs.

Over 50 years on and "THEM" is as powerful today as it was then.The images portrayed still frighten and the sense of mystery and then threat still pack a punch. In less capable hands "THEM" would have been a failure but Director Gordon Douglas turns this into a classic.

No really notable actors, except Edmund Gwenn who plays the part of the old and wise entomologist ; as always he's excellent as is James Whitmore who is among the first to discover the ants. Much lesser known actor James Arness plays the lead who first appeared disguised as the carrot creature in "THE THING ".

"THEM" in some respects recalls " IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE " with it's desert locations and atmosphere. A girl stumbles out of the desert and is only able to utter "THEM" "THEM" which makes for a very powerful introduction. From then on we discover smashed buildings and twisted cars which in each case has a trail of sugar leading from the site.Eventually when the nest is found poison gas is pumped in and a party with flamethrowers try to wipe out any of the survivors. It's soon discovered that two of the queen ants have flown from the nest and as so the search continues.This time leading to the storm drains of LA and finally James Whitmores final battle as he tries to save not only his own life but also that of some children which become trapped.

So many remarkable scenes in "THEM" which are played excellently throughout and for me it's all the better for being in black and white. " THEM " is definitely a film you should see.

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:39:00 +0000

TWENTY MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

Various creature and insect films thrived during the latter 1950's as did dinosaur pictures. One of the most impressive of the latter is Nathan Juran's Twenty Million Miles to Earth where an earth to venus space expedition crashes into the sea off Italy and loses it's specimen of Venusian life. A jelly like rubbery egg which apparently contains some sort of weird embryonic creature which eventually hatches.

Looking like some alien Tyrannosaurus Rex ( one of Ray Harryhausens liveliest and memorable creations ) the baby begins to grow rapidly and although seems harmless enough at first soon goes on the rampage and is eventually shot down.

Best scenes here are the early ones where the rescue party board the crashed ship and struggle through the wreck to reach the injured crew. Smoke and angled shots are used to very good effect as are the sound effects. All cleverly done to disguise the fact that the sets were those left over from ' The Caine Mutiny '.Another is where the US military helicopters chase the beast across the Sicilian (though actually mainly Californian) countryside. Here the animated Ymir ( as it is called ) appears in a variety of surroundings including, sulphur pits and rocky outcrops, with detailed miniatures almost seamlessly with front and rear projections of real locations. The scene ends with the Venusian covered in an electrically charged net dropped from a helicopter.

What really lets the film down badly though is the acting which is laughable at times as is the script. It will probably be more enjoyed by children, especially these days, and for fans of Harryhausens work , which is without doubt splendid here and is enough of a reason to view it in my opinion. Nice film but badly flawed!

Alternate Titles: TWENTY MILLION MILES TO EARTH; THE GIANT YMIR; THE BEAST FROM SPACE.

HARD BOILED

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:41:00 +0000

THEY LIVE ( 1988)

John Carpenter is back with a very cool concept here based on a pulp fiction sci-fi story.

A tough loner ( Roddy Piper ) loses his job and takes to the road. Becoming involved with a bunch of squatters he stumbles upon the terrifying discovery of ghoulish aliens masquerading as humans.Only seen it seems through a certain type of dark glasses which he unwittingly comes across in one of the buildings.

The film certainly recalls the likes of his 'Assault on Precint 13' , again with his own dark menacing electro score bringing out nicely the underlying terror and violence which is about to ensue. A very cool tongue in cheek attitude permeates too which works well. I can't help but think of Kurt Russel in the place of hunky lead Roddy Prior .....although he's not bad at all. It all moves along nicely and there's plenty of action along the way. Keith David makes an excellent sidekick as they eventually penetrate the nerve centre of the aliens and ultmately cause chaos in their plans to take over.

A back on form JC !

GOOD EGG

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:57:00 +0000

The Descent ( 2006 )

A cool tempting premise upon seeing and reading the DVD case /trailer.

A group of young women go cave exploring and wished they hadn't on this occasion when they discover malevolent creatures in the subterranean darkness.

What initially is a fun trip soon turns into one of terror. After a cave in and the entrance becomes blocked the group of women are forced to find another way out and venture deeper into the cave system to find that other way out, if any !

Now all of this may sound great entertainment value and up to a point it is but unfortunately what is really lacking here is characterisation. Without which we just do not really relate to any particular person and are insensative to anyones demise. A shame really , because this film would certainly have benefitted from much more emotionally involving characters and more rounded likable people. As a result, When the group comes across creatures which resemble albino dwarf mutants bent on devouring there prey, we really do'nt give a damn what happens to anyone of them , as heads are severed and we witness various scenes full of blood and guts. I at least didn't! The script is also very poor and really doesn't help matters at all.

PAR BOILED

noreply@blogger.com (SoLaRiS) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:29:00 +0000

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN ( 1957 )

Scott Carey ( Grant Williams ) falls victim to a cloud of radioactive gas which causes him to gradually shrink in size.

Although the acting is unfortanately wooden this is a fine blend of science fiction and horror which one will for sure remember after the first viewing.

What begins as a figure of academic medical interest in Scotts predicament soon gives way to ridicule as he becomes more of an object of fascination , which cuts all the more deeper as Scott is just an ordinary Joe and doesn't understand at all what's happening him as he becomes smaller and smaller. Objects and pets such as his friendly cat soon become things of terror as he becomes no more to the cat than a mouse to be played with. More frightening still is the spider in the cellar as he becomes trapped there . Searching for food he finds a piece of cheese and winds up prey of the spider as he tries to attain a meal.

Director Jack Arnold made many fine films in this genre and this is one of his best.Excellent special effects throughout and the giant sets are really good. Incidentally the spider which is supposedly a trained one also appeared in Arnolds ' Tarantula '

Some may find the ending i a little cornball but all in all TISM a very highly recommended movie. Arachnophobes beware!!

CRYSTAL EGG