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Reviews
The Gamma People (1956)
Delightful! Perfect for a movie night with sci fi friends.
My impression of this wonderful tale is colored by my experience seeing it for the first time at age ten on the late late show in NYC. Although there are lighthearted moments, to me, it didn't (and still doesn't) play for laughs. I find it well-constructed, written and acted by all involved.
The scene on the train is nice, as I especially enjoy scenes on trains. The action continues at a perfect pace through the whole movie. There is the usual mysterious mad scientist.
A mark of quality in a film like this is that the principal players are in roles that make them accessible; they are real people and not just cardboard cutout characters. You feel as though you could at least strike up a conversation with them and try to figure out this mystery.
The movie is not currently in copyright, so is available on www.archive.org for viewing or downloading, which I highly recommend. Invite some friends over, pop some corn, make some nachos, and have a great time.
Empty (2011)
Enjoyable. Moderate pacing, but never boring. Definitely worth a look.
If you are expecting a post-apocalyptic action-packed white-knuckle thrill ride, this is not your movie. I enjoyed the moderate pace of this film. The gentle, guitar soundtrack sets the perfect tone. The acting of the two leads is perfectly competent, as it is with nearly the entire cast. No real complaints there.
I am a screenwriter myself, and found the script, dialog, directing and cinematography to be excellent. Kudos for the camera work; someone really knows good outdoor light. The interiors were apparently real locations and look good. The location shooting outdoors was even better. Perfect, actually, and really put you IN the movie.
What really shines about this film is the excellent story. It makes you realize what a fragile thing a functioning society is. My hat's off to everyone involved for the entire production, beginning to end, because this film makes you think.
Apollo 18 (2011)
Awesome concept, atrocious execution
GREAT concept. Because of the conspiracy aspects of the film, I was excited to see this. It's not hard to believe NASA and the DOD have been lying to the public for nearly four decades. I saw it with a group of sci-fi fantastic friends and we were primed for a great popcorn-fest. We had not been warned. We went to see this the opening Friday, and the theater was about 1/3rd full.
I'm trying very hard to think of a movie that I enjoyed less. This thing was truly one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my LIFE. Think "Blair Witch on the Moon.". The constant hand-held camera made me motion-sick.
I could actually live with a snoozer. Okay, so what if it's a little boring? It's only 86 minutes. The REAL problem was: since there was no actual scary action most of the time, they JOLT you out of your seat with a loud "BANG" on the soundtrack any time you're SUPPOSED to be scared. A face suddenly appears in window (Maybe that was an effective scary element in 1911); is it accompanied by suspenseful music? NO! They hit you with this severely overdone BANG noise! Begging the question, WTF? Most of the time, you get the BANG without ANYTHING happening on the screen, and you ask yourself, what was that? Did I miss something? The BANG hits at the most bizarre moments, and there you go again, jumping in your seat, popcorn goes flying until you walk out (like we should have done), or decide to suffer through it because you're with your pals.
With the BANGS, the director is actively substituting STARTLE for SCARY. That's just overt, cheap manipulation. Did they do focus groups and discover no one was scared? I can't overemphasize how much I HATED this movie. HATED, HATED, HATED. Seriously didn't like it at all. NOTHING about it was redeeming. Nothing. Wait. Let me think about it. Okay, the sets were nice. Other than that, absolute garbage; a complete waste of your 86 minutes.
If you are prone to headaches, skip Apollo 18 altogether. If you are a filmmaker or screenwriter, then it is a must-see. Trust me, this thing IS bad enough to serve as a bad example.
Morlocks (2011)
A waste of 85 minutes which looks like a video game
The production values would indicate someone spent some bucks on this film and cast. It's too bad they didn't pre-screen it with someone other than a ninth-grade gamer to check for plot holes big enough to drive a Hummer (and then elevator cab) through.
My biggest problem is with the look and feel, and that falls on the director. Scenes that didn't have to be shot hand-held were, even when a simple tripod would do, and the effect is nauseating; don't show this on a boat, anyone prone to sea sickness will be sent right over the edge by the constant shifting of the frame.
Also to the look and feel: Why does every Sci-Fi/SyFy movie have to look like an X-box 360 game? What happened to the good old days when directors knew how to set up a shot and a scene? If you have to push this hard to engender some sort of excitement, then the plot needs serious assistance.
Don't make the mistake I made. I kept watching and hoping something original or interesting would happen, but this is nothing more than a static version of Half Life, Black Ops, or /insert your favorite video game here\.
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Beautiful and VERY slow. Not to be mistaken for science fiction
Outstanding cast, acting, directing and cinematography place this film in the top ten best-crafted of the movies which came out in 2010. The story line has been done before in a science fiction format, and anyone who watches past 25 minutes will understand exactly which plot lines have been appropriated (Logan's Run and The Island, for example).
I was misinformed by an online source that this was a science fiction film. I therefore expected something futuristic or special-effecty, or at least some action. If you expect science fiction, this movie will seem slow to the point of moribundity. I have never before in my life picked up a magazine and begun reading DURING the screening of a film, but I did for this one.
That is not this movie's fault. My expectations were skewed going in. If you approach this piece as a drama that develops and unfolds, you will probably get through it. Especially if you lack the Y chromosome.
Bottom Line: Terrible science fiction, but great date film. If you survived The English Patient, you'll do well here.