Sci Fi Day: Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem (2007)

This was one of the films I was looking forward to the most because it was the only one neither of us had seen yet (not counting Deja Vu which we may or may not watch). Coming from someone who’s quite fond of the Alien and Predator franchises, the Strause brothers’ instalment from the AVP saga was abysmal which if anything is being kind. We managed to suss out the survivors very early on into the film where the characters are being introduced and so the plot couldn’t have been more predictable.

The film’s only original idea was the pregnant lady’s chest/tummy buster scene which was poorly executed. The rest of the gore was nothing we hadn’t seen before which was pretty boring to watch. I felt that AVPR tried to be a slasher movie as much as a science fiction/horror film- Ian; I’m with you on this one. I suppose a triple combo of these genres could have worked if done properly, but in this case, I think they failed miserably. Let’s just hope that this is the last time we see Aliens and Predators in the same film and if they must make any future films, they should get back to their original roots.

For an Alian’s perpective on AVPR, click here.

Unfortunately we didn’t get around to watching all the films but we’ll be finishing them off in the not too distant future, so watch this space!

Sci Fi Day: Phase IV (1974)

To say that this film is cringe-worthy would be an understatement. For those of you who don’t know me, I don’t deal very well with insects; in fact, I hate them! There were a couple of times where I physically flinched and elbowed Ian much to his discomfort thinking ants were actually crawling on me! So apart from wearing the same painful expression throughout the film, I must admit that Phase IV was a completely different breed of Sci Fi than I’ve ever seen. More than anything, I really enjoyed the concept of insect intelligence which is something rarely seen in the serious science fiction genre.

The film was very much like The Discovery Channel at times with close-up shots monitoring ant activity where even the finest of ant hairs were picked up and then of course there is the mantis devouring the ant scene which was disturbing but cool. There was a particular ‘ant crawling out of a palm’ scene which reminded me of Luis Bunuel’s rather bizarre short film Un Chien Andalou (1929)- both equally disturbing. The ending was somewhat ambiguous which wasn’t completely satisfying but perhaps in keeping with the rest of the film. An interesting watch, but not sure I’d want to see it again (plus the ants may give me nightmares!).

For fanboy’s perspective on Phase IV click here.

Sci Fi Day: Godzilla aka Gojira (1954)

This was one of the films I recommended for the day because it carried a lot of pleasant childhood memories, well, at least I thought it did. After watching it, I’ve realised that this Japanese subtitled original isn’t the version of Godzilla I remember watching as a child- I’m sure of this because I don’t remember being this bored! I felt like skipping to the good bits but Ian wouldn’t let me have the remote. It just goes to show that an original isn’t necessarily always the best, Ishirô Honda may have created Godzilla but others, in my opinion, have certainly improved on it. The monster itself I thought was really cute, anyone else agree?

Despite the film itself being just as slow paced as the giant reptile of the title, it will always remain a classic Sci Fi movie that introduced one of cinema’s greatest monsters. It’s a shame its just so incredibly dull! Although, I did manage to find my own little way of amusing myself when we see Godzilla chewing on the tower- I couldn’t help but think of that famous Chewits advert, you know the one - “I like to chew it, chew it. I like to...CHEW IT!”

For Ian's take on Godzilla click here.

Sci Fi Day: The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

This film is pure Sci Fi entertainment through and through. It’s another film I hadn’t seen but heard of through the grapevine which successfully managed to exceed any expectations I had prior to watching it. I was in constant awe of the detail captured by a clever use of the camera to convey the contrasts in size, none of it looked tacky or unreal, it was extremely well done.

Grant Williams did a fabulous job playing Scott Carey, a handsome successful businessman whose entire being later metamorphoses into a shrunken man due to a mysterious mist encountered at sea. His attention to detail is gripping as was the rest of the film. The film makes you wonder about the differences between mankind and all other creatures.

We almost empathise with the creatures in the film (yes, even the giant scary spider) because in the grand scheme of things, we all need the bear essentials to survive and the film just shows how much we take for granted and how difficult life must be for creatures like the spider. The film becomes an emblem for the 'survival of the fittest' which includes all species, big and small. It also reminds us that every living organism in this world has significance and for me, thats the most powerful message in the film.

The final spider fight scene was just horrific; I actually felt a shiver as I was watching it- a shiver that films like Arachnophobia didn’t manage achieve quite to this calibre despite it being a great movie. The cat’s paw tearing through the doll house scene was just hilarious- it really made me laugh. The ending was inspiring if a little too unrealistically optimistic for my liking. A great film nevertheless, I can’t believe I hadn’t seen this film until now- really glad I did. As for Eddie Murphy playing the lead on the 2010 remake of The Incredible Shrinking Man, be afraid... be very afraid.

For Ian’s take on The Incredible Shrinking Man click here.

Sci Fi Day: Forbidden Planet (1956)

A few weeks ago if someone had asked me if I’d seen Forbidden Planet, I would have said “Yes, isn’t that the fantasy comic store?” Until Ian introduced me to it, I had no idea that there was also a Sci Fi film of the same name. I’ve just finished watching Forbidden Planet and found it quite impressive if a little dull in parts. For a futuristic film made in the ‘50s the graphics and picture quality was admirable. Admirable because it managed to convey a certain quality with its special effects that I’ve seen many films lack in this day and age (I won’t name and shame).

The only dull part for me was when Morbius goes off on one about the alien technology, but that may be something to do with being female! I was however fascinated with Morbuis’ daughter Altaira’s dress sense which over 50 years later is now back in fashion! Leslie Nielson was an interesting watch because I’ve never seen him in such a serious role(nor have I ever seen him look so tall dark and handsome, shocker!). I’ve only ever seen him do spoof comedies like Scary Movie and Naked Gun and it was refreshing to see him in a different light to his typical self. Robby the robot was really cute- I want one, who needs a man!

For Ian's take on Forbidden Planet click here.

Sci Fi Day!

Well if all got along, we wouldn't have Sci Fi Day now would we! Back in june, I was a blogging virgin until my friend Ian introduced me to his blog, Mine Was Taller where we collaborated on Horror Day. We watched and reviewed a selection of horror films from vintage classics like The Wolf Man (1941) to modern French gore fests like Inside (2007) and reviewed our thoughts on them as we went on. The day was so successful that we decided to organise a day dedicated to another genre- a genre that often coincides with Horror- Sci Fi!

Of Course this time, I have my own little space to blog. As wonderful as it was blogging on Mine Was Taller for Horror Day, it will be even cooler doing it my own blog. On this occassion, we’ll be doing some synchronized blogging and linking between the two. I would also like to add that many of these films will be a first for me so I have little to no expectations with most of them!

The line-up should be as follows:

Forbidden Planet (1956)

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Godzilla (The Japanese original) (1954)

Phase IV (1974)

E.T. (1982)

Donnie Darko (The Director’s Cut) (2001)

Transformers (2007)

Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem (2007)

And time permitting, Deja Vu (2006)

Diamonds and Guns (2007) A Review

This light-hearted romantic comedy follows the lives of two best friends Ashley (Renee O’Connor of Xena: Warrior Princess) and Bria (Helena Beaven) as they set off on a journey to escape their troubles and change their luck. With very little to lose, the girls take a road trip to Las Vegas where their misfortunes take a surprising turn. Somewhere between falling violently sick from a dodgy buffet and getting tangled up with the mob, the girls find themselves in love with the least likeliest of guys in this heart-warming hilarious comedy from ROC Pictures. O’Connor began her work in the director’s chair during the running of Renaissance Pictures’ hit fantasy drama series Xena: Warrior princess where she played her hand at directing two episodes- Dangerous Prey and Deja Vu All Over Again for which she received much accreditation. Shortly after her six year run with the show had come to an end, O’Connor bid farewell to the battling bard Gabrielle and went onto developing her own production company ROC Pictures where Diamonds and Guns became her first independent feature length film.

Bearing in mind that the film was made on an extremely tight budget, I must say that I was really impressed with what they came up with. It was a typical ‘girl’s day out gone bad’ flick that was surprisingly hilarious in parts and well timed with its comedic moments. I guess that boils down to a strong and talented production team that have obviously put a lot of time and effort into making the film work so well in it's genre. All the actors delivered a promising performance onscreen and O’Connor in particular added a slapstick element to the comedy that worked really well. Watch out for O'Connor's rather endearing 'Mice on Ice' routine in her opening sequence - it's priceless! There is a fair bit of adult humour running throughout the film, some subtle and some... not so subtle but funny nevertheless. What I love about the film is how it pushes boundaries and manages to incorporate some of the most outrageous scenes like, Ashley’s intimate night in with the bidet (for those of you unaware, a ‘Bidet’ is a European toilet basin to wash your behind which has been supposedly banned in the US after women’s personal misuse of the product!) – The scene is just laugh-out-loud funny, you have to see it to believe it. I guess in hindsight I would brand the film as an adult comedy but then again the title of the film kind of sums that up!

Helena Beaven, who also co-produced Diamonds and Guns, is also pretty good in her role as Bria: a Kiwi who is set to be deported back to New Zealand unless she produces a valid proof of American citizenship in just seven days. Beaven is currently part contributing her directing skills on another independent project called Night Of The Templer (2008) a tale of bloodthirsty vengeance on the horror/thriller genre which I’m sure will be an interesting watch. Ted Raimi has a small, typically funny part in Diamonds and Guns as the girl's rather zany landlord at the beginning of the film. If you ever watched him play Joxer in Xena, you will see a glimpse of that character seeping through his role as the landlord. I felt a touch of nostalgia watching the two almost recreating a typical ‘Gabby/Joxer’ moment. It would have been nice to see more of Ted Raimi in the film but it was probably a good thing that we didn’t, the film would have been too much of a Gabrielle/Joxer reunion and the idea was to produce a film outside the world of Xena.

The story-line was extremely engaging, fast paced and generally a lot of fun to watch. The only criticism I can think of was for the way in which the film ended. It almost felt incomplete and like it needed more to it. Once the girl’s leave for Vegas, the film flows at a flying pace and just as you get completely absorbed, the film draws a sudden crash ending. The end seemed rather hasty which, to me, quite obviously shows to what degree the film suffered financial constraints. If anything, this is more a compliment than a negative criticism because it showed that I wanted to see more of the film!

O’ Connor provided much of the funding for the film herself and auctioned many of her paintings and other merchandise to aid the completion of Diamonds and Guns which is admirable in itself. One of O'Connor's paintings (pictured) was featured on Diamonds and Guns and is hung up on the back wall to the opening scene. Speaking of funding, O'Connor reveals in the commentary that they couldn't afford extras for the movie so they used actual passer-by's from the public to appear as extras! If you pay attention, its actually quite funny to see their reactions to the actors as they were filming. It’s amazing how a small talented team with very little funding can achieve such good work. It makes you wonder, what could the guys achieve on a bigger budget? I would definitely recommend Diamonds and Guns, it's not a big budget film but it's very amusing and an all round must-see, not just for Renee O’Connor or Xena fan’s but also for anyone who enjoys a well done RomCom.

O’Connor will be back in front of the camera later this year on the sci-fi TV movie Monster Ark (2008) which will be airing the US SCI-FI Channel on the 9th of August '08- Will definitely be looking forward to that, although I wonder when it will air here in the UK (if at all). Then, of course, there is Bitch Slap (2009) which I’m not too excited about. The film see’s an all cast reunion from the Xena/Hercules team with the likes of Lucy Lawless, Kevin Sorbo, Micheal Hurst, Zoe Bell (who played Lucy Lawless’ stunt double in the last three seasons of Xena) and of course Renee O’Connor. Despite the film’s slightly outrageous title, I didn’t want to judge the book by its cover, so I had a look at the trailer and managed to sum it up in four words: Breasts-guns-sex-and more breasts. Reviewer’s are making out that Bitch Slap is a film for both men and women, the obvious reason for men but for women, it's all about girl power. Unfortunately, the trailer speaks a completely different language: Breasts-guns-sex-and more...breasts. Don’t believe me? Click here and have a look for yourself. Still, I’m not going to be completely guilty of judging a movie by its trailer, I can be quite partial to the occasional exploitation film (plus it's from one of the producers of Xena) so I may just add it to the watch list!