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Movies I've seen recently...
Predators was better than I expected. I'm not a huge fan of the franchise: blood and guts with minimal plot isn't my thing. But this was a decent attempt at a reboot and there was enough plot to satisfy me. The basic idea is a bunch of people have been abducted by aliens, which sounds like an X-Files episode until I add that the aliens are psycho hunters and the abductees are, well, psychos of one form or another. I liked the slow reveal that they're not even on Earth, and the way the survivors almost managed to become a team. The "twist" ending was telegraphed a mile off, although I didn't call every detail of it. Nice shout-out to the original Arnie movie at the end.
I think my biggest problem with the Predator franchise is I think too much. I just look at those aliens and I can't imagine how they could possibly have evolved faces like that. That weird jaw structure just looks so vulnerable...how come none of the humans consider shooting them in the face?
Inception I have now seen twice, and hopefully I can get a third viewing in before it leaves the cinemas. No movie as hyped as this one ever lives up to the buzz, but this is pretty damn good. It's not too long (unlike The Dark Knight) it doesn't flag in the middle, it is beautifully made and my gods it requires you to think! I really miss that: movies that expect the audience to do more than sit there like zombies are few and far between. Inception starts out by dumping you right into the action, then backs up and explains a bit about what's going on. After that, the movie expects you to pay attention and keep up - it supplies each piece of information only once and if you miss it, it's gone. I have a problem of dropping off to sleep in movie theatres - it's the sitting in a dark room that does it, no matter how loud the film - but Inception kept me awake because it engaged my brain.
I won't discuss the plot because there's analysis galore on the internets and I have little new to add; and it's best watched with minimal spoilers. But do go and see it in theatres if you can. Not only is it totally worth the price of admission, I want Hollywood to make more movies that treat the audience as intelligent. It's definitely on my to-buy list.
Splice could have been such a movie, but it isn't. It's cheaply made (Mel - you won't lose anything by waiting for the DVD) but has a decent script. I get the feeling that there was meant to be a moral message underlying it all but it's kinda lost. The sexual subtext is pretty revolting and I'll say no more about that. What interested me was the stuff about the science and genetic research and how it all works. I'm not remotely qualified to say how realistic the science was in the movie (if anyone is qualified and can tell me I'd love to know), but it felt realistic, partly because (like Inception) the movie didn't over-explain. It just assumes what was just said makes sense and you were paying attention, and then goes on with the story. Except one part near the end where
( spoilers ) Unfortunately, there's a point at which story and science just kinda disappear and it turns into a generic horror movie with lots of blood and screaming and nastiness. A real shame, because up to that point I enjoyed it.
Predators was better than I expected. I'm not a huge fan of the franchise: blood and guts with minimal plot isn't my thing. But this was a decent attempt at a reboot and there was enough plot to satisfy me. The basic idea is a bunch of people have been abducted by aliens, which sounds like an X-Files episode until I add that the aliens are psycho hunters and the abductees are, well, psychos of one form or another. I liked the slow reveal that they're not even on Earth, and the way the survivors almost managed to become a team. The "twist" ending was telegraphed a mile off, although I didn't call every detail of it. Nice shout-out to the original Arnie movie at the end.
I think my biggest problem with the Predator franchise is I think too much. I just look at those aliens and I can't imagine how they could possibly have evolved faces like that. That weird jaw structure just looks so vulnerable...how come none of the humans consider shooting them in the face?
Inception I have now seen twice, and hopefully I can get a third viewing in before it leaves the cinemas. No movie as hyped as this one ever lives up to the buzz, but this is pretty damn good. It's not too long (unlike The Dark Knight) it doesn't flag in the middle, it is beautifully made and my gods it requires you to think! I really miss that: movies that expect the audience to do more than sit there like zombies are few and far between. Inception starts out by dumping you right into the action, then backs up and explains a bit about what's going on. After that, the movie expects you to pay attention and keep up - it supplies each piece of information only once and if you miss it, it's gone. I have a problem of dropping off to sleep in movie theatres - it's the sitting in a dark room that does it, no matter how loud the film - but Inception kept me awake because it engaged my brain.
I won't discuss the plot because there's analysis galore on the internets and I have little new to add; and it's best watched with minimal spoilers. But do go and see it in theatres if you can. Not only is it totally worth the price of admission, I want Hollywood to make more movies that treat the audience as intelligent. It's definitely on my to-buy list.
Splice could have been such a movie, but it isn't. It's cheaply made (Mel - you won't lose anything by waiting for the DVD) but has a decent script. I get the feeling that there was meant to be a moral message underlying it all but it's kinda lost. The sexual subtext is pretty revolting and I'll say no more about that. What interested me was the stuff about the science and genetic research and how it all works. I'm not remotely qualified to say how realistic the science was in the movie (if anyone is qualified and can tell me I'd love to know), but it felt realistic, partly because (like Inception) the movie didn't over-explain. It just assumes what was just said makes sense and you were paying attention, and then goes on with the story. Except one part near the end where
( spoilers ) Unfortunately, there's a point at which story and science just kinda disappear and it turns into a generic horror movie with lots of blood and screaming and nastiness. A real shame, because up to that point I enjoyed it.
