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Welcome, one and all, to the Festival of Films blog! Here, we strive not just to review films but to discuss how the art of film reflects society and the broader human condition. Comments and spirited discussion are always strongly encouraged. Just remember to keep it respectful, of course. Here's lookin' at you, readers!
Category Archives: Sci Fi
Not all that long ago, Star Trek was not “cool.” It was low-budget fare that made up for its glaring lack of high-gloss action sequences by espousing philosophies on the nature of scientific discovery and the art of war. It … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Chris Pine, Daniel Schaub, J.J. Abrams, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Zachary Quinto
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After its kinetic rejuvenation in 2009, the Star Trek franchise – captained by J.J. Abrams – once again takes flight, boldly going where no CGI has gone before. Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is still up to the same … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Alice Eve, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pine, J.J. Abrams, Nick DeNitto, Peter Weller, Star Trek Into Darkness, Zachary Quinto
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Courtesy of Spielbergian wunderkind J.J. Abrams and crew, 2009′s Star Trek rejuvenated original creator Gene Roddenberry’s franchise out of the cheesy, for-Trekkers-only black hole and into a prequel-cum-reboot that was more accessible to even the uninitiated. Moving at a warp speed … Continue reading
How do you even begin to explain a film as unconventional as Upstream Color that defies categorization, description, and total understanding? Let’s start here: Shane Carruth, an engineer turned self-taught, multi-hyphenate filmmaker, only had a $7,000 budget when he first made … Continue reading
Posted in Drama, Features, Independent Films, Indie Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Amy Seimetz, Andrew Sensenig, Jeremy Kibler, Primer, Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
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In a world, where original and substantive science fiction is hard to come by sometimes, Oblivion isn’t very original or substantive either. But it tries, and that’s better than not trying at all. Elegantly designed and ambitiously cerebral, this Kubrickian space opera … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Andrea Riseborough, Jeremy Kibler, Joseph Kosinski, Morgan Freeman, Oblivion, Olga Kurylenko, Tom Cruise, TRON: Legacy
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Danny Boyle is a filmmaker whom we can always trust to give us something fresh and exciting in any genre or no genre at all. Ranging from 1996′s brutally real but energetic drug-addiction dark comedy Trainspotting to 2002′s grippingly scary zombie-movie … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Features, Sci Fi, Thriller
Tagged 127 Hours, Anthony Dog Mantle, Danny Boyle, James McAvoy, Jeremy Kibler, Rosario Dawson, Slumdog Millionaire, Trance, Vincent Cassel
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The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in Antiviral, the feature debut of Brandon Cronenberg, son of David. As should be expected from anyone with the surname of the King of Venereal Horror, the film is icky and strange, daringly … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Sci Fi, Thriller
Tagged Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg, Caleb Landry Jones, David Cronenberg, Jeremy Kibler, Malcolm McDowell, Sarah Gadon
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How do you solve a problem like Don Coscarelli? Well, you can either accept the loopy internal logic and messy, incoherent rules of John Dies at the End, which might or might not have the biggest spoiler in its title, or … Continue reading
Posted in Comedy, Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Bubba Ho-Tep, Chase Williamson, Don Coscarelli, Doug Jones, Jason Pargin, Jeremy Kibler, John Dies at the End, Paul Giamatti, Phantasm, Rob Mayes
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Today’s Experiment: Cosmopolis Why I Wouldn’t Ordinarily Watch it: It stars Robert Pattinson. Why I Gave it a Chance: I remember it being a hot topic movie when it was first released, so I thought I’d see what all the … Continue reading
Posted in Drama, Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Cosmopolis, David Cronenberg, Nick DeNitto, Robert Pattinson
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Last year, the world was stunned when legendary director and plaid-shirt enthusiast George Lucas handed over the keys to the “Star Wars” franchise to Disney. The deal was worth over $4 billion, or as Lucas refers to it, “toilet paper.” … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Features, Sci Fi
Tagged April Fools' Day, Disney, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Hayden Christensen, Jar Jar Binks, Nick DeNitto, Star Wars
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