Sunday, June 24, 2012

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

★★★★★★★★☆☆

         It's very hot these days with temperature only rising and, considering I can't stand that kind of heat very well, I'm getting an urge to shoot down the sun. It happens to me every summer. What I don't think of in moments like that, are repercussions of such an act. Without sun, every form of life on this planet would cease to exist. So if the sun was to die, what would you be willing to do to prevent it from happening? That's one of the questions director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland ask in their 2007 sci-fi movie called „Sunshine“.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Exit Wounds

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

                "Exit Wounds" is a comic book (or a graphic novel if you prefer) written and drawn by Israeli artist named Rutu Modan. It's her first comic book and she made quite a break with it receiving accolades all over the world and winning an Eisner award for Best New Graphic Novel in 2008. It tells a story of a young man in Tel-Aviv who finds out his father could be dead and embarks on an investigation to find out what happened to him, accompanied by his father's young girlfriend.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

John Carter of...does it really matter?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

         The „John Carter“ movie is based on a first book in the series written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I guess that's the reason some things are left insufficiently explained – that is probably done in the sequels. I haven't read the book „John Carter“ is based on and I'm sure those who have understood everything right from the beginning, but that doesn't mean it is done well. The first part of the movie tries to explain to the viewers too much in too little time. As if that wasn't enough, it does so jumping back and forth in time and between two planets, Earth and Mars. It isn't so confusing as it seems unnecessary. The situation between two colliding fractions on Mars could've been explained through the unfolding story in the movie as it certainly has time for that. Instead it seems director and/or screenwriters decided to explain the story to the viewers in the beginning so they could relax their minds and enjoy action scenes and corny dialogue for the rest of the movie. That is an unfortunate decision but the problems don't stop there.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Hysteria

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Did you know that vibrator was invented as a disease-curing device? I didn't until I watched "Hysteria", a comedy about battle of the sexes, battle of the classes, non-existent disease, female orgasms and of course, the vibrator (coincidentally invented by a pair of males with different sexual preferences). 

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Prometheus?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

       After 33 years Ridley Scott decided to revisit the universe first created in "Alien", but this time around he decided on a (almost) completely different approach. Unlike the "Alien" which speaks of most primal human emotions, "Prometheus" is more concerned with human thirst for knowledge and answers to eternal questions. What is our purpose? Is there God? Is there extraterrestrial life? As all of you who watched the movie could see, it answers only part of this questions.The rest of them are likely to be answered in the inevitable sequel, but that's not of concern here. It's important to note that in spite of philosophical questions, "Prometheus" is mainly a science fiction movie, and like in most sci-fi movies, visuals and action play great part in it. So it's a movie that should work on many levels. Unfortunately it only works on some.