Movies

The Void

The Void is an interesting indie horror movie. It’s a Carpenter-esque reverse siege movie with a Lovecraft bent. I found the practical effects very enjoyable. If there were any CGI effects, they blended in very well.

The Void is currently available on VOD. There is a DVD disc available, but there are many reports of issues with the disc. The blu ray is only available at diabolikdvd.com.

The Void opens with 2 men gunning down a woman exiting a farm house. A young man gets away on foot. He makes it to a road where Sheriff Daniel Carter is sitting in his patrol car. Daniel takes the young man to the closest hospital – which is in the process of shutting down and is extremely short-staffed.

Hi-jinks ensue. From the hospital being surrounded by cultists in white garb with a black triangle on the face masks to tentacles.

I think this is worth a watch. Is this a perfect movie. Nope. You do not get a complete picture of the events on some of the people that are part of the story. But you can infer a lot. And it can be that ambiguity in a story where what you come up with is worse than anything shown that can make a movie.

Starring: Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers, Kathleen Munroe, Ellen Wong, Mik Byskov, Art Hindle, Stephanie Belding, James Millington, Evan Stern, Grace Munro, Matthew Kennedy, Trish Rainone, David Scott, Mackenzie Sawyer

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Alien: Covenant

I have discovered that I am not a fan of prequels made decades after the original series began.

Alien: Covenant looked nice. But baring one or two scenes was very predictable. And not in a good way. Kind of Paint-by-numbers. Unfortunately, my tendency to see all things Alien and Predator were my undoing.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2 is all about family.

GotG2 opens on a fun action scene set to music off the Awesome Mix 2. This sets us up nicely for the B Plot group that will be after the Guardians. This setup brings Nebula into the mix and introduces us to Star Lord’s biological father, Ego.

Ego the living planet. Ego is portrayed beautifully by Kurt Russell.

We also get more Yondu in this installment. We see him with a more traditional look as well.

GotG2 brings the laughter and some tears. I have not laughed more at a Marvel Studios film. There were multiple instances of someone cutting onions in the theater. Very surprising for the light-hearted franchise in the MCEU.

Ego and Star Lord’s relationship is at the heart of this movie. And all the implications along with it.

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Gunn

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Ghost in the Shell 2017

I found myself appreciating the live action Ghost in the Shell movie, but did find it lacking in some emotion. Given this is a story about AIs, cybernetically enhanced people and robots, maybe that is to be expected.

I cannot compare this to the original animated movie from the 90s. It has just been so long since I saw it that it would not be fair. Plus, I expect plenty of differences when something is adapted from one medium to another.

I enjoyed this take on defining a sense of Self and Identity. We see characters lose and find themselves. One sequence with a Father wanting to see his daughter felt poignant. A mother discussing her deceased daughter also hits you.

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, Tawanda Manyimo, Peter Ferdinando, Anamaria Marinca

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Power Rangers

I was never that into Power Rangers when I was younger. It was not the low budget special effects of the Zords and fight scenes, it was more the American scenes. I loved the concept, it felt like a live-action Voltron.

But this movie…this movie right here spoke to the adult me. You have 5 very different people come together and slowly build a rapport. The diversity does not feel forced. You just have 5 kids from different walks of life. When they get their powers, they are not immediate masters of them.

If you are a fan of the original series, you probably have already seen this. If you were not a fan, give it a shot. I saw a lot of parents bringing their kids to see this movie and the kids loved it. They had scenes they cheered for and scenes that had them worried for the heroes.

This was not a perfect movie by any stretch. But I found it just as fun and interesting (in a different way) than Life.

And yes, they do break out the classic theme song at one point in the movie. :)

Starring:Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G., Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader

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