Showing posts with label Dan O'Bannon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dan O'Bannon. Show all posts

Total Recall (2012) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"]Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

When I was a kid, one of the first Science Fiction movies that I ever remember seeing in the Theater was, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), with Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator)…

But since before that though, I was a huge fan of Arnold’s starting with movies such as Commando (1985), and even The Terminator (1984)…

Now you might be wondering why I mention this… well simply put there is another movie of Arnold’s that I really liked when I was a kid, (and had to see the recently released remake for), of course that movie is Total Recall!

Written by: Kurt Wimmer (Salt), Mark Bomback (Unstoppable) and Directed by: Len Wiseman (Underworld). Starring: Colin Farrell (Minority Report), Kate Beckinsale (Underword: Awakening), Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Bokeem Woodbine (Devil), Bill Nighy (Shaun Of The Dead), and Bryan Cranston (John Carter).

Now this movie which is based on the original story by Dan O'Bannon (Alien) and Ronald Shusett (Phobia), I wasn't to happy to hear they were remaking (the truth is, is although there are some good remakes out there, I think Hollywood relies to heavily on them and I thought of this one as one of them!)

But the truth is, is this movie, which tells the story of a captured double agent by the name of Carl Hauser (Farrell), and whom is living with a woman by the name of Lori Quaid (Beckinsale) that he believes is his wife in a world that had been created for him (as his own so-called prison).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Colin Farell as Carl Hauser/Douglas Quad as he is about to make his life turn upside down![/caption]

It turns out though that his old life comes out in bits and pieces in the same recurring dream of when he got captured and the woman he loves, who works with the resistance escapes!

But when he discovers the, 'Rekall Lounge' he goes to get some memories that he thinks he will would never forget.... The only problem is that after going to, 'Rekall' he begins to remember things that he had been forced to forget... memories that Chancellor Cohagen (Cranston) will send wave after wave of robot militia to stop from coming back!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Carl Hauser as he is beginning to realize that his wife as, 'Douglas Quaid' isn't exactly the woman he married![/caption]

I have to admit that I did like Arnold's, 'Total Recall' better then Farrell's, 'Total Recall' for the following reasons:

1. I thought that the chemistry between Farrell and Biel was forced, (which considering that Jessica Biel was supposed to be the love interest, just seemed a little far fetched,) but oddly enough, the chemistry between Farrell and Beckinsale (whom Beckinsale is trying to kill Farrell in the movie) was better!

2. I also thought the makeup affects were way off... I mean Kate Beckinsale looked different in a lot of the scenes, especially those where continuity needed to be constant! (which I doubt was the way it was supposed to be.)

3. Also I thought the ending was completely unnecessary and pointless!

Now that is the bad side, the good side!

1. The special effects were so well made that I could believe that stuff like those hover cars being the wave of the future.

2. I also thought that the story for this movie, although similar to Arnold's, was also different, and fun! (I mean Arnold's took place on Mars, and this one took place on Earth!)

3. I also thought that the strongest person in this movie was Jessica Biel, because she seemed to have the strongest presence, and as a matter of fact I actually kind of thought that if she had the starring role in this movie, then on the strength of what she brought to the role, it would have made for a great movie!

I am definitely glad I saw this at least once, and would be willing to watch it again (just not in the theater!)

http://youtu.be/8vO8cAHnVbY

Alien (1979) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="300"]Official Score = 4 Devils Official Score = 4 Devils[/caption]

The Alien series... What can I say about this series? I mean one for one just about every major player in this series' careers have been helped by this series, including Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters), Ridley Scott (Prometheus), Dan O'Bannon (Total Recall), and even Walter Hill (The Warriors) to name a few!

Now as for Alien.... I personally think this movie is fantastic because I found the special effects to be so realistic that the various Aliens that were created for this movie could be what at least some of the Alien life that is out there could be like in real life!

I also found that the writing was fantastic, and the story was great!

I also found that the acting was so realistic that one could almost say... (A look at the future of space travel maybe?)

And that is just a small fraction of what makes, Alien great!

Written by: Dan O'Bannon and Directed by: Ridley Scott. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt (The Rookie), Veronica Cartwright (Invasion Of the Body Snatchers), Harry Dean Stanton (Repo Man), John Hurt (1984), Ian Holm (The Fifth Element), Yaphet Kotto (Freddy's Dead), Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton (Phase IV), and Eddie Powell (The Oblong Box).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485"] Some of the crew of the, 'Nostromo' as they are prepping to investigate the, 'Moon' that, 'Mother' sent them to![/caption]

Alien tells the story of how during their ride home, 'Mother' (the name for the computer on the freighter, 'Nostromo'), wakes up the crew from being in hypersleep to investigate a distress signal that she has detected!

So they take their Drop Ship down to investigate this call.

When they arrive on the planet, Captain Dallas (Skerritt) takes a team that includes, Lambert (Cartwright), and Kane (Hurt) to investigate the location of the signal... Now while they are there, Kane is attacked by an Alien that latches itself on to Kane's face!

Now in a hurry, Dallas and Lambert take Kane back to the ship, but Ripley (Weaver), won't let them in until they have gone through quarantine, (at this point both Lambert and Dallas are in a panic to get their shipmate in to the sickbay.)

So their carryon android, 'Ash' (Holm) decides to break quarantine and let Dallas and their team on to the ship!

Now after Dallas and the crew get Kane to the sickbay onboard the mother ship and discover that they can't get the alien off of his face without killing Kane, the Alien comes off by itself!

So Kane and the crew of the ship decide to sit down to a meal before heading back to hypersleep. While they're eating their meal, a new Alien bursts out of Kane's body (killing him). Now the crew of the ship are going to have to capture this Alien, before the Alien begins to feed off the rest of the crew!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) as he is about to meet his end![/caption]

If you guys haven't had a chance to see this movie yet, or if you haven't seen this movie in a while, then this one is more than worth it!

http://youtu.be/LjLamj-b0I8