Catch up Men in Black 3 and Prometheus

Well since my last review I've found myself soaking up film news, mainly the Hobbit announcements, the most important of which being the plans for its premier in Wellington. Buzz words abound, 48 fps etc and I'm praying for this to cap my year. I'm not a Tolkien fan per se, I would never win a pub quiz, but I am a Jackson fan, I worship Weta's wonderful work  and I've found myself looking across towards Mirimar's Shelly Bay, as signs of film making activity could clearly be seen from my office Window.

But I did manage to catch one good movie, I enjoyed Men In Black 3 it was everything Men in Black 2 wasn't, Will Smith brought his A game and Josh Brolin was amazing in his portrayal of Agent K. I loved it, for being the surprise that it was, for its sense of fun and for the Time travel .

Prometheus mmm now I will be working up to a proper review but for now I will just give my initial thoughts. This deserved to be so much better than the cinematic mess that has emerged. I have never seen or heard such piss poor characterisation. Scott is still a striking visual stylist, and the special effects work is amazing, I'm an Alien fan but I will be quite clear, I wasn't seeing this as a prequel, I accepted Scott's promises that this was a different story, with a different DNA. But no matter how good the effects, or idea's on display, the creature design work was piss poor. When you embrace certain design elements from the Alien franchise , you had better deliver with the creatures. I'm not talking about xemorphs, but the basic DNA template that is one of the major threads of this tale. New creatures , hell yeah but knowing Weta brought them to life is all well and good but elements made me think of Jackson's Kong and in particular the pit, and hell guys those creations were more terrifying than anything in this film.
    I was also disappointed with the whole mankind meets his creator theme, as this was weakest area of the film the scripting not being up to the ideas being pushed. But what really grated was some very basic, piss poor characterisation.

    I didn't want alien, I read the reviews, I wanted something new, a new kind of terror, and I didnt get it. This film was neither terrifying or thought provoking, But elements I did like, the set design, the use of 3D and the fantastic opening which was both beautiful, violent and disturbing atone missing from the rest of the film.

Even now , my head is turning over the missed opportunities, and gaps, there are no real plot holes though it is a criticism I have read a lot in the last three days. It just doesn't explain anything, and you know sometimes, the horror is in the idea when fully explained.

Merry Christmas, Hobbit , Prometheus

Well my last week in work before the start of the seasonal holiday, was looking to be grim, but out of the gloom appeared three trailers which has set the old excitement gene into motion. First the Dark Knight Rises trailer which promises more Chris Nolan intelligent magic. Then that other master film maker releases his first trailer for the Hobbit. It starts off light and comedic but once that Tolkien penned song kicks in as sung by Thorin and the boys my hairs were standing up on the back on my neck. This is a promising debut and suitable introduction to the Hobbits  tone. I am officially excited.
    Alien is a special movie, it was one of the first horror movie I slipped into as a teenager Friday the 13th was my first and everything about it fired my imagination. But the biggest impression was that left by the influence of H R Geiger. His nightmarish manipulation of imagery both sexual and mechanical just blew me away. This coupled with Ridley Scott's excellent visual story telling  left an impressionable mark. So to see the Prometheus trailer debut this week was exciting. If I have one criticism it would be that the space tech on show seem's far ahead of that on display in Alien. Much has been written about Scott's attempts to distance himself from the Alien films but its clear from the trailer that this is a prequel and that there are enough visual clues in the trailer to suggest how this might pan out.
    You only have to visit AICN to see the idea's both common, and the more extreme about what the trailer is attempting to convey. But there is the Space Jockey , then the vials laid out like the egg chamber in Alien in front of a giant humanoid head  carved from stone. Scott's mention of Chariot of the Gods suggest that this is a tale that points to an Alien origin for mankind. If you haven't seen the trailer then its available on iTunes.
    In closing, have a Merry Christmas, thanks for visiting my blog, and happy movie going. I'm going to do some major catching up over the holiday period with my plan being to see Tintin, MI4 Ghost Protocol and whatever else catches my eye.I've also asked Santa for the Planet of the Apes 7 disc box set, and Attack of the Block as it hasn't been released in New Zealand yet so hopefully a little blu ray marathon is on the cards.Have a good one and have a happy new year. Hope you'' visit again soon.