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I definitely have to watch Videodrome, The Host, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and 28 Days Later again. The Fly, Alien, and The Hidden I know very well, but I may watch those again anyway. I think I'm going to watch one I haven't seen tonight.
SciFi/Horror Hall Of Fame (actual)
Pandorum
To me, this was a mix of Aliens and The Descent, but unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as good as either of those. I thought it was mediocre overall, but that doesn't mean I didn't have some fun. There were some good action scenes and jump scares, and I liked the monsters. I wasn't crazy about the cast. Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster are both actors that I like, but they did nothing to distinguish themselves in this. The supporting cast was poor. It was made ok; not down to B-movie quality, but also not quite up to the standards of a major release. I did moderately enjoy it, and it fits this Hall of Fame's theme perfectly, so not a bad nomination.
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I never finished Pandorum, I got up and left. I rarely ever do that but I couldn't stand it... and that was even before I was really into cinema. I seem to remember the editing was awful.
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The Fly (1986)
Haven't watched this movie in 15+ years. Forgot most of the scenes but watching again I remembered how much the arm wrestle and teeth scene made me cringe. I've had a strange recurring nightmare of losing teeth since I was a kid- wonder if this movie has anything to do with it?!
Still like the movie but I'm thinking the Jeff and Geena chemistry is partly why I enjoy it now. Made me a little sad to see Seth transform into Brundlefly, mentally and physically, but thought of Mac in Earth Girls are Easy and instantly felt better. 
Overall, with the storyline, characters and special effects, The Fly is one of my favorite SciFi/Horrors and makes me want to finally get around to watching the original 1958 version.
Haven't watched this movie in 15+ years. Forgot most of the scenes but watching again I remembered how much the arm wrestle and teeth scene made me cringe. I've had a strange recurring nightmare of losing teeth since I was a kid- wonder if this movie has anything to do with it?!
Still like the movie but I'm thinking the Jeff and Geena chemistry is partly why I enjoy it now. Made me a little sad to see Seth transform into Brundlefly, mentally and physically, but thought of Mac in Earth Girls are Easy and instantly felt better. Overall, with the storyline, characters and special effects, The Fly is one of my favorite SciFi/Horrors and makes me want to finally get around to watching the original 1958 version.
I watched a deleted scene from The Fly last night that I had never seen before. He fuses a baboon with a cat, and when it becomes a hideous creation, he beats it to death. It's on YouTube.
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The Fly is, simply, the most heartbreaking film I've ever seen.
I watched a deleted scene from The Fly last night that I had never seen before. He fuses a baboon with a cat, and when it becomes a hideous creation, he beats it to death. It's on YouTube.
Pandorum
I actually like this film. I feel like it had the right amount of suspense and tension for a claustrophobic tale set in space. Cricket mentioned the film feels like Aliens and The Descent, it does feel like a lesser version of those two films. Those two films are so good though, so a lesser version in my eyes still has some redeeming qualities.
I liked the direction this film took and the ending got me as well. A decent sci/fi horror film that fits the criteria of this HOF perfectly. I believe fans of the genre will find this movie at the very least, entertaining.
Though, I suspect most people will rate this a or lower. This film was more geared towards my taste in movies.
I liked the direction this film took and the ending got me as well. A decent sci/fi horror film that fits the criteria of this HOF perfectly. I believe fans of the genre will find this movie at the very least, entertaining.
Though, I suspect most people will rate this a or lower. This film was more geared towards my taste in movies.
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Suspect's Reviews
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I would give Pandorum a as well, TUS. I really enjoyed it and thought that it went in the direction that I am more attracted to in movies. I loved the cast and thought that they did well with it.
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Of the movies that I have seen in this HOF their rankings, in my mind, so far:
Event Horizon
Alien
Pandorum
The Fly
28 Days Later
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Event Horizon
Alien
Pandorum
The Fly
28 Days Later
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
It's been a long time since I last seen this, and I only remembered bits and pieces. The movie uses the tried and true formula of people having their bodies taken over, that's often present in SciFi/horror. The winner of the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame, The Thing, has this theme, and it's a theme that I'll see again in this Hall of Fame. This movie does not have a unique setting like some of the others, but with it being set on earth amongst average people, the viewer can relate to it a little bit more. It's a pretty eerie movie, and that eeriness starts pretty quick. The cast is probably a little above average for the genre. It's not a movie that overly excites me, and I think it could use with being a few minutes shorter, but this is a really good flick.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
I watched this just a couple of weeks ago. So now I know where the phrase 'pod people' comes from. I thought this was a solid film, good cast, effectively creepy. The ending was good. Not an all time favourite, but a decent film. I haven't seen the 50s version, so I don't know how similar they are. A lot of people complain now about remakes of films which are only twenty years old, but it's not only a 21st century phenomenon, clearly.
Event Horizon
Weird **** happens in space. The Solaris influence is obvious, and I'd say the makers of this film had probably watched Magnetic Rose as well. I liked this to start off with, I really liked the design of the ships and I liked some of the characters, although there were a few too many of them to get to know them all that well. Almost as if they were only there to up the body count. In the end though I thought it lacked a bit of subtlety, like creepiness was thrown over in favour of gore.
Cube
It's not exactly an A movie in terms of its production values or acting, but it's a very innovative idea which makes for an engrossing film. The room where they can't make any sound was possibly the most tense thing I have ever watched. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but that's fine by me. Part of the horror is the not knowing, it doesn't need to be over explained.
I've also seen Alien, 28 Days Later and Sunshine but longer ago, so I'm hoping to rewatch them and then give some thoughts. So far I like all of the movies I have seen, it'll be tough to order them.
I watched this just a couple of weeks ago. So now I know where the phrase 'pod people' comes from. I thought this was a solid film, good cast, effectively creepy. The ending was good. Not an all time favourite, but a decent film. I haven't seen the 50s version, so I don't know how similar they are. A lot of people complain now about remakes of films which are only twenty years old, but it's not only a 21st century phenomenon, clearly.
Event Horizon
Weird **** happens in space. The Solaris influence is obvious, and I'd say the makers of this film had probably watched Magnetic Rose as well. I liked this to start off with, I really liked the design of the ships and I liked some of the characters, although there were a few too many of them to get to know them all that well. Almost as if they were only there to up the body count. In the end though I thought it lacked a bit of subtlety, like creepiness was thrown over in favour of gore.
Cube
It's not exactly an A movie in terms of its production values or acting, but it's a very innovative idea which makes for an engrossing film. The room where they can't make any sound was possibly the most tense thing I have ever watched. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but that's fine by me. Part of the horror is the not knowing, it doesn't need to be over explained.
I've also seen Alien, 28 Days Later and Sunshine but longer ago, so I'm hoping to rewatch them and then give some thoughts. So far I like all of the movies I have seen, it'll be tough to order them.
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Cube
It's not exactly an A movie in terms of its production values or acting, but it's a very innovative idea which makes for an engrossing film. The room where they can't make any sound was possibly the most tense thing I have ever watched. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but that's fine by me. Part of the horror is the not knowing, it doesn't need to be over explained.
I've also seen Alien, 28 Days Later and Sunshine but longer ago, so I'm hoping to rewatch them and then give some thoughts. So far I like all of the movies I have seen, it'll be tough to order them.
It's not exactly an A movie in terms of its production values or acting, but it's a very innovative idea which makes for an engrossing film. The room where they can't make any sound was possibly the most tense thing I have ever watched. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but that's fine by me. Part of the horror is the not knowing, it doesn't need to be over explained.
I've also seen Alien, 28 Days Later and Sunshine but longer ago, so I'm hoping to rewatch them and then give some thoughts. So far I like all of the movies I have seen, it'll be tough to order them.
One freaking cube that used trick photography and different light panels to give the illusion of thousands.
There was a different ending shot, but was immediately discarded because it gave too many "answers". I personally love the ambiguity of the film. If you wish to learn more, watch the 3rd Cube film, it dives deeper into the "Man Behind The Curtain" aspect. It's an interesting idea, but ultimately I feel it takes away the excitement of the viewers imagination.
This was the very first Canadian Film Centre feature film. For those who don't know what the CFC is, it's a bunch of film students. Film students made this film.
When people talk about great indie sci/fi flicks, I rarely hear Cube mentioned, which is a shame. This film is a gem.
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Is it ok if I review these without watching them, as I've seen each one at least 1.6 million times (estimated).
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Pandorum
I had never heard of this film before and watched it without knowing anything about it or any preconceived ideas, which was probably for the best as it is in some ways a mystery film. I enjoyed it for the most part. It's a fairly simple concept, I liked the colours. Towards the end it gets a bit twist-happy, which wasn't strictly necessary, but I liked the actual ending. It leaves you with enough questions to want more. I've seen since that it's had some pretty bad reviews, and I don't really know why. It's not quite a classic, but it's a good watch.
I had never heard of this film before and watched it without knowing anything about it or any preconceived ideas, which was probably for the best as it is in some ways a mystery film. I enjoyed it for the most part. It's a fairly simple concept, I liked the colours. Towards the end it gets a bit twist-happy, which wasn't strictly necessary, but I liked the actual ending. It leaves you with enough questions to want more. I've seen since that it's had some pretty bad reviews, and I don't really know why. It's not quite a classic, but it's a good watch.
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Spoiler Free Review! Safe to read if you haven't seen the movie, in fact you need to read this before watching it
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Wholly smokes! This movie rocks! It's miles ahead of most sci fi films. Hell, it's miles ahead of most films period!...I knew right away that this was made by an intelligent director who cared to do it right. Each scene is a thing of beauty: the sets are richly detailed and well dressed out. This was shot inside real buildings in San Francisco, no fakey Hollywood sets here. The art direction in this film is so amazing, with many fine details in the background that help to create realism (and that's really important in sci fi)... some of those details create atmosphere too. And damn! this movie is dripping in atmosphere.
Take a look at that still shot from the movie, look at how the oddly shaped trees adds to the creepiness. This film is stacked full of such shots.
Look for these shots:
When Brooke Adams walks into the park, watch the teacher with the children and the priest on the swings.
When Donald Sutherland is chopping up vegetables in his kitchen look at the hand shaped ginger root.
When they look for a missing body in a solarium look at how the busted flower pot looks like a face.
I could go on, but I'll just say the camera work is perfection. The way they do off centered and tilted shots gives a real sense of foreboding...as does the film noir style lighting in some of the darker interior shots. This film is put together like a master piece. The script is intelligent. The actors are so in-tuned to what they are doing that they seem real people which makes this more creepy. Don't let the mediocre, special effects used in the opening title sequences fool you, the entire rest of the movie is 5 star stuff.
Take a look at that still shot from the movie, look at how the oddly shaped trees adds to the creepiness. This film is stacked full of such shots.
Look for these shots:
When Brooke Adams walks into the park, watch the teacher with the children and the priest on the swings.
When Donald Sutherland is chopping up vegetables in his kitchen look at the hand shaped ginger root.
When they look for a missing body in a solarium look at how the busted flower pot looks like a face.
I could go on, but I'll just say the camera work is perfection. The way they do off centered and tilted shots gives a real sense of foreboding...as does the film noir style lighting in some of the darker interior shots. This film is put together like a master piece. The script is intelligent. The actors are so in-tuned to what they are doing that they seem real people which makes this more creepy. Don't let the mediocre, special effects used in the opening title sequences fool you, the entire rest of the movie is 5 star stuff.
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Spoiler Free Review! Safe to read if you haven't seen the movie, in fact you need to read this before watching it
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Wholly smokes! This movie rocks! It's miles ahead of most sci fi films. Hell, it's miles ahead of most films period!...I knew right away that this was made by an intelligent director who cared to do it right. Each scene is a thing of beauty: the sets are richly detailed and well dressed out. This was shot inside real buildings in San Francisco, no fakey Hollywood sets here. The art direction in this film is so amazing, with many fine details in the background that help to create realism (and that's really important in sci fi)... some of those details create atmosphere too. And damn! this movie is dripping in atmosphere.
Take a look at that still shot from the movie, look at how the oddly shaped trees adds to the creepiness. This film is stacked full of such shots.
Look for these shots:
When Brooke Adams walks into the park, watch the teacher with the children and the priest on the swings.
When Donald Sutherland is chopping up vegetables in his kitchen look at the hand shaped ginger root.
When they look for a missing body in a solarium look at how the busted flower pot looks like a face.
I could go on, but I'll just say the camera work is perfection. The way they do off centered and tilted shots gives a real sense of foreboding...as does the film noir style lighting in some of the darker interior shots. This film is put together like a master piece. The script is intelligent. The actors are so in-tuned to what they are doing that they seem real people which makes this more creepy. Don't let the mediocre, special effects used in the opening title sequences fool you, the entire rest of the movie is 5 star stuff.
Take a look at that still shot from the movie, look at how the oddly shaped trees adds to the creepiness. This film is stacked full of such shots.
Look for these shots:
When Brooke Adams walks into the park, watch the teacher with the children and the priest on the swings.
When Donald Sutherland is chopping up vegetables in his kitchen look at the hand shaped ginger root.
When they look for a missing body in a solarium look at how the busted flower pot looks like a face.
I could go on, but I'll just say the camera work is perfection. The way they do off centered and tilted shots gives a real sense of foreboding...as does the film noir style lighting in some of the darker interior shots. This film is put together like a master piece. The script is intelligent. The actors are so in-tuned to what they are doing that they seem real people which makes this more creepy. Don't let the mediocre, special effects used in the opening title sequences fool you, the entire rest of the movie is 5 star stuff.
"Creepy". That's the perfect word to describe this movie.
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