From the Wachowskis (Andy & Lana), creators of The Matrix trilogy and Tom Tykwer, director of Run, Lola, Run, Cloud Atlas was poised to be a mind-bending piece of sci-fi filmmaking. An adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel of the same name, the story (set in six distinct time periods) deals with reincarnation and the evolving…
Category: Movies
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl and Richard LaGravenese – Book and Movie Review
I’m not quite sure what brought me to another supernatural, teen romance (especially after giving up on the Twilight books after only halfway through the second) but I guess I wanted to see if they were truly as similar as they seem. One of the things I noticed right away (especially since I was listening…
Skyfall – Capsule Review
After Quantum of Solace, I was a bit concerned for Daniel Craig’s 007. I was worried that the franchise was too preoccupied with what is supposed to make up a Bond movie to make it a good movie, period. Thank goodness that Skyfall proved the previous film to be an aberration. This movie is not…
Argo – Capsule Review
With its other awards this year, I knew Argo was likely to win the Best Picture Oscar. The distribution company probably felt the same way so they released it on disc (and iTunes) with enough time for us all to see it before the Oscars ceremony. I think I skipped seeing this movie in the…
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 – Capsule Review
Though I no longer consider myself a Twilight fan, I was anticipating this final chapter in the “saga” (at least enough to make an iTunes rental of it). I was not crazy about Part 1 mostly because of how unpleasant it was to watch Kristen Stewart waste away as Bella, the human girl who fell…
Oscar Schmoscar 2013
Each year I write this post for two reasons: 1) to show how much I don’t really care about the nominees (not really true) and 2) do quickie reviews of the nominated movies that I haven’t already reviewed separately. Back when there were fewer Best Picture noms, I tried to watch all of them by…
40 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films for 2013 (part 2)
Despite the fact that Hollywood seems more interested in sequels and franchise films (especially in the sci-fi/fantasy market), there are a few 2013 movies which bring a new story to the big screen. However, I can’t promise that they won’t be the first in a franchise (in fact, some of the book adaptations already have…
40 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films for 2013 (part 1)
As I mentioned previously, 2013 is chock full of sci-fi and fantasy movies. Many of last year’s trends are continuing, including fairy tale retelling or reinventions, vampires and supernatural romance, those ubiquitous super-hero movies, and even a new category in the mix: the scorched Earth movie. There are many many 2013 movie lists that you…
Alvin’s 10 Favourite Movies of 2012
In years past, I would post year-end faves from the big and small screens, but 2012 marked the sad continuation of a dry spell on tv. Of the new shows that debuted in 2012, not a single one would I consider “must-see”, and even the ones that I enjoyed in the past have all begun…
Alvin's Adventures in Pop Culture 