Category Archives: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Ender’s Game review

Directed by Gavin HoodWritten by Hood, adapting the novel by Orson Scott CardEnder Wiggin is a teenager with a gift for tactics. And on a future earth threatened by alien insectoids, that kind of skill is exactly what the global military is looking for. Apparently, children are required for protecting the earth in the future,…Read More

Gravity review

Directed by Alfonso CuarónWritten by Cuarón and Jonás CuarónThe first thing I thought of after seeing Gravity: "I wonder what Chris Hadfield would make of this movie?"Now, I've gone on record saying I'm not being the biggest fan of computer generated imagery. In fantasy and action movies too often it reads as substandard animation, taking away…Read More

The World’s End review

Directed by Edgar Wright | Written by Wright and Simon Pegg | 109 min | On Demand You nerds know this: The World's End is the third and final film in Wright's Cornetto Trilogy, all made with buddies Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The thematic thread is pretty thin, but basically these three British guys…Read More

Elysium review

Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp | 109 min | Netflix Blomkamp impressed everyone—including Academy voters, who nominated the film for a Best Picture Oscar—with his first movie, District 9. The South African-born, Vancouver-educated filmmaker made a slam-bang science fiction movie with definitive visual flair that even offered a tang of political allegory in the…Read More

Pacific Rim review

Directed by Guillermo del ToroWritten by del Toro and Travis BeachamI've enjoyed a lot of what Hollywood has served up for the summer of 2013 blockbuster season. Superhero pictures like Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel have delivered, for the most part, as did the sixth Fast & Furious. But what I'm always looking for…Read More

Man of Steel review

Directed by Zack Snyder Written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan from the comic Superman created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster Superman, as Gary Engle wrote, "raises the American immigrant experience to the level of religious myth." That's exactly what Zack Snyder's new feature film is going for. With myth and religion, you…Read More

This Is The End review

Written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, adapting the short film by Jason Stone, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse | 107 min | Netflix and Crave Plus This movie is quite a ride; it's both intrinsically self-indulgent and broadly satiric, celebratory of the juvenile behaviour of men and critical of it. And while…Read More

Star Trek Into Darkness review

Directed by JJ Abrams, Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, based on the Gene Roddenberry TV series | Prime Video It's been reported that JJ Abrams didn't grow up having been a big fan of Star Trek. I've had trouble finding the direct quote online, but the impression I got from having…Read More

Oblivion review

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Written by Kosinski, Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt, from a comic by Kosinski and Arvid Nelson Today I really miss Roger Ebert. I would have loved to have read what he thought of Oblivion. I know he enjoyed the work of Alex Proyas (Dark City, Knowing) for the expansive vision in his science…Read More