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Reviews
Earthling (2010)
Fresh approach to sci-fi with a deeper meaning
Do you ever feel like you just don't fit in? Maybe we all do, and maybe there's a good reason.
Earthling uses a sci-fi context to explore this sociological situation. Sure the sci-fi constructions are stereotypes... the slug that occupies the brain is straight out of vintage Star Treck, and the space probe seen in the introduction (in black and white) could have come from Buck Rogers. What the director is saying is that this doesn't matter to the story, that the story takes place at a deeper level.
As the story evolves, it is aided by strong performances by the two female leads that reflect love, doubt, and duplicity. The male characters and actors are significantly weaker. As above, the effects are not the strength, it is the inner dialog and conflict that matters. The main character makes a journey of a lifetime without moving very far at all, and we come to empathize with a creature that is not at all human, yet reflects us all.
4 out of 5.
Stake Land (2010)
Couldn't avoid the stereotypes?
OK, reasonable scenario for apocalyptic drama. However, why can't any storyteller come up with a better 'evil dead' mechanism than the tired and overused vampires?
The main (older) character is two dimensional, while we can see the young man develop. Then the stereotypes come fast and furious. The delicate female character (pregnant), without sufficient development. The older ex-religious character. The black ex-marine buddy. Really.
Perhaps the most offensive is the recurring use of Christians as the true terrors. Cannibals, opportunists. "All this good being ruined by Christians dropping vamps from the sky". Sorry if that's a spoiler, but it's that contrived. How would it play if we said Jews or Muslims were in cahoots with the vampires??
In contrast, the best aspect, and probably freshest, is the use of the vamps eye teeth (er, fangs) as both currency and validation of purpose.
Lastly, a question for the continuity office... in a what post-apocalyptic world is there corn ripe for harvest??
Empty (2011)
Wasted story potential
I was attracted to this movie because as a 'horror' with an unusual villain (a global gas crisis) it had potential to be different. In the first few minutes I was thinking that we might see townsfolk interacting to deal with crisis, creative approaches, some evildoers and some that rise above, but no. What we get is a young couple whining at each other and dealing with only the most superficial problems that might result from an energy crisis.
The script and production is tremendously lame. How is she camping for 6 days in white style boots? How is the gas station closed for days in a snow storm clean plowed, and where on earth did all of the tire tracks come from? Why is there no evidence of power failure until days later? I can imagine how Google could survive the crisis but all the cell towers working?
IMDb estimates that this cost $10,000 to make. Maybe, since the actors were probably not paid and the sets consist of a walk through the woods, a small town early Sunday morning, and a couple of rental cabins. Where they should have spent the money is on a script that doesn't feel fake, and that contains some dialog that doesn't make you wonder why the two characters didn't kill each other long ago.
The Marriage of Figaro (2009)
Sweet and light
This is a lighthearted take on a good guy who borders on being a loser and a moron, but who loves his kids and their mother, and does the right thing. The plot is sweet but not very tight, the characters pleasant but without deep motivation, and the humor direct and obvious, but not laugh-out-loud. A light hearted diversion safe for kids (except for needless profanity, but not one you will remember in the morning.
While the acting is passable, the story line is so contrived that it is almost painful to watch. Of course, the whole event is a parody of the opera, and considering that perhaps the writers put in such a weak and contrived story so as to mimic the kinds of story lines found in operas as well.