sci-fi tagged posts
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Director: Tim Miller
Writer: David S. Goyer, Billy Ray, Justin Rhodes
Cast: Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Producers: James Cameron, David Ellison
Music: Junkie XL
Cinematography: Ken Seng
Editor: Julian Clarke
Cert: 15
Running time: 128mins
Year: 2019
What’s the story: Dani (Reyes) is targeted for termination by a time travelling cyborg (Luna) and protected by enhanced human soldier Grace (Davis). Joining them is legendary “mother of the future” Sarah Connor (Hamilton).
What’s the verdict: The Terminator franchise is one based on a contradiction.
“The future is not set” might be the mantra at its heart, across the series passed down from father to mother to son and b...
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Episode 72 of The Electric Shadows Podcast is another one on location. This time our intrepid explorers in pod, Robs Daniel and Wallis, are at the London O2 braving the latest Terminator film.
In the last ten years paying to see Terminator films has been something of a fool’s errand and the trailers for Dark Fate were not promising. So, what did they think? You’ll have to listen in to find out.
Along the way the Robs also discuss the franchise overall, their love for the first two movies, a strange dream Rob D had about T2 many years ago and how a dream started this whole shebang in the first place.
Oh, and they briefly discuss which now-disgraced celebrity was in the running to play the role that made Arnie a superstar.
So, enjoy this run down of the latest Terminator mov...
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Director: Richard Stanley
Writers: Richard Stanley, Scarlett Amaris (script), H.P Lovecraft (short story)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur, Brendan Meyer, Tommy Chong
Producers: Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller, Lisa Whalen
Music: Colin Stetson
Cinematography: Steve Annis
Editor: Brett W. Bachman
Cert: 15
Running time: 111mins
Year: 2019
What’s the story: When a meteorite crashes onto the land of alpaca farmer Nathan Gardner (Cage), it causes strange, horrific changes in him and his family.
What’s the verdict: Last year it was Mandy...
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Director: James Gray
Writers: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler
Producers: Dede Gardner, James Gray, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Brad Pitt
Music: Max Richter
Cinematographer: Hoyte van Hoytema
Editors: John Axelrad, Lee Haugen
Cert: 12
Running time: 122mins
Year: 2019
What’s the story: Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) must journey across the solar system to find his long-thought dead father (Jones), whose mission may now be threatening Earth.
What’s the verdict: Dad Astra might have been a more appropriate title for James Gray’s visually breathtaking space opera...
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Director: Julius Onah
Writer: Oren Uziel (screenplay), Oren Uziel, Doug Jung (story)
Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, Chris O’Dowd, David Oyelowo, Zhang Ziyi, Roger Davies
Cert: 15
Running time: 102mins
Year: 2018
What’s the story: Astronauts aboard space station Cloverfield discover reality is lethally twisted after they successfully complete a particle accelerator experiment designed to solve a global energy crisis.
What’s the verdict: Cloverfield is about everyday life jolted by a seismic event. Fitting then that home entertainment giant Netflix surprise released this third instalment in producer J.J. Abrams’ anthology franchise.
Unsurprisingly, expectations were high...
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Another year, another 10 movies that define why we love cinema. 2017 was such a strong year for film releases that many excellent movies failed to make our Top 10.
Honorary shout-outs then to such must-sees as Wind River, IT, Mother!, Una, A Silent Voice and Wonder Woman. Great movies all, all pipped to the post by the titles below.
Whatever brow-furrowing misbehaviour 2018 brings, one sliver of good news is that cinema should remain in fine shape. From what we saw at the London Film Festival in October, at least three five-star movies will be released next year.
But, without further ado, here is Electric Shadows’ 10 Best Films of 2017…
Writer/director S...
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Episode 32 of The Electric Shadows Podcast is a bumper round-up. Rob Daniel & Rob Wallis take a belated look at Blade Runner 2049, deduce what they think of Murder on the Orient Express and it’s hammer time with Thor: Ragnarok.
There’s even space for a quick review of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer and George Clooney’s Suburbicon.
To check out Rob Wallis’ movie writings, head over to www.ofallthefilmsites.com
Twitter: rob_a_daniel
iTunes Podcast: The Electric Shadows Podcast
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Director: Natasha Kermani
Writer: Natasha Kerman
Cast: Lauren Ashley Carter, Neimah Djourabchi, Sanam Erfani, Catherine Mary Stewart, Adam David Thompson, Lewis Black
Cert: 15 (tbc)
Running time: 84mins
Year: 2017
What’s the story: In New Mexico, an alien being falls to earth and adopts the form of young New York porn actress, Julianna Fox. Taken in by an Iranian man and his sister, the alien begins assimilating with humankind. In New York, Julianna is having greater difficulty doing the same.
What’s the verdict: Natasha Kermani’s Imitation Girl is one 2017’s real discoveries. As exciting as fellow Iranian-American filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was when it wowed audiences in 2014.
A mumblecore take on The Man Who Fell to Earth and Under the ...
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Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: John Logan, Dante Harper (screenplay) Jack Paglen, Michael Green (story)
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Guy Pearce
Cert: 15
Running time: 122mins
Year: 2017
What’s the story: Crew members of a space vessel carrying colonists to a new world investigate a mysterious transmission emanating from an uncharted planet. The reception they receive is not friendly.
What’s the verdict: A long time since we’ve been loving the alien. But, Ridley Scott’s 1979 original and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel are sci-fi masterpieces, so hope remains the next Alien movie will facehug your affections.
2012’s Prometheus saw Scott back and calling the shots. The result was an incoherent mess...
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