Dead Space: Downfall

Dead Space: Downfall

2008

Directed by Chuck Patton

This will be the last short post. I just had too many films backing up on me and too little time at the moment to catch up! I do want to keep my New Year's resolution and write about every film that I have seen this year, so even though they may be short -- I'm still writing!

I enjoyed the video game quite a bit. It had a great way of building dread and suspense in a very claustrophobic atmosphere. I can't quite say the same for this film. The film is worth watching for a bit of back story leading up to the events in the video game, but this information can be gathered from the game anyway. The film didn't really create any sense of dread or horror, and the characters weren't fleshed out enough to care about.

Rustin Allison

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

1953

Directed by Eugene Lourie

There are some great classic city destruction scenes in this film, and this film is obviously the inspiration for future giant monster films. The monster is animated by Ray Harryhausen. The scenes that feature the monster are where the film really comes to life.

Rustin Allison

Monsters Vs Aliens

Monsters Vs Aliens

2009

Directed by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon

This is the first 3D film that I have seen since The Nightmare Before Christmas was re-released in theaters a couple of years back. I went to see this movie because it was 3D, and although it wasn't the best animated film I have ever seen... it was worth seeing it in 3D. The film was funny enough and I loved all of the references to old sci-fi movies. It just felt like a re-hash of The Incredibles to me.

The main reason to see this film is the 3D presentation. Yes, my eyes did feel a bit of a stain after a while... but it was worth it. The destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge sequence has received much attention and it deserves the notice. This sequence was very thrilling to watch and the 3D aspect of it added so much. Since this film was a success, it will be interesting to see where 3D goes from here.

Rustin Allison

Southland Tales

Southland Tales

2006

Directed by Richard Kelly

Southland Tales is a film that I have been wanting to see for a while. I really enjoyed Kelly's Donnie Darko, and wanted to see how this next film fared. While I think this film had great potential, I felt a little lost while watching it. I didn't feel like I connected to any of the characters in the film. I did like some of the ideas in the film... like the slow transition of the US into a police state and the fact that people needed visas to go from state to state.

I think that the main problem with the film is that it tried to include too much in one film. As much as I dislike the current movement of Hollywood to try to make everything into a trilogy or a franchise... I think this is one of those films that could have easily been split into two or three different films and the director could have had the sufficient time and space to tell his story.

Rustin Allison

The Thing

The Thing

1982

Directed by John Carpenter

I really, really enjoyed this film. This is one of those films that I have always heard about, but I have never seen. It truly lives up to its reputation as one of the great horror films.

The aspects of this films that stood out to me are the themes of isolation and paranoia. These men are stuck in a base in the Antarctic at first investigating an alien presence and then trying to escape from it. These are men who can not escape their fate and the inevitableness of the film is one of the things about it that really appealed to me.

The alien can change shape and can take the form of its victims. This leads to a growing sense of paranoia amongst the men as they can no longer trust the people that they have been. This is where the true horror of the film plays out, and I thought the film's greatest moments were when the men could no longer trust one another.

This is one of the few times where I have watched a movie twice back to back and I honestly would not mind watching the film a third or fourth time. The effects were disturbing and amazing and the twisted alien forms had a horrific look to them. I highly recommend this film to any horror or science fiction fan.

Rustin Allison