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    Member Movie Review: Forbidden Planet 

    Published on 02-21-2012 09:52 AM  Number of Views: 32 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. Movies/TV
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    Forbidden Planet
    Directed by Fred M. Wilcox
    Produced by Nicholas Nayfack
    Starring, Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielsen, Anne Francis
    Release date(s) April 1, 1956
    Running time 98 minutes
    Reviewed by Ed McKeown

    Forbidden Planet, directed by Fred M. Wilcox, stars Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, and Anne Francis. The characters and its setting have been compared to those in Shakespeare's The Tempest,and its plot contains certain similarities though I think that the analogy gets a bit over played. ...
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    Member Movie Review: War of the Worlds 

    Published on 02-14-2012 06:21 PM  Number of Views: 48 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. Movies/TV
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    The War of the Worlds
    Directed by Byron Haskin
    Starring Gene Barry, Ann Robinson
    Review by Ed McKeown

    This version of War of the Worlds is not a perfect movie but it is one of the best adaptations of the book, particularly in a visual sense. The movie opens with an ominous voice over a tour of the Solar System using the art work of the great Chesley Bonestell. ...
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    Member Movie Review: Them! 

    Published on 02-14-2012 03:23 AM  Number of Views: 31 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. Movies/TV
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    Them!
    Directed by Gordon Douglas
    Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness
    Reviewed by Ed McKeown
    Released June 19, 1954
    Running time 94 minutes


    "When man entered the atomic age, he opened the door to a new world. What we may eventually find in that new world, nobody can predict." ...
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    Member Movie Review: Priest 

    Published on 02-10-2012 02:56 AM  Number of Views: 46 
    Categories:
    1. Vampire
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 2.0 Stars
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    Priest (2010), Rated PG-13
    87 minutes
    Starring Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Brad Dourif
    Directed by Scott Charles Stewart
    Reviewed by Jaqhama
    Rating: (2/5)

    Priest is set on either another world or the Earth in some dark, apocalyptic future, or an alternate Earth at any rate. Never was quite sure about that. Humans have been at war with a vampire race for decades, centuries maybe. Things weren't going so good for the homo saps until they discovered that some of them have almost super human powers of speed, strength and agility. ...
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    Movie Review: The Darkest Hour 

    Published on 02-09-2012 08:24 AM  Number of Views: 46 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 1.5 Stars
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    The Darkest Hour (2011), Rated PG-13
    89 minutes
    Starring Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor, Joel Kinnaman
    Directed by Chris Gorak
    Reviewed by Dave Felts
    Rating: (1/5)

    Two young American entrepreneurs, Sean (Emile Hirsh) and Ben (Max Mingella) arrive in Moscow to pitch their web site business to Russian investors in the hopes of a big payday. When they arrive, however, they find a business contact, a Swedish man named Skyler (Joel Kinnaman), has backstabbed them by stealing their idea and already securing the deal for himself. ...
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    Movie Review: Fright Night (2011) 

    Published on 02-01-2012 06:34 AM  Number of Views: 87 
    Categories:
    1. Vampire
    2. 4.0 Stars
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    Fright Night (2011), Rated PG-13
    106 minutes
    Starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
    Directed by Craig Gillespie
    Reviewed by Dave Felts
    Rating: (4/5)

    Back when I was in college, VCRs had only been around a few years. Towns that had cable TV were still fairly rare, but one of my roommates had it at home. He'd go home for the occassional weekend and return with movies he taped off HBO. My parents had given me their old VCR (a top loading one--I can still picture it) and another roomie provided the TV. Seemed as though there was ALWAYS some movie playing: The Natural, The Sure Thing, Rocky IV, My Bloody Valentine, Cocoon... and dozens of others, including Fright Night. ...
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    Movie Review: Source Code 

    Published on 01-31-2012 04:51 AM  Number of Views: 93 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. 4.0 Stars
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    Source Code (2011), Rated PG-13
    93 minutes
    Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
    Directed by Duncan Jones
    Reviewed by Dave Felts
    Rating: (4/5)

    Duncan Jones popped up on the radar in 2009 with Moon, which, while not a commercial blockbuster, garnered notice beyond the walls of geekdom. Science fiction to Hollywood seems to mean replacing guns with lasers, minorities with aliens, and cars with spaceships. Moon was a pleasant departure from that mold, being science fiction for the thinking person, built around ideas instead of action. Source Code is Jones' second film, and while there are explosions a-plenty, it's still science fiction for thinkers. ...
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    Movie Review: Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 

    Published on 01-30-2012 08:27 AM  Number of Views: 140 
    Categories:
    1. Fantasy
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 0.5 Stars
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    Twilight Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (2011), Rated PG-13
    Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
    Directed by: Bill Condon
    Reviewed by Dave Felts
    Rating: (.5/5)

    Okay, it's embarrassing to admit, but my wife and I watched Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 this past weekend. I could say it was a guilty pleasure, but without the pleasure part.

    This is going to devolve into a bit of a rant, so feel free to skip ahead if you want.

    My daughter tore through the Twilight books a few years ago (I guess around age 13-14?). Hey, anything to get kids reading, right? Maybe.... ...
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    Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows 

    Published on 01-27-2012 01:23 AM  Number of Views: 74 
    Categories:
    1. Historical Fantasy
    2. 3.5 Stars
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    Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows (2011), Rated PG-13
    Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, Paul Anderson, Stephen Fry
    Directed by: Guy Ritchie
    Reviewed by Dave Felts
    Rating: (3.5/5)

    I like Robert Downey Jr. I enjoy his acting, and I guess I appreciate the travails he’s overcome. Most of us like to see people make good and bury their demons. I think he was the perfect fit for Iron Man, and he's a good fit for (this version of) Sherlock Holmes.

    I’m hampered here by my lack of knowledge about the ‘real’ Sherlock Holmes, so I’m afraid I can’t offer any assessment of how close Downey’s character, or the other characters, or the movie’s plot, corresponds to the actual stories. Judging by Hollywood’s past track record, my guess would be that the deviation is pretty large. ...
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    Movie Review: Cowboys and Aliens 

    Published on 09-23-2011 07:50 AM  Number of Views: 203 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 3.0 Stars
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    Cowboys and Aliens (2011) Rated PG-13
    Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell
    Directed by Jon Favreau
    Reviewed by Joshua Palmatier
    Rating: (3/5)


    This movie was my most anticipated movie of the summer, because it was a new idea, not Smurfs 5 or something. I watched the first trailer and thought, WHOA! and ever since have not allowed myself to see any trailers because they usually spoil a ton of stuff in the movie for me. (One of the disadvantages of being a writer: you can piece together plot fairly easily with little to no details.) ...
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    Movie Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes 

    Published on 09-23-2011 07:01 AM  Number of Views: 19 
    Categories:
    1. Movies/TV
    2. 5.0 Stars
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    Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Rated PG-13
    Starring James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow
    Directed by Rupert Wyatt
    Reviewed by Joshua Palmatier
    Rating: (5/5)

    I have just returned from the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes. . . and I have to say I really enjoyed it! It was smart, it was thoughtful, and it presented a believable reason for how the apes ended up gaining intelligence and, more importantly, how they managed to take over the earth. The actual "taking over the earth" doesn't happen in the movie, but it does cover exactly how that takeover began AND gave you all of the necessary seeds for how the apes ended up on top, over humans. In fact, it set up the entire Planet of the Apes movie concept as well. ...
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    Movie Review: Captain America 

    Published on 09-23-2011 06:35 AM  Number of Views: 186 
    Categories:
    1. Superhero
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 4.0 Stars
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    Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Rated PG-13
    Starring Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving
    Directed by Joe Johnston
    Reviewed by Joshua Palmatier
    Rating: (4/5)

    Fellow author Patricia Bray () and I went to see Captain America last weekend and I have to say that I was rather surprised. I thought it was the best superhero/comic action movie of the summer, better than Thor and certainly better than The Green Lantern (both of which I need to review here as well). ...
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    Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon 

    Published on 07-09-2011 01:32 AM  Number of Views: 389 
    Categories:
    1. Science Fiction
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 3.0 Stars
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    Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) Rated PG-13
    Starring Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich
    Directed by Michael Bay
    Reviewed by Joshua Palmatier
    Rating: (3/5)

    So, Patricia Bray and I went to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon this past weekend. I grew up on Transformers (still have a ton of the toys, old and *ahem* new), and Optimus Prime is Patricia's boyfriend. So of course we had to go, even though the second movie was so hideously bad (and the first was fun but also not that great). After seeing a single preview of this movie, I had hopes that this one was better. In fact, it appeared that perhaps not only was it better, but that they'd actually taken a risk and done something significant with the Transformer universe. ...
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    Movie Review: Hannibal Rising 

    Published on 11-14-2010 06:07 AM  Number of Views: 436 
    Categories:
    1. Horror
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 2.0 Stars
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    Hannibal Rising (2007) Rated R
    Starring Gaspard Ulliel, Li Gong, Rhys Ifans, Kevin Mckidd, Dominic West, Richard Brake
    Directed by Peter Webber
    Reviewed by Nicholas Ozment
    Rating: (2/5)

    Revenge has a way of turning men into monsters. Also, it's always been great box office. ...
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    Movie Review: Halloween 

    Published on 11-14-2010 04:48 AM  Number of Views: 474 
    Categories:
    1. Horror
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 2.0 Stars
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    Halloween (2007), Rated R
    Starring Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, Tyler Mane, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris
    Directed by Rob Zombie
    Reviewed by Nicholas Ozment
    Rating (2/5):


    Three years ago, on a sunny summer day (Halloween was released in August!), I went into the dark to revisit the legend of Michael Myers and relive what happened in the town of Haddonfield, Illinois on that infamous Hallowe'en night thirty-odd years ago? ...
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    Movie Review: The Time Traveler's Wife 

    Published on 11-14-2010 03:15 AM  Number of Views: 489 
    Categories:
    1. Fantasy
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 3.0 Stars
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    The Time Traveler's Wife
    Starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams
    Directed by Robert Schwentke
    Reviewed by S.J. Higbee
    Rating: (3/5)

    Released in the summer of 2009, The Time Traveler's Wife is based on Audrey Niffenegger's bestselling book of the same name, which I felt was an interesting, nuanced examination of a much hackneyed subject. There was a lot of anticipation around the film, given Brad Pitt?s involvement as one of the producers ? especially after the postponement of the original release date back in 2008. ...
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    Movie Review: Cloverfield 

    Published on 09-21-2010 09:26 AM  Number of Views: 808 
    Categories:
    1. Horror
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    Cloverfield (2008) Rated "PG-13"
    Starring Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David
    Directed by Matt Reeves
    Reviewed by Nicholas Ozment
    Rating: (4/5):

    I grew up watching Godzilla movies (still love 'em!), but not because they were even for a moment scary. No, by the time I was born the big radioactive lizard had long since devolved into self-parody. People like me watch Godzilla movies because it's amusing to see guys in rubber monster suits toss each other around while knocking down model skyscrapers and swatting toy airplanes. ...
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    Movie Review: Primeval 

    Published on 09-09-2010 01:18 PM  Number of Views: 803 
    Categories:
    1. Horror
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 1.0 Stars
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    Primeval (2007) Rated "R"
    Starring Dominic Purcell, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones, J?rgen Prochnow
    Directed by Michael Katleman
    Reviewed by Nicholas Ozment
    Rating: (1/5)

    The most interesting thing about Primeval was the advertising campaign. If you only saw the preview before watching it, you'd probably go in expecting a serial-killer horror flick. ...
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    Movie Review: Bug 

    Published on 09-01-2010 08:31 AM  Number of Views: 1618 
    Categories:
    1. Horror
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 2.0 Stars
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    Bug (2006) Rated ?R?
    Starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, Lynn Collins, Brian F. O?Byrne, Harry Connick, Jr.
    Directed by William Friedkin
    Review by Nicholas Ozment
    Rating: (2/5):

    In the trailer for Bug, Mr. Movie-Preview-Voice says in that slow, deep, menacing tone, "They live in your blood. They feed on your brain." The trailer also emphasizes it is from the director of The Exorcist (William Friedkin), and quotes a critic proclaiming, "One of the most disturbing horror movies imaginable." ...
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    Movie Review: 1408 

    Published on 08-21-2010 11:18 AM  Number of Views: 2254 
    Categories:
    1. Paranormal
    2. Movies/TV
    3. 3.5 Stars
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    1408 (2007), Rated ?PG-13?
    Starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, Jasmine Jessica Anthony
    Directed by Mikael H?fstrom
    Review by Nicholas Ozment
    Rating (3.5/5):

    ?It?s an evil f**king room.?

    You can guess who speaks that bit of dialogue, since the cast includes Samuel L. Jackson. The room he?s describing is 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel.

    Note that a classic, old-style building like the Dolphin does not have a thirteenth floor: floor 14 is, in fact, floor 13. And also note what 1+4+0+8 add up to. That?s all a bit of Stephen King having some fun. ...
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