Some Guy

Having read the original six novels decades ago, and being a huge fan of David Lynch's "DUNE," I didn't think Denis Villeneuve's retelling was a good idea. Boy was I wrong. Then I though a Part Two couldn't live up to Villeneuve's work. And yet again I was wronger than wrong. If you know anything about the first and second books then the last five minutes of this film will break your heart in half. And Zendaya of all people absolutely STEALS the show. I thought NO ONE could ever replace Sean Young's 'Chani' but Zendaya's last scene in this film will haunt you. You MUST see this film. It is yet another colossal achievement from a Canadian...

While I am a huge fan of both Cronenberg Sr. and Jr., INFINITY POOL was just not enough of all the things that I like about either. But, there were a few positives, including Mia Goth's performance as Gabi, whose dangerous boredom drives most of the film's best moments. And at least, a so-so Cronenberg film is better than a lot of people's best efforts. Not a classic in the Cronenberg family pantheon... but Goth's performance keeps it from being the worst, and at least Canada can be proud of yet another interesting work from the clan who brought us landmark films like Naked Lunch, Videodrome, Crash, and Antiviral.

Like most Cronenberg films, the stars of the show are the production design, cinematography, and various inventive ways to fuse the human body with invasive organic technology that evokes eroticism and revulsion simultaneously. Viggo Mortensen is fantastic as always, and Canadian actresses Nadia Litz and Tanaya Beatty are superb as biotechnicians with a hidden secret. If you like Cronenbergian body horror you will not be disappointed. If not, then avoid the film. It is brilliant, but not for the squeamish.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW: Though I will be writing a medium length review of Raised By Wolves' first two seasons, all you need to know about this new sci fi series executive produced by ALIEN director Ridley Scott is ...you ABSOLUTELY MUST see it. It is basically all the best elements of sci-fi classics like DUNE, Bladerunner, and ALIEN rolled into one (certain features hint that it is actually set in the ALIEN Universe around the time of Prometheus or Alien: Covenant, possibly). The overall series starts off as the story of a pair of androids tasked with raising human children on a remote, arid planet (Kepler 22b) after humanity/Earth is destroyed by a global war between atheists and a fundamentalist group of Sun worshippers called the Mithraic. But as the first two seasons have progressed the series has become a dark, mystery-ridden, existential mediation on humanity's deeper impulses, with plenty of violence and horror to go around (viewer discretion is indeed advised). But as always with Ridley Scott, nothing is gratuitous, and any/all shocking moments drive the story. The god that the Mithraic worship, Sol, turns out to be real (in a certain sense), and whether It is good or evil plays out over the first two seasons in some pretty spectacular and disturbing ways. All n' all Raised By Wolves is absolutely brilliant, essential sci-fi. Scott is not consistent with his genius, but when he puts out a masterpiece he really puts out a masterpiece. Raised By Wolves is one of them.

THE BATMAN is as close to a perfect movie as you can get. Shot and scripted like a film noir, this movie is really a crime drama with people dressing up in costumes. It is all scaled down: minimalistic and understated, but delivers everything you want in a superhero movie. Everyone and everything is fantastic... but Paul Dano is absolutely stunning as The Riddler. His scenes without his mask are Oscar level stuff. As Joaquin Phoenix was to The Joker, so is Dano to the Riddler: a study in personality, and Dano will undoubtedly go down as the best Riddler ever. Paul Dano puts on an absolute acting masterclass. Go see it now!

This is not a Matrix movie. It is a action-romance movie that references the Matrix and does it rather badly. Dialogue is often muddled to the point of incoherence, the editing is off, and the plot is often pointless. The philosophy and depth of the original trilogy is replaced with some people just running around talking about their feelings. I really wanted this to be good but was totally disappointed. Go see Spiderman: No Way Home instead. It is absolutely epic.

This old sci fi classic is just straight up fun, and helped build the genre to the point we could have TV shows like The Outer Limits or movies like ALIEN. So reviewing it like was meant to be art is to misjudge it for the popcorn flick that it is: a big goofy looking monster runs around inside a spaceship... that's it, so wonderfully it. I mean, think about it: the monster is from Mars, but the title claims it is from "beyond" space. We are not dealing with Citizen Kane here. Just sit back and enjoy a wonderful time capsule of classic sci-fi. It may not be gourmet cuisine, but it sure is food for the soul.

As a long time fan of David Lynch's film "Dune" I have been waiting 37 years for another one to come along in theaters: either a sequel or a remake. It was inevitable, and I came into Denis Villeneuve's adaptation biased and ready to find any fault. Lynch's DUNE is like private treasure to me and I am not willing to give it up. But Villeneuve had done a beyond brilliant job of taking my other cult favourite "Bladerunner" and creating a breathtaking sequel to it, so I was hoping for something passable at the very least. DUNE (2021): SIX stars out of five. DUNE (2021) is not perfect... but it's cinematography, costuming, world building and performances by Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, and Rebecca Ferguson and in particular are flawless. Timothee Chalomet seems a little effete for the role of Paul Atreides, but dare I say Zendaya was born to play his future love Chani, and David Dastmalchian was perfectly serpentine as Harkonnen Mentat Piter de Vries. That is saying a lot since I came to this movie practically refusing to believe Sean Young or Brad Dourif (Lynch's original Chani and Piter) could ever be topped in their roles. And as for the character of Imperial ecologist Liet Keynes being changed from a man to a woman, it is a brilliant move, considering Keynes must negotiate his place in an ever evolving political and physical landscape literally fatal upon any misstep. To make Keynes a black female is not an act of race or gender equity as some detractors have suggested, but rather one of great depth and meaning, and British actress Sharon Duncan Brewster does a fantastic job of it all. Denis Villeneuve is a genius, and his DUNE is a masterclass in creativity and aesthetics. You MUST see it.

Like pretty much any other role, Humphrey Bogart's presence adds a touch of "Bogart-y goodness" to this film (his career's only sci-fi or horror role). The movie itself is not particularly good, but Bogart is surprisingly fantastic as the titular Doctor X. Like his villainous role in "The Desperate Hours" Bogart plays against his Casablanca persona, which he does with surprising quality. Practically unrecognizable with his white streaked hair and glasses, Bogart's voice too is tamed and altered, though his speech patterns clearly give him away. The man himself was embarrassed by his performance in this film, though I am sure his fans were reasonably entertained. The film itself is a 3 star affair at best, but with Bogart as the antagonist? Five stars for playing against type, in a very engaging manner. Recommended viewing for both horror and Bogart fans alike.