Archive for February, 2012
Film Trailer: Supernova
Posted in Supernova with tags Film Trailer, movie trailer, Supernova, trailer on February 28, 2012 by Higher Plain MusicFilm Trailer: Category 7 – The End of the World
Posted in Category 7: The End of the World with tags Category 7 The End of the World, Film Trailer, movie trailer on February 28, 2012 by Higher Plain MusicFilm Review: Lightning: Bolts of Destruction
Posted in Lightning: Bolts of Destruction with tags disaster movie, ellen dublin, film, film review, flick, joanna pacula, ken tremblett, lightning bolts of destruction, movie, natural disaster, nick mancuso, noel fisher, Review, tv movie on February 28, 2012 by Higher Plain Music
Or as I’d like to call the film – let’s have a family drama with a webcam! Cue one of the more hammiest disaster movies milked for TV moviedom.
The Premise
Lightning becomes positively charged and starts to develop huge storms to bring on a new ice age of course!
The Disasters Faced
Lightning, Wind, loss of connection on a skype call and being witness to some of the worst 2 second long CGI shots ever.
The Execution
This film aims itself firmly at the Sunday afternoon family audience. Everything here feels too warm, soft, glowing and fuzzy. Although the world is ending, we see so little of it and the film focuses on a “she’s not my mother!” plot which while is mildly entertaining, is not what I tuned in for. The script isn’t too bad in handling this but when you’ve little to keep you going on the disaster front it feels very much like an empty film that never comes together.
The Effects
Effects are used sparingly and thank God for that. We’re treated to static CGI models being given flames from what looks like a flash game. The only decent effect is an EMP ripple. Woo.
Why It’s Worth Watching
For family drama, it’s passable and the acting isn’t too bad. Quite why one family member is blatantly European amongst an entire cast of American’s I have no idea. Much of science is glossed over too so you’re not given a chance to dwell on that side either. Instead, the drinking game is left to taking a shot every time someone has a conversation on webcam. I thought we were watching a Skype documentary…
Best Death
There’s only one and he dies being electrocuted by touching a fire door. Even then he just shakes a little. How very PG.
Favourite Character
I’ll go for Ken Tremblett for playing a nice father who seems stuck with two argumentative family members. He seems so nice and warm, he could have bashed their heads together at the end and I have cheered him on!
Weirdest Moment
“Please tell me there’s no lightning in Cyber Space?” Pardon?!
Conclusion
As I’m sure you can tell, Lightning Bolts of Destruction left me cold. It’s not so much the production, the acting or the awful effects – it’s the non direction of it all. It’s 100 minutes of watching people talk on their webcam with little reward and incentive to keep watching. Dull.
Film Review: Thrill Seekers
Posted in Thrill Seekers with tags caspien van diel, catherine bell, disaster movie, film, film review, james allodi, julian richings, lawrence danes, martin sheen, movie, peter outerbridge, Review, theresa saldana, thrill seekers, tv movie on February 5, 2012 by Higher Plain Music
Sometimes TV movies break the mould and become something quite entertaining and unique. Thrill Seekers for me, is one of those movies. Taking an interesting concept for disaster and playing generally within its budget constraints, there’s a lot to like.
The Premise
A company decides to use time travel to give people the experience of a life time to live as part of huge disasters such as Hindenburg or Titanic in safety. When someone cottons on and tries to stop the disasters, problems occur!
The Disasters Faced
Plane crashes, fires, bombs, missile guns, what looks like the early invention of an iPad (nooo) and some really jumped up baddies.
The Execution
Thrill Seekers is first and foremost a sci-fi /thriller movie but it’s weaved around disaster elements. It’s story is the key to its enjoyment. Casper Van Dien, whose acting is wooden here to say the least, uncovers a Thrill Seeker which is a person who time travels to witness first hand big disasters in history. A strange package holiday to say the least! When Casper works out his plane is the next destination, he stops the disaster taking place and then begins to work on stopping the rest of the brochure taking place too. The company running Thrill Seekers isn’t impressed and sends back two dubious baddies to catch Casper. The story genuinely kept me really interested and when it gets going in its full flow, it’s a really enjoyable romp. The pacing is well done and there’s not too many dodgy CGI scenes as everything is kept low-key until the final thirty minutes.
The Effects
The train crash looks to me like it’s had footage ripped from a film called Money Train (and isn’t the only film to have committed this crime) and the plane and bomb scenes are littered with poor CGI. There is one good explosion though and the iPad’s in waiting are quite fun to see how in 1999, they could be so close to what we get now.
Why It’s Worth Watching
The story is very entertaining and I like how it weaves lots of real life disasters around its own fictional ones. Catherine Bell makes a good reluctant heroine, Casper an awful lead and Theresa Saldana is hilarious as Cortez – the stilted acting bad ass whose in it for the money. It also gets my vote for a really high death count and isn’t afraid to kill most of the cast off at some point! The old drinks game can be used for whenever either baddie runs through the public holding a gun and no one remotely reacts, or when Casper / Theresa fail to act at all.
Best Death
I’ll go for Elizabeth (Catherine Bell) who dies in the best explosion when Cortez gets bad ass with her missile gun.
Favourite Character
It’s got to be Cortez – she kept me in stitches throughout and I’m not sure it was intentional. One thing I will say for the film, is all bar the lead have good characters and some development with them.
Weirdest Moment
It’s not weird, but Charlie Sheen is the big star in the movie yet he has about ten lines and say a minute of screen time. Elsewhere in an attempt for comic relief, our cop duo have some terrible dialogue that is groan worthy.
Conclusion
A disaster / sci fi / thriller hybrid and one of the most interesting and unique takes on the disaster genre. For once, a TV movie with an imdb rating above 5! At least I’m not alone in thinking Thrill Seekers is actually an enjoyable romp. I was entertained from start to end and that’s what any film goer wants.
