ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004) d: Paul W. S. Anderson. c: Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, Tommy Flanagan. This unabashedly fun merging of two of the biggest sci-fi/horror franchises of the ’80s has a group of explorers descending upon a hidden, ancient pyramid buried under the ice in Antarctica. They soon discover the site is where, millions of years ago, a war began between two extraterrestrial beings: the xenomorphs (aliens) and the alien bounty hunters (predators). Now, the humans are caught in the middle of a bloody rampage as the war rages on. Unlike the classic Alien and Aliens, AVP is best viewed as silly pulp entertainment and should never be taken seriously. The story is all over the place and most of the characters feel one-dimensional, but it’s fast-paced and the action is almost nonstop. Lathan makes for a spunky, smart heroine, although Ripley is sorely missed. Junky amusement that’s, dare I say, better than Alien 3. B–
JOHN DIES AT THE END (2012) d: Don Coscarelli. c: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayers, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman, Doug Jones. Two slacker friends, Dave (Williamson) and John (Mayers), in the midst of discovering a mysterious street drug that opens their minds to alternate dimensions and other supernatural activities, stumble upon a secret alien invasion of their small town. I think. Kooky and visually stimulating, John Dies at the End is a strange, albeit marginally entertaining, hodgepodge of comic book ideas and gory spectacle. To attempt understanding the confusing plotline is a lesson in futility. The film is intentionally incoherent and to try making sense of it is to miss the point; the world that Dave and his gang have inadvertently entered is a discombobulated mess where logic doesn’t apply. The practical FX look great, the digital ones not so much, but the movie’s cast is first-rate (especially Giamatti as a skeptical journalist) and take the material to a higher level, as does Coscarelli’s professional direction. Yet, despite its charms the movie never gels and feels more like a series of cool ideas better suited for several episodes of Black Mirror. Ultimately, it’s the screenplay that dies in the end. C
THE OMEGA MAN (1971) d: Boris Sagal. c: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash, Paul Koslo, Eric Laneuville. Thoughtful adaptation of the Richard Matheson book, I Am Legend, about Dr. Neville (Heston), a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world. Biological warfare has killed most of humanity and left the rest as light-sensitive mutants who see Neville, and other potential survivors, as the enemy. Part gothic horror, part sci-fi adventure, Omega Man replaces Matheson’s vampires with talking, intelligent monsters and in doing so creates a world that doesn’t question why bad things happen, but why we allowed it, eventually realizing that humans are humanity’s worst enemy. Although somewhat dated in tone, this is still very enjoyable and often exciting. The film was fairly transgressive for its time in its portrayal of an interracial relationship between Heston and Cash, especially in such a high-profile studio film. Worth a look if the 2007 Will Smith version (or the 1964 Vincent Price version) is not your cup of tea. B
VIDEODROME (1983) d: David Cronenberg. c: James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits, Jack Creley, Leslie Carlson. Pseudo-intellectual claptrap about the owner of a small TV station (Woods) specializing in obscure adult entertainment who comes across a strange broadcast signal that shows nothing but torture and violence. When he investigates the origin of the transmission, he gets caught up in a conspiracy dealing with mind-control, hallucinations, and false reality. The film is trying to say something about the effects television has on society, especially those with “soft” minds in a harsh reality, but its story is too jumbled in its absurd dream-like structure that it becomes nothing more than a cold, insensitive exercise in pretentious art. Woods and Harry are good, but the only reason to watch this is for Rick Baker’s outrageous makeup FX. C–