Leviathan (1989)

"Martin: I realize you must have gone through hell. "

"Justin Jones: Gone? Bitch, we're still here! "

I've been on this kick lately of watchin monster movies and not just ANY monster movies, but those that involve water or being underwater. A strange thing to be obsessed with, I know, but fun. Something about underwater movies particularly attracts me. They share a lot of the same qualities with Sci-Fi/Outerspace films in that they have a particular otherworldly, helpless and lonely aesthetic to them. Many of them involve a small team of people doing an otherwise boring and mundane job when some invading organism or natural catastrophe causes them to be trapped, fighting for their lives. "Leviathan" is no different. I suppose this should make it boring and predictable, however (for the most part) it does not. Its the poor man's "The Thing" or maybe the rich man's "The Thing", I'm not really sure which, either way it's essentially "The Thing" on the ocean floor.

A team of underwater miner's that include Peter Weller ("Robocop"), Ernie Hudson (c'mon, Ernie Hudson - dude is in like, every movie EVER MADE!) and a bunch of other faces you will for sure recognize, stumble upon a downed Russian sub. Six Pack (Daniel Stern) boards the sub and leaves with a safe he finds. I won't divulge any more details except to say that Six Pack develops a strange rash that doesn't end so well for him or the rest of the crew. What I love about the film is the way it doesn't try to explain EVERYTHING. They never really tell you exactly what the creatures origins are or exactly what is going on above water; they only hint, and it lends a real sense of mystery to the film and it makes you fill in the blanks with your own imagination which is often scarier than anything the filmmakers could have come up with. My only real complaint is the ending. It felt to easy and far to optimistic. Early on you realize that those in charge at mining company above water do not expect any of the miners to survive but when a few do in the end it's like, 'oh well, great to see you! glad you're alive" and feels so unbelievable.

Do not let one petty gripe stop you from checking out one of the best monster movies the 80s had to offer. Creature designs done by Stan Winston and directed by George P. Cosmatos (First Blood pt. 2 and Tombstone), "Leviathan" boasts a spectacular cast, good writing and a lot more believability than most of the films of this kind, especially those from this particular era. 3.5/5 -andy

The Book of Eli (2010)

"People had more than they needed. We had no idea what was precious and what wasn't. We threw away things people kill each other for now"

Eli (Denzel Washington) is a lone man wandering what is left of a scorched earth. He carries only what he needs to survive. Most precious of his belongings is a book that he had found years ago, a book that carries with it powers beyond this world, a book that could bring hope back to humanity. Eli is on a mission out west to deliver the book to the right hands and will kill anyone that gets in the way. In his travels he finds himself in a densely populated town run by traders, murderers, and thieves led by a man called Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie learns of Eli's book and knowing of its powers he tries to barter for it by offering work, water, and even through seduction with a young woman named Solara (Mila Kunis). Eli declines and continues on his way whilst being pursued by Carnegie and his men who will stop at nothing to get his book.

Denzel Washington gives an award worthy performance in this captivating and moving piece of science fiction/post apocalyptic/ action thriller by The Hughes Brothers. This story is simple but carries so much more than anyone will even realize until it is seen. You should walk away from this feeling good inside, not from just a good action movie but the lengths in which Denzel's character goes to protect this book while trying to find the good in man along the way. Quite simply this a masterpiece movie from beginning to end without question. Even if you don't like these sort of movies I feel you owe it to yourself to see it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I don't hand them out often but "Book of Eli" is without a doubt a perfect movie. 5/5 -tom

SECOND OPINION

I have to say I totally agree with Tom on this one. A friend of mine even revealed the ending to me before I saw it and I was still blown away. "The Book of Eli" is more than just some post-apocalyptic film; It's a film that has real meaning if you're willing to believe in it. And there in lies the real meaning of this film: Faith. What amazed me the most about it was that there were all these little genre's encompassed within. It had amazing Action, it had intense drama...and a ton of violence and blood. The cinematography is something to behold giving us perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful Post-Apocalyptic/Action/Drama ever. I have one MAJOR issue with it however but I don't want to tell you about it here because it would mean revealing the ending. I encourage you to watch the film and message me to find out what my problem with it is. Don't let that last little bit make you not watch the movie however, because you would be doing yourself a major disservice. 5/5 -andy

Repo Men (2010)

"Don't do it for you. Do it for your family"

Based on the same themes as"Repo:The Genetic Opera"(2008), human organs as we know it are failing quickly, but thanks to a company called The Union, you don't have to worry because they have everything you need from robotic hearts, livers, to lungs. They don't come cheap and if your late on a payment The Union sends out the Repo Men who will cut you open and return the organs back to base. Those who can't pay escape into the city and hide in dark alleyways and abandoned buildings from the Repo Men . Two of The Union's finest are Remy (Jude Law) and Jake (Forest Whitaker), best friends since they were kids, joined the military together, and now teamed up as surgical assassins. Wanting out Remy decides on one last job then he's going behind a desk at corporate but after an accident he is given a Union heart to survive with payments to be made. Unable to make them working behind a desk he resorts back to Repo with no success. Losing the talent that used to come so easy and forcing him to go into default, making him a man on the run, hiding with the very same people he used to hunt and now being tracked down by his best friend.

This movie bombed at the box-office. I mean like 13 million and change bombed, and for the life of me I cant figure out why. This movie is incredible. From the futuristic landscapes, characters, and even the basic premise for which the story revolves around. I never got tired of watching this. Law and Whitaker along with Liev Schreiber as Frank the Union boss rule this movie and own the screen. It is a breath of fresh air for Sci-Fi fans. In the spirit of "Blade Runner" this film is a work of art and I hope it will receive some love on the dvd and rental shelves. It is a must see for all Sci-Fi fans. 4.5/5 -tom

Splice (2010)

"We crossed the line..."

My wife really wanted to see "Splice" when it came out in theaters, but nothing about the movie really interested me all that much initially. Recently I had the opportunity to watch it and I can safely say that if you didn't see it you aren't missing much. Elsa (Sarah Polley) and Clive (Adrian Brody) are geneticists or in this case "splicers" - scientists that work on a cellular level combining the DNA of various creatures. Their mission is to use these slug-like creatures they've created, Fred and Ginger, to harness a particular enzyme that can be used to possibly cure all sorts of human related diseases. Elsa and Clive are hoping to move to the next level and begin using human DNA in their experiments when they are told they must concentrate only on Fred and Ginger and harnessing the enzyme/compound that they have been working on for months. Later that night, in the heat of the moment Elsa locks herself in the lab and combines human DNA with a host of undetermined DNA samples to create a wholly new life form. This life form is Drinn and she has untold evolutionary capabilities...and a long tail that has a huge stinger on the end of it. As you can imagine things don't go well for these two Scientist who crossed the line and sacrificed morality for success.

I sometimes hate giving you these little plot summaries as it is difficult to judge what you need to know versus what you might like to know before you see any film. "Splice" had some really cool moments and at times the story really worked but most of the time it was a lot of science that I didn't understand and a creature who doesn't become scary or interesting until the last 15 or 20 minutes of the film. I also thought Sarah Polley wasn't hardly as good in this as she was in 2004's "Dawn of the Dead" where she carried that film as one of the main leads. Adrian Brody, who for me is pretty consistently good in whatever he is in, carried this picture for me. The special effects are OK but in this day and age its nothing you haven't seen before. The trailer implies this to be more of a horror film and yeah, I guess it is...only because you can't classify it as anything else. If you are curious and feel the need to ignore everything I've told you, I would rent this one before you buy. 2/5 -andy

PS. I always encourage you to read our reviews and then go ahead and see the film (for as cheap as possible) despite what we think and then let us know what you thought. We love your participation and your comments!!

SECOND OPINION

I liked it better the first time around when it was called "Species". Brody is the only thing that holds this movie together. Watch only if you have nothing else. 1/5 -tom

The Running Man (1987)

"I'll live to see you eat that contract, but I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach and break your god-damn spine!"

So this wasn't on my initial list of movies to review this week, but the idea of leaving Sci-Fi out of 80s Action Week just didn't seem right in a decade where the two were associated so closely. For anybody who isn't in the know, "The Running Man" is based on a novel by Richard Bachman (AKA Stephen King) and it tells the story of a future obsessed with TV and Violence; an idea not so preposterous when you look at our own pop culture today. Our main character is Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who has been convicted after failing to follow an order that would require him to have killed innocent people. Ben is a difficult prisoner and tries to escape. After this failed attempt Ben and others are taken to participate on "The Running Man", a TV game show where prisoners fight for freedom...and their lives. Think "American Gladiators", but Nitro is firing real weapons at you instead of really heavy Nerf balls. The gladiators on this show are called things like 'Sub Zero' and 'Buzz Saw' and their outfits are as hokey as their names. Despite the large cheese factor from time to time, this movie really entertains. Often I think it gets lost in the dozens of Action and Sci-Fi films Ah-nuld did in the 80s and early 90s, but it's premise is original and ahead of its time. You'll see a few familiar faces including Jesse Ventura, Yaphet Kotto, Mick Fleetwood, Dweezil Zappa and former Family Fued Host, Richard Dawson.

Full of great Ah-nuld one liners and a great 80s Action movie that doesn't involve buddy cops or aliens, you really need to see this one. 4/5 -andy