Category Archives: sci-fi movies

Snowpiercer: Summer’s Secret Hit

snow1

I’d spent a significant amount of time hyping ‘Snowpiercer’ before its release (even going as far as putting it on my best movies of 2013 list before I had actually seen it), so I have no idea why I waited so long to sing its praises. I got a chance to see it back in April when I imported the cool looking French DVD a few months before the Weinsteins got over their squabbling and released it in June. I’m not sure what caused the delay in writing about it. Maybe I was just mulling over the complexities of the story or compiling the elements that I liked about it. Either way, like all of Joon-ho Bong‘s movies, there was a lot to process and I found myself thinking about it not only the next day, but weeks and months later.

I get that the movie wasn’t for everyone and those that were expecting straight turn off your brain popcorn fun couldn’t overlook some of the allegorical aspects of the film (and even then, I know there are people who just straight hated it), which is certainly fine, but I thought it was wonderful and should finally cement Joon-ho Bong as one of the best filmmakers out there. In my opinion ‘Snowpiercer’ is an eccentric masterpiece and it marks the third master class film Bong has made for three different genres (respectively, ‘Snowpiercer’ as dystopian sci-fi, ‘The Host’ as a monster movie and ‘Memories of Murder’ for the serial killer genre).

And while America has seemingly embraced it in even its semi purgatory limited/VOD release, I am really happy to see the sheer amount of theories and attention it has received weeks after most releases have faded from the clipped attention spans of summer moviegoers. One such theory about the film’s meaning is in the video below, an interesting take on Snowpiercer’s class warfare (I know almost all theories about the film confront class warfare, but this one has an intriguing interpretation of the middle class, especially in the roles of Namgoong and Yona).

Either way, I highly recommend checking out ‘Snowpiercer’ if you are looking for something outside of the traditional summer mold. ‘Snowpiercer’ is still in theaters, available on VOD and if you have a region free DVD player, you can even import the French DVD from amazon.

Also, in somewhat related sci-fi news, you should go see ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ It is awesome. So is the soundtrack.

Snowpiercer Extras:

– The Snowpiercer Graphic Novel (amazon)

– Snowpiercer’s Gnostic Symbolism (io9)

– Chris Evans on Snowpiercer (hitflix)

– Breaking Down The Filming Techniques Used in Bong’s 2009 ‘Mother’ (youtube)

– 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Snowpiercer (hitflix)

Final Trailer For ‘Edge of Tomorrow’

With the release of ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ less than a week away, I thought I would post the final IMAX trailer for the Tom Cruise sci-fi blockbluster. I just finished the book that it’s based on, Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s ‘All You Need Is Kill‘, and with a slew of positive reviews already pouring in for the movie, I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out next week. The novel is an interesting read and it sounds like the film preserves most of the intriguing elements from the book. ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ hits theaters June 6th.

Interstellar Gets A New Poster And Tagline

SDYGDgH

Christopher Nolan’s upcoming enigmatic sci-fi film Interstellar received a new poster this week featuring the tagline, “Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.”

While the film continues to be shrouded in mystery, we did get a level of insight into the plot and a cool, ‘Close Encounters’ type poster, so that’s something. Either way, I’m sure we’ll get more info before the November 7th release date.

‘The Signal’ Gets A Trailer


Sundance sci-fi darling, ‘The Signal,’ finally got a trailer today and needless to say, it looks intense. With loose comparisons already to District 9 (at first glance that comparison looks to be more in the indy sci-fi sense) and a little Shane Carruth tone thrown in for good measure, ‘The Signal’ might be a must see for 2014. Can’t wait to see it in June.

The Other Half of Gravity’s Call To Earth

This short film, created by Alfonso Cuarón’s son Jonas (who co-wrote Gravity with his father), details the other half of Dr. Stone’s call to earth, which as we now know is answered by an Inuit fisherman named Aningaaq. There’s certainly some mild spoilers if you haven’t seen the movie, but nothing that you probably couldn’t figure out if you’ve seen the film’s destruction heavy trailers. Either way, make sure to check it out if you liked the movie. It’s a nice companion piece to Gravity.

‘Gravity’ Approaches


I know I’m going a little heavy on the ‘Gravity’ trailers, but with a little under a week until its release and the glowing reviews pouring in, it’s hard not to highlight what is being touted as one of the cinematic spectacles of the decade. This video highlights the 3D aspect of the film and explains why it’s not just a slapped on addition to up ticket prices by a couple of bucks.

‘Gravity’ Trailers Continue To Impress


The trailers for Gravity only seem to get better as they are released in anticipation of its October release date. Cuaron’s unique visual style seems to be in full effect in the footage and even effects guru James Cameron can’t help but gush over the final product after seeing the film, saying:

“I was stunned, absolutely floored,” he says. “I think it’s the best space photography ever done, I think it’s the best space film ever done, and it’s the movie I’ve been hungry to see for an awful long time.”

Gravity, pegged for an October 4 release date will be one to keep an eye on. Along with Cameron’s glowing impressions, early reviews seem to suggest Cuaron’s space actioner is the real deal. Just make sure to bring some Dramamine and money for cab fare home (I might have to pull a Cloverfield while seeing this one in theaters, which is where you stare at the theater floor when you start to feel sick and just make up an entirely different movie based on what you hear) as this one might leave you feeling a bit dizzy.

‘Riddick’ Red Band Trailer

Comic-Con also brought us this awesome blood-soaked Red Band (NSFW) trailer for Riddick, which seems to be heavy on the spoilers too (apparently Bokeem Woodbine and Jordi Molla had short work days on set). It looks completely ridiculous and amazing. I can’t wait for September to see this one.

‘Catching Fire’ Gets A Proper Trailer


The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire finally got a proper trailer this weekend at Comic-Con, showcasing the troubles that are in store for District 12 victors Katniss and Peeta on their post Hunger Games tour. Be warned, this trailer has mild spoilerish material confronting the main twist of this book, which honestly is going to be public knowledge by the time this movie rolls out in November, but if you want to go into this one completely fresh, I would avoid watching this trailer.