| Title | Release Date | Genre | My Rating | Watch Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing | 2015 | Documentary | 7 | 2024-11-17 | Pioneer of computer programming, Ada Lovelace's notes written in 1843 on the Analytical Engine included what is considered the first algorithm specifically designed for implementation on a computer; her visionary insights extending as far as computer generated music and graphics and beyond. The documentary delves into the fundamental aspects of which inspirations helped lead her to her profound discoveries. Includes footage of Babbage's machines and the original Jacquard Loom in operation which used punchcards to create woven silk patterns, and was an inspiration to both Babbage and Lovelace. |
| Dark City | 1998 | Sci-Fi/Mystery/Thriller | 3 | 2024-11-16 | The film, which is considered a sci-fi classic, is based upon a vague idea that someone lost their memory and has to do something, but it's never sure what. I don't think the people who wrote it knew what, either. It relies heavily upon atmosphere building and visuals which are like a 1940's noir film mixed with a cyberpunk dystopia. The film is extremely monotonous and feels the need to constantly remind you that everyone has lost their memories, and that people get "imprinted" to become brainwashed. Some nefarious creeps want to become the protagonists' memory, collectively. It leans almost entirely on dialog surrounding those themes, as well as leaning heavily on atmosphere, surrealism and visuals. Mostly, it kept giving me Hellraiser vibes; probably because of the vibes and the costumes. I felt the film dragged on forever and it was almost impossible for me to pay attention to it, the storyline is extremely dull and uncreative; I watched it while bored and became even more bored than I was originally. Strobe warning for those of you who are photosensitive: a few scenes contain flashing lights. |
| Bad Channels | 1992 | Comedy/Sci-Fi/Horror/Music | 6 | 2024-11-10 | In this Full Moon Features film, aliens takeover the controversial shock jock station of KDUL and use its broadcasts to capture women in jars. Having cried wolf too many times, nobody takes the threat seriously. Frequently breaking into song, it features an original soundtrack composed and performed by Blue Oyster Cult, with an appearance by the bizarre Sykotik Sinfoney. The entire film takes on a ludicrous, over-the-top campy vibe which demands you do not take it seriously whatsoever. It could be loosely described as "Killer Klowns from Outer Space meets The Toxic Avenger". Precursors to Charles Band's Shrunken Heads (1994) can certainly be seen in this film. A semi-sequel was released in the form of Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, a crossover film featuring characters from Dollman, Demonic Toys and Bad Channels. Stay tuned after the credits for a small scene which is of particular interest to fans of Band's earlier works. |
| Tomb Raider | 2018 | Action/Adventure | 10 | 2024-11-09 | After decades of Uwe Boll monstrosities, films like this breathe new hope that a video game franchise can successfully translate to a Hollywood film. Despite being based on a video game franchise, with a storyline reminiscent of adventure masterpieces like Goonies or the Indiana Jones franchise, this should scratch the itch for those who are looking for more in this underutilized genre, and the story stands entirely on its own without needing to be familiar with the games whatsoever. Full of character building, action, adventure, suspense and mystery, it gave me the classic vibe of a great adventure film (Indiana Jones franchise, Vibes (1988), The Goonies (1985), Romancing The Stone (1984)), but takes on a serious tone. If you dig this, be sure to also check out Uncharted (2022). |
| Demon Seed | 1977 | Sci-fi/Horror | 4 | 2024-11-08 |
Based on a novel by Dean R. Koontz, and starring Julie Christie alongside Fritz Weaver, Demon Seed is a sci-fi/horror movie which plays off fears of futuristic automation. Notable for its early use of CGI which was generated at the University of Utah (for CGI buffs, this is the same place who famously generated the Utah Teapot two years earlier), it uses infrequent CGI cutscenes to portray early conceptual visions of cyberspace.
The film is about an out-of-control AI which has become sentient and carries out violence in the physical world by means of possessing appliances, SEMI-SPOILER (settings or plot details revealed, click to show)and its hopes to impregnate a human so it may inerit a physical form. |
| The Plant | 1995 | Drama/Romance/Mystery/Sci-Fi | 6 | 2024-11-06 | A truly bizarre and niche film, I originally misinterpreted the short plot summary on IMDb: "Strange tale of an alien who moves to a leafy London suburb". My mind expected it to be something along the lines of Day of The Triffids, but that couldn't be further from the truth. This film is quintessentially British to its core, and an unmistakable product of the 90s. It is heavily influenced by suburban British life, particularly garden culture, and the pride associated with the British garden. The film takes place in a stereotypical English townhouse type suburban neighborhood, except the gardens are all interconnected into winding mazes, enough so to become lost within. Most of the scenes take place within these gardens, with a mischevious woman who has the ability to navigate these paths like the back of her hand and disappear herself at will, to the bewilderment of her peers. It's a love story involving said woman and the guy next door, who is a showy jazz pianist who enjoys entertaining the entire neighborhood at their frequent garden parties. It eventually evolves into a mystery entwined with sci-fi elements. It's one of the most quirky films I've ever seen; if you're a novelty seeker this one should appease. |
| Quadrant | 2024 | Sci-fi/Horror | 1 | 2024-11-05 | My rating is harsh because the film failed to hold my attention whatsoever even for a minute. I'm not a fan of the acting or the visual style at all. The film heavily relies upon dialogue and feels like a TV episode that'd be on SyFy rather than a film. It feels like a low budget student or indie film on a shoestring budget. If you like that type of stuff then this is for you. |
| Dr. Alien | 1989 | Comedy/Sci-fi | 9 | 2024-11-04 | I found Dr. Alien to be zany, feel-good and an unexpectedly fun 80s flick. Brought to you by David DeCoteau (Creepozoids, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama), it contains the proper balance of comedy, absurdity, pop-culture references, camp, trash, political-incorrectness and great quotes which are nearly comparable to Trancers (1984). Though unrelated, it feels cohesively in line with Sorority Babes. It also contains a similar partial-narration style to A Christmas Story (1983); In "A Christmas Story," Ralphie's (Peter Billingsley) adult voice narrates his childhood experiences; in Dr. Alien, Wesley (Billy Jayne) seems to emulate this as well as some of Ralphie's characture in the sense of his goofiness, quaintness and innocence. That said, the role of Wesley (Jayne) is still entirely unique. Billy Jayne's (The Wizard (1989)) lead performance is incredibly fun and his smile infectious, and what I'd consider to be the archetypical lead role for a fun '80s flick; easy-going, rolls-with-the-punches, up-for-anything, uplifting and care-free. I will file this one under "hidden gems", and label it a must-watch for fans of fun '80s movies. Strobe warning for those of you who are photosensitive: the film contains flashing lights starting at 1h 10m and running through 1h 16m. |
| The Spiderwick Chronicles | 2008 | Action/Adventure/Fantasy | 6 | 2024-11-03 | A family moves into their great-great-uncle's rundown Spiderwick Estate and are soon pulled into an alternate universe full of magical creatures. While it's targeted towards kids and families, I found that it broke the mold in the sense that it wasn't presented in a condescending manner unlike other films targeted towards this demographic. This helped to make the film enjoyable and engaging with a good mix of story and action. |
| Trancers 4: Jack of Swords | 1994 | Sci-fi/Action | 1 | 2024-11-01 | Filmed back-to-back with Trancers 5: Sudden Deth, it's what I'd consider to be an extremely low-effort, low-budget "made for TV" type film. At this point in the series it's but a shell of its former self and resembles nothing of the original four films (Trancers, Trancers: City of Lost Angels, Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth and Trancers III: Deth Lives, respectively). Bottom line: I found it to be unwatchable because of the acting, story, setting and visuals and likely won't continue on to Sudden Deth or Trancers 6 unless for some weird reason I become curious (unlikely!) As a matter of fact, it's not even worth it to me to keep writing anything else about it, so I'll stop here. |