B+ Documentary Directed by Adam Nimoy When Leonard Nimoy died earlier this year, he was working with his son Adam on a documentary about the character that made the elder Nimoy famous--Star Trek's Mr. Spock. After his father's death, Adam changed his mind and made the film about both Spock and the actor who played him. … Continue reading For the Love of Spock (and Leonard Nimoy)
Category: Science Fiction & Fantasy
San Francisco portion of Jewish Festival ends with Mr. Spock
Sunday night I attended the last screening at the Castro Theatre for this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. The festival itself will continue in other Bay Area locations. The film was For The Love of Spock, Adam Nimoy's loving tribute to his father, Leonard, and the character that made his father famous. Adam Nimoy, … Continue reading San Francisco portion of Jewish Festival ends with Mr. Spock
Steampunk at its best: April and the Extraordinary World
A- Animated fantasy Written by Franck Ekinci and Benjamin Legrand, from the graphic novel by Jacques Tardi Directed by Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci This charming, French, animated alternative history takes place in Europe, 1941. But it's not the 1941 we know. If you look quickly, you'll get a glimpse of Adolf Hitler, drawing caricatures of … Continue reading Steampunk at its best: April and the Extraordinary World
The Martian and Dolby 3D
I attended another press screening at Dolby Labs Thursday night, and once again, it was all about a man left for dead in inhospitable territory. Only this time, instead of The Revenant, I saw The Martian. And just like last week, I'll tell you about the movie, then a bit about the technology. As you … Continue reading The Martian and Dolby 3D
The Force Awakens at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
Thursday afternoon--the last afternoon of 2015--my wife and I finally saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And we went out of our way to see it at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission. It was our first experience seeing a movie there. It was a lot of fun, but expensive. I've already written about the New Mission--the … Continue reading The Force Awakens at the Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
Solaris at the Pacific Film Archive
The plot of Andrei Tarkovsky's science fiction film Solaris could easily work as a Star Trek episode. Captain Kirk (or Picard) visits a troubled space station orbiting a strange, ocean-covered planet. The ocean appears to be sentient, and it's playing tricks on minds of the human visitors, driving them mad. But no Star Trek episode … Continue reading Solaris at the Pacific Film Archive
Ex Machina asks what it means to be human (my review)
A- Science fiction Written and directed by Alex Garland I've learned to confront new big-screen science fiction with lowered expectations--especially when it deals with man-vs.-machine conflicts. So I went in to Ex Machina expecting to be disappointed. But the disappointments (for the most part) never came. Even the final act was intelligent and surprising--and I … Continue reading Ex Machina asks what it means to be human (my review)
The 50-hour science fiction movie marathon
I promised back in 2012 to tell you about the 50-hour science fiction marathon. As we just passed the 40th anniversary of the event, I think the time has come. For more than two days in March, 1957 1975, I sat with hundreds of other crazy people and watched 25 feature motion pictures starring aliens, … Continue reading The 50-hour science fiction movie marathon
Fantasy for the family that thinks together: Time Bandits on Criterion Blu-ray
At his creative height in the 1980s, Terry Gilliam wrote and directed some of the dizziest, imaginative fantasies ever projected. He would mash up well-known myths, social satire, amazing (but cheap) special effects, the surreal comedy of Monty Python (he was, after all, their token Yank), and a busily baroque visual style all his own. … Continue reading Fantasy for the family that thinks together: Time Bandits on Criterion Blu-ray
One more quick thought about Interstellar
This didn't get into my original review of Interstellar, but I wanted to share it anyway. In the much less ambitious but far more enjoyable sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day (from 1996), evil aliens attack Earth with the intention to wipe out the human race and make our planet their own. Their motive: They mistreated their … Continue reading One more quick thought about Interstellar
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