-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘MARS ATTACKS!’
Ak Ak Mars Attacks! is based upon a series of Topps trading cards released in the early 1960s. And it certainly pays homage to its inspiration. Unfortunately, its also a narrative mess that fails to get the most out of its stacked cast. Mars Attacks! features an all-star lineup. It’s got Jack Nicholson in two roles, Jim Brown, Joe Don Baker, Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Pierce Brosnan, just to name a few. And, yes, their presence is felt, but outside of Nicholson, who’s terrific as a Las Vegas Huckster and the President, they all have nothing to do. That is the great failing of Mars Attacks! It wants…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘PREY’
Do Not Kill the Dog Prey reignites the Predator franchise in the best ways possible. It’s more contained—focusing on the story and characters, rather than feeling the need to go bigger. It’s the hit the series desperately needed. After a slew of middling to outright mediocre sequels (and sidequels), Prey optimizes the formula for the alien hunter’s antics. It takes the creature back in time—the northwest plains in 1719—and utilizes the incredible landscapes to set a tone and atmosphere the films have been missing. This is Naru’s journey just as much as it is the Predator’s. She, like the extraterrestrial, is out to prove herself. That is the heartbeat of the movie—one woman’s quest to…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘PREDATORS’
Crazy Larry’s Den of Alien Antiquities Predators is the ideal set up for a sequel to the 1987 original. It includes a cast of eclectic mercenaries being pursued by the titular create. Only this time, there are three of them, and it’s on their home turf. Yes, Predators takes us back to lush jungles, which, honestly, are a much more interesting backdrop for the hunt than either LA or a small town. Yet, the setting is not the only good idea this movie brings to the table. You’ve got a Predator blood feud; the conceit that all the nefarious characters dropped into this scenario are on a game preserve; and the loony survivor…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THE PREDATOR’
Leaking Spinal Fluid Fans of the franchise, like us, now doubt had high hopes for Shane Black’s The Predator. Black, who’d appeared in the original as Hawkins and even served as a script doctor on set, is a legend of action movie scriptwriting. The Predator, unfortunately, fails in almost every way. The humor is overwritten and overstuffed; the characters are thin and generally unlikeable; the plot makes no sense; and the scars of tumultuous reshoots are painfully evident. The third act seems to connect to an entirely different movie. That makes sense because they did have to reconfigure the whole thing after poor test screenings. But, it renders The Predator a film with no…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘PREDATOR 2’
Pred Harder Predator 2 isn’t a bad movie; it’s just a disappointing one. That’s mainly because it pales in comparison to its predecessor, failing to up the ante in any meaningful way. Sure, there is more gore and curse words, but the narrative is a mess. Predator 2 is just an amalgamation of better movies from the genre with the adversarial alien added to the mix. That works just enough for it not to be a total disaster. But, its failure at the box office can certainly be attributed to its slapdash plot and haphazard direction. Aside from a missing in action Arnold, the most glaring weaknesses of Predator 2 are in the execution of…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘ANNIHILATION’
It’s a Metaphor Annihilation is based upon a 2014 novel of the same name. And it is director Alex Garland’s follow up to his highly acclaimed directorial debut Ex Machina. Like that title, Annihilation is much more than the sum of its parts. Certainly, it is a Sci-Fi film where a team of women head into the unknown, the Shimmer as its called, to identify the source of the invading entity. But that is just the surface. Annihilation is also about marital infidelity and the cost our decisions have on the ones we love. The setting is more a metaphorical trapping for how such things irrevocably change us. Yes, listeners, this is highbrow fare, and…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS’
Face-Zucker-Suck The Matrix Resurrections ushers us back into the false and hollow reality that is the Matrix. It’s been 18 years since we’ve entered the virtual dystopia. And the last time we were thrust into its oppressive confines, the results were less than stellar. 1999’s original two sequels sort of divided general audiences. The visuals and exceptional stunts were still there, but the message was lost in translation. As for The Matrix Resurrections, it is not the hit the first one was, but it’s certainly not the other two either. It goes back more to the basics, centering the story around the inextricable bond between Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). This, of course,…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘DUNE’
Spice Up Your Life Dune, based upon Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel, has been done before on both big screen and small, but never to this scope or scale. Denis Villeneuve—given the resources and technology—has crafted a faithful and awe-inspiring interpretation of the novel’s first half. Thankfully—based upon recent remarks—Paul Atreides’ adventure will not end here. This is literally half a story. And without the rest, it would not stand particularly well on its own. Unlike something like Zack Snyder’s Justice League—which has a definitive ending, despite teasing more—Paul’s story in this film ends on a cliffhanger. We won’t spoil it here, as we do over the pod, but Baron Vladimir…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THEY LIVE’
All Out of Bubblegum They Live is a bonafide cult classic. And it works not only as a critique on rampant consumerism and Reagan-era economics, but also as a guilty pleasure action movie. The premise is simple: Nada—played by “Rowdy” Roddy Piper—is awakened to the horrific reality the world is actually living in through the lenses of special sunglasses. That world is one run by an unknown alien race, who are bleeding humans dry and lulling them into complacency through the content they absorb. Television, billboards, magazines, and even money all instruct people to do as they are told—to not think or have imagination. Carpenter’s intentions are about as subtle as…
-
Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THE VOID’
Right Next Door to Hell From the directing team of Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski—the latter of which helmed indie hit PG: Psycho Goreman—The Void is a tension-fueled ride that relies heavily on practical effects and pace to maximize its sense of dread. It works. And it is worth your investigation, especially if you are a fan of Lovecraftian horror. Those inspirations are quite evident. The Void involves a cult, a small town, and the cosmic terrors that lie outside our consciousness. That conceit isn’t all that original, but its execution is what sets the film apart. From its ominous opening onward, Gillespie and Kostanski build an uneasy atmosphere—an uncertainty akin to what lurks beyond.…