Tag: SciFi

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 review

Director:
Francis Lawrence
Cast:
Jennifer Lawrence
Josh Hutcherson
Liam Hemsworth
Woody Harrelson
Donald Sutherland
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Julianne Moore
Elizabeth Banks
Mahershala Ali
Jeffrey Wright
Rated: PG-13

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” wastes no time getting started. There’s no flashback or ‘last time.’ The film opens up with Katniss Everdeen’s throat still injured after being attacked by a brainwashed Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson). Despite the injury giving her a raspy voice, though, it doesn’t hold her back from still being involved in the rebellion.

After some preliminary work, Everdeen joins a unit that includes Gale (Hemsworth) as well as Boggs (Ali) and is set to storm the Capitol and put an end to President Snow (Sutherland). The invasion process is met with a heavy challenge, though, when the Capitol inserts traps from the Hunger Games.

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The Martian review

Director
Ridley Scott
Cast:
Matt Damon
Jessica Chastain
Jeff Daniels
Kristen Wiig
Sean Bean
Rated: PG-13

Matt Damon plays Mark Watney in “The Martian,” an astronaut who is part of an expedition on Mars which includes a couple of other researchers. The film opens with the exploration of the red planet going relatively smoothly, however, when a storm comes along, things go south.

During an escape to return to Earth, all of the astronauts make it to the ship to get back home, except for Mark, who gets stranded by himself on the deserted world. It’s now up to Mark to figure out a way to survive and up to NASA to find a way to get him back home.

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Pixels review

Director:
Chris Columbus
Cast:
Adam Sandler
Kevin James
Michelle Monaghan
Peter Dinklage
Josh Gad
Rated: PG-13

Kevin James plays Cooper in “Pixels.” Cooper is the President of the United States but he has been a more or less a bumbler in office. He has to step up his performance, though, when he finds out that aliens are attacking the Earth using 80s arcade video games.

After learning that the military is ineffective against the invaders, Cooper decides to turn to friends and rivals from his childhood that were fantastic at video games to fight off the threat.

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Terminator Genisys review

Director:
Alan Taylor
Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Jason Clarke
Emilia Clarke
Jai Courtney
PG-13

“Terminator Genisys” is the fifth installment of the evil machine franchise, however, this movie largely ignores the events of the third and fourth films.

“Genisys” starts off in the late future with the leader of the human resistance John Connor (Jason Clarke) finding out that the machine program Skynet has sent a terminator back to 1984 to kill his mother Sarah (Emilia Clarke). To stop the terminator, John sends Kyle Reese (Courtney) back in time also to bring the machine down.

Up until this point, the plot mirrors that of the original “Terminator.” The similarities end, there, though, not only because this film lacks any of the suspense of the original, but also because it turns out, Sarah has been aware of Skynet since her childhood and has her own Guardian terminator (Schwarzenegger).

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Tomorrowland review

Director:
Brad Bird
Cast:
George Clooney
Britt Robertson
Raffey Cassidy
Hugh Laurie
Rated: PG

Britt Robertson stars as Casey in “Tomorrowland,” the latest live action flick from Disney. Casey is a smart teenager who spends her nights trying to preserve a shuttle launch pad from being demolished. While her actions do eventually get her in trouble with the law, they also catch the attention of someone who invites her to Tomorrowland.

The invitation is given by Athena (Cassidy), an android in the form of a girl who is seeking dreamers to help save the future by way of Tomorrowland, a place full of the best and brightest that mankind has offered. To help get there, the two end up recruiting the help of Frank (Clooney), a former resident of Tomorrowland who was exiled.

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REVIEW: ‘Mad Max Fury Road’

Director:
George Miller
Cast:
Tom Hardy
Charlize Theron
Nicholas Hoult
Hugh Keays-Byrne
Rated: R

It’s ridiculous and downright crazy. Exactly what a “Mad Max” movie should be.
George Miller, who directed the original films in the series, returns to helm “Fury Road,” which follows the titular character wandering the desert wasteland. The film could easily take place after the events of “Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior,” with the setting being completely post-apocalyptic and Max seeming to be at the end of his rope.

At the start, Max (Hardy) is captured by a large desert gang that has control of water, gas and is run by a tyrant named Immortan Joe (Keays-Byrne). Through a series of events, Max ends up escaping and joining a group of women led by Furiosa (Theron), who is trying to get back to her homeland.

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Ex Machina review

Director:
Alex Garland
Cast:
Domhnall Gleeson
Oscar Isaac
Alicia Vikander
Rated: R

Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb in “Ex Machina,” a sci-fi film directed by Alex Garland. Caleb works for a company that is more or less the equivalent to Google in our world. The film opens with Caleb being invited to spend a week at the home of the tech company’s founder and owner.

Upon arrival, Caleb learns that the CEO Nathan (Isaac) lives in a subterranean type home and his residence is actually used for research and development.

Currently, Nathan is trying to create an artificial intelligence system and asks Caleb to test the A.I.

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Top 10 Comic Book Movie Weapons

10. The Batarang – Batman Films
Throughout all of the “Batman” films, a few gadgets have stayed consistent, one is the grappling hook that helps the caped crusader get from A to B, and the other is the Batarang. From the animated films to the Nolan-verse, these bat shaped weapons have been the Dark Knight’s main tool for taking down bad guys. Surprisingly, the Batarang acts less like a boomerang and more like a shuriken throwing star.

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The Age of Adaline review

Director:
Lee Toland Krieger
Cast:
Blake Lively
Michiel Huisman
Harrison Ford
Ellen Burstyn
Rated: PG-13

In “The Age of Adaline,” Blake Lively plays the titular character who, while well over 100 years old, only looks about 28. This is the result of an accident that happened decades ago and for Adaline, there doesn’t seem to be a medical reason for it. Do to her inability to age, every 10 years, Adaline packs up, moves and changes her name so people won’t get suspicious.

The movie picks up just as Adaline is preparing another change in her life. Just as she seems ready to move on, though, a man named Ellis (Huisman) enters her life and the two get along well. The issue, though, is whether Adaline wants to break her promise to herself on whether or not to keep moving on with a new identity now that she’s met Ellis.

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Insurgent review

Director:
Robert Schwentke
Cast:
Kate Winslet
Shailene Woodley
Theo James
Miles Teller
Rated: PG-13

I certainly wasn’t expecting the second movie in the “Divergent” series to be a chore to sit through, but it was.

In the sequel to last year’s mediocre “Divergent,” “Insurgent” picks up not long after the first film ended. Tris, played by Shailene Woodley, and Four, played by Theo James, are on the run from the main factions of the city and are seeking out any kind of shelter.

Unfortunately, they have to stay on the run through many parts of the film. This problem increases when Jeanine, played by Kate Winslet, decides to search for Tris as she may be the one who can unlock secrets of the city.

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