Friday, July 27, 2007

Sunshine

I caught an early morning showing of Sunshine at an area AMC Theatres and was pleasantly suprised to find out about their "AM Cinema" discount, which I guess is a true "matinee" (French for 'morning'). It's $4-6 depending on location; mine was $5 which is pretty darn good for DC! Anyways, onto the review...

Sunshine is classic sci-fi filmmaking at its absolute best. It's been a while since I've seen a pure sci-fi film, esp. one that is set in space. The visuals of the sun and Icarus I & II spacecraft were mesmerizing. Icarus is a fitting name, too, in reference to the Greek mythology. I think there's a depiction of Icarus on the giant solar shield as Icarus II approaches the sun. The story takes place in the not-too-distant future where our sun has started dying.

In a desperate attempt to save Earth, Icarus I is launched to send a nuclear-type device straight into the center of the sun, in order to jump-start it back to life. However, the mission is a failure and the crew never returns home. Seven years later, Earth has gathered enough material to create a second payload and assembles a new, internationally diverse team to carry out the same mission aboard Icarus II. During this mission, mysterious events occur which puts everything in jeopardy once again...

The ensemble cast was equally powerful. Chris Evans (from the Fantastic Four series) was surprising as the reluctant, but brave pilot. Rose Byrne (Damages) and Michelle Yeoh were the voices of compassion and reason among the elevated testosterone levels aboard the ship. And Cillian Murphy was impressive as the physicist.

Sunshine should definitely not be missed by any die-hard sci-fi fanatics!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Renaissance

I finally got Renaissance from Blockbuster Online (BBO) on Tuesday (I love getting new movies the day they're released, don't you?!). I've had it in the "Not Yet Available" section of my queue for a couple months now, so I've been anticipating it ever since I saw a trailer for it on a random DVD. It looked like a B&W, film noir version of A Scanner Darkly, which has similar animation techniques. But this was something completely different.

Renaissance is a unique blend of classic and contemporary film-making, and crosses multiple genres. It's been compared to Blade Runner, which is quite accurate, as well as impressive, considering that Blade Runner is one of the most popular sci-fi films of all time. Their styles are nearly identical. All the character archetypes are there: from the hardened lawman to the femme fatale. I'm going to pick this one up on DVD tomorrow!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Welcome to Firestarter's Technotica!

Hey out there, welcome to my first blog! I will be posting reviews, rants and random musings on anything and everything having to do with computers, technology, film, music, gaming, HDTVs, beautiful celebrities, and whatever else I'm thinking about at the moment! ;) So, sit back, grab a drink and enjoy the ride that is my mind, lol!

-Thomas aka Firestarter

Goya's Ghosts & Rescue Dawn

So, this weekend I finally decided to checkout the Landmark Bethesda Row in Downtown Bethesda, MD, for not one but two films! It's a wonderful theater for indie and international (I don't like the term 'foreign') films. I've always wanted to check it out, since they showcase many 'limited-release' films, but never got around to going. All I can say is I regret not going sooner. The atmosphere is remarkably different from ordinary theaters, probably due partly to the slightly older audiences.

The first movie I saw was "Goya's Ghosts", starring Natalie Portman (who happens to be my all-time favorite celebrity crush) ;) & Stellan Skarsgard. The theater I screened this in was very cozy, so even those in the back row were still pretty close to the screen. I ended up in the front, so was even closer.

I thought it was a stunning and poignant film that showed the extreme horror and tragedy that 'humanity' can inflict upon itself. Natalie Portman's portrayal of Ines (and later her daughter, Alicia) Bilbatua was quite heart-wrenching to watch. It was almost like an extension to her torture in V For Vendetta.

Stellan Skarsgard's performance was equally brilliant as well, portraying the historically renowned Spanish artist, Francisco De Goya. I really watching his scenes when he was creating his artwork, such as the etchings.

The Spanish Inquisition was just one such period of human history where atrocities were committed in the name of some higher 'purpose', whether it be the Crusades, Naziism, or something else...

Then, on Sunday, I came back to Landmark again to see "Rescue Dawn". Christian Bale was incredible once again, this time playing a US fighter pilot shot down over Laos before the start of the Vietnam War. He is soon captured and taken to a Laotian POW camp owned by the Vietcong. There, he meets two other US soldiers, and local prisoners. After months of planning, the prisoners make a perilous attempt for escape, on July 4th no less. This was an amazing epic that I can't wait for DVD!

Coming next week...Sunshine!