Living in 'Oblivion' is Unoriginal

In 2017 the Moon had been destroyed, and Earth attacked, nearly wiped out completely, by aliens known as Scavs. Oblivion takes place in the year 2077, where two of the few humans left on the planet - Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough, the British girl with the side-swiped futuristic 'do and crooked teeth) - work as an effective team of security and drone maintenance, their memories of a past Earth wiped. Director Joseph Kosinski (TRON: Legacy) adapted the sci-fi based on his own unpublished graphic novel of the same name. Jack Harper's place of salvation is a lake house which is somehow still intact after the destruction of all Earth surfaces. In this solace, Jack pulls out his New York Yankees ball cap, dons a flannel shirt, and pops on the vinyl - it is all very heavy handed. There are ways to portray the notion that Earth is severely missed sans the hyper-American "artifacts." Nearing the end of Jack's mission, he comes across a crashed spaceship called the Odyssey, where he rescues Julia (Olga Kurylenko), who has been in hibernation inside a sleeping capsule. Jack's flashes of memory on a pre-Scav Earth connect him to Julia. Without giving away any spoilers, I can tell you that Earth will be fought for. As a sci-fi nut, I find that Joseph Kosinski's biggest mistake is hiring Tom Cruise. Cruise is poison for the believability of a Post-Apocalyptic world. I can, though, give Kosinski some credit for his bleak snowlike-toned atmosphere, and for the actual construction of Cruise's bubble ship. However, M83's film score aiming for epic sci-fi proportions works against it, as well as the often cheesy screenplay. According to the director, Oblivion pays homage to 1970s sci-fi. Really? Because the main element of the film (which I cannot spoil) is taken directly from a 2009 sci-fi immeasurably better than this one, Duncan Jones' Moon. There are shots in Oblivion which scream 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Blade Runner (1982), and a scene that features a wall of cryogenically cocooned beings ala The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998). Science fiction must bring something new to the genre, after all, it does base itself in the future, be it near or far. Earth may be a memory worth fighting for, but so is science fiction.

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Poltergeist Curse: Urban Legend or Production Nightmare?

Gather 'round ghoulies. Come into the light. Let me tell you a story revolving quite possibly the best horror film ever made: Poltergeist (Steven Spielberg, 1982). The following information are facts, based on actual events that happened to many of the cast involved in the Poltergeist movie trilogy. Six cast members died deaths shrouded by mystery or tragedy, while the other cast is said to be "cursed." So why were they cursed? Remember the scene (pictured above) where JoBeth Williams is swimming in a muddy pool of bodies? Production decided to use real human cadavers as props because it was allegedly cheaper than using prop skeletons. The Poltergeist cast and crew thereby cursed by the angry spirits of the deceased used in the making of the 1980s box office hits. Actors and actresses in the Poltergeist trilogy who died untimely deaths are: Dominique Dunne , who played older sister Dana in the first film, was st...

Once Upon Maleficent

Tale as old as time...No, wait... that's Beauty and the Beast . Disney's ideals have changed since its classic Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959. Then, female animated characters were driven by "true love," or rather, the idea of romantic perfection: a dashing hero who will save them from dreaded despair. If her Prince found her , then all was well in Dislandia. The fairy tales provided escapism for viewers, but also exceedingly high expectations, thereby disappointment. But, fear not! The Beauty re-imagined Maleficent validates that things are different now; in fact, one may not even have to do anything to attain the message in this Fairytale 2.0. Maleficent begins with a classic Disney opening, along with narration from a friendly voice...a young fairy named Maleficent. A compassionate healer, she cures trees and such in her fairy kingdom The Moors. Maleficent's pre-black-rubber days consisted of protecting her land and the creatures who inhabited it...

Lifetime's 'Witches of' Eastwick... I mean: 'East End'

Lifetime witches can be so caring and generous, I've heard. Lifetime has ordered ten episodes of the new TV show Witches of East End , about a mother witch of two ( Julia Ormond ), and her adult daughters Jenna Dewan-Tatum ( American Horror Story ) and Rachel Boston ( American Dreams ) who are unaware of their powers and immortality. Virginia Madsen ( Sideways ) has recently been cast to join the Lifetime coven. Recently ABC's Eastwick (2009) only survived one season of fledgling sorcery before getting the axe. The series is loosely based on the novel by Melissa de la Cruz of the same name. This all sounds charming, will probably be a little practical about the magic used, but we can all hope for some real Hocus Pocus since there won't be any teenage witches.

Ed & Lorraine Warren: 'Conjuring' Up The Wicked

We love to be scared. We love it even more when it's based on a true story. Director James Wan who brought you Saw and Insidious , has a new horror film out - The Conjuring . The bone chilling tale based on the true events experienced by husband and wife Ed and Lorraine Warren - the paranormal investigator dream team. The film takes place in 1971, where the Warrens give lectures on demonology at Universities, aside from debunking paranormal cases with their years of expertise. The Warrens even have a museum of haunted artifacts in their abode, taken from cases so haunting, they have a priest on the payroll who regularly visits to bless the room. The Warrens are brought on by Carolyn Perron, played by Lily Taylor ( The Haunting , Six Feet Under ), to help her family of five daughters who are being haunted and taunted by dark spirits in their farmhouse. Things go bump-in-the-night, to say the least....

The Triumph of Camp X-Ray

After premiering at Sundance Film Festival in January to critical praise, Camp X-Ray , the directorial debut from writer/director Peter Sattler which stars Kristen Stewart and Peyman Moaadi was picked up by IFC Films and released OnDemand, on iTunes, and Amazon Oct. 17. Sattler opens the film with a shot of the Twin Towers up in smoke, which is then revealed to be current news on the television at Ali Amir's residence, played by Peyman Maadi ( A Separation ). Privately praying in his humble apartment, Ali suddenly has his head enveloped by a black bag and is whisked off on a boat, along with other visibly-and-audibly shielded men across the ocean. Sattler cuts to eight years later, where we follow Kristen Stewart 's Army private first class Amy Cole who has just arrived to Camp Delta located at Guantanamo Bay, and stationed to guard the detainees. Informed by her superior that this is a war zone, the guards are put on suicide watch every 3 minutes. While she's just be...

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