Erik M.

Outland is a Science Fiction film starring Sean Connery as a family man and a Marshal who tries to investigate a series of violent incidents and suicides at a mining facility on IO, one of Jupiter's many moons. He soon finds himself outnumbered and stuck in the middle of a corporate-led organized crime wave that leaves him sorting out who his allies and enemies are there. Fans of 80s Science Fiction and Westerns will undoubtedly recognize some elements common to films like Alien and High Noon here, and anachronisms such as using familiar shotguns still in this future, corded phones and early computers might grate on some or lend the film a grim and broken feel to others, as if this dystopian future never progressed, or is stuck recycling old technologies. Peter Boyle appears as the selfish boss at the mining colony, disconnected and happy to see his company make profits at all costs while slave-driving the employees. Some interesting moments and ideas for a Space Western.

Erik M.

The English Patient is a tragic love story between a Hungarian map-maker and a newlywed English woman set against the backdrop of WW2 and danger in North Africa and Italy at the time. Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas star as the doomed lovers, Almásy and Katharine, while Colin Firth plays the jilted Geoffrey. Well-acted, somber and at times appropriately painful and wrenching, the story is told through the recollections of a badly-burned Almásy as he struggles to cope with the consequences of that relationship while in a hospital bed attended to by a sympathetic nurse. For those who enjoy war dramas with a sad love story within.

Erik M.

Crimson Peak is Guillermo del Toro's ode to older horror films and Gothic, Victorian-era storytelling-brooding, atmospheric and elaborate. Here, beautiful Edith is caught in a web of lies and a terrible plot as a dashing but dubious English noble tries to draw her away from her father and her writing to join him and his sister at a haunted mansion that is slowly sinking into red muck. Imaginatively weird-looking spirits, grand sets and disturbing moments make Crimson Peak worthy of a look while Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleton and Jessica Chastain are ably cast in the main roles. Good for some Halloween mood-making, but not really for those used to faster-paced horror fare.

Erik M.

Get Out is a satirical horror story that covers themes of racism, enslavement/possession/literal identity theft, marginalization and missing persons, deceiving appearances and more as Chris, a young Black photographer discovers a terrible secret revolving around his Caucasian girlfriend Rose and her at first seemingly-nice family when he is convinced to meet them at their home for the first time in a suburban neighborhood. A desperate fight for survival ensues as the truth behind the facades fade and the sinister happenings attempt to ensnare Chris. Can he escape in time? You'll hope so! Great fun for a decidedly different take on the "body snatcher" theme.

Erik M.

Told in flashback by an old man who twice worked for the circus, Water for Elephants is a romantic drama set in the 1930s that tells the story of a circus whose run ended in disaster and a married star circus performer named Marlena developing a relationship with a former veterinarian student-turned-laborer/vet named Jacob for the traveling show while sharing compassion for the animals, in particular a remarkable elephant called Rosie. The circus is run by a violent and often drunken man and his henchmen who abuses his wife, the animals, and the majority of the employees, causing tensions to mount and endangering the show. Reece Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson star as the lovers while Christopher Waltz plays the desperate and menacing Ringmaster, August. Is there a chance for Marlene and Jacob to be together? Can they and Rosie have a better life beyond the Big Top? A bit slow at times, Water for Elephants remains compelling as a look into a time when "running away with the circus" was possible, the cost of fame was high and one's fortunes could change in an instant. If there's a major issue with Water for Elephants, it's in the lack of sparks between its leads-Reese and Robert as Marlene and Jacob act ably enough but never seem to be passionate, which undermines their onscreen relationship. Fans of circuses be forewarned: This is not a happy circus; there are scenes of violence, including fights, abuse towards animals, and mayhem.

Erik M.

The Birds presents a quiet community by a bay where its normally placid avian population inexplicably grows violent and driven to relentlessly attack the humans present! Suspenseful and frightening in vision, The Birds remains a very effective horror-thriller classic even decades later as men, women and children are all vividly harried by the homicidal creatures! Hitchcock flips the script from mundane to monstrous, tranquil to terrifying! Watch for Tippi Hedren as a young fashionable woman who is caught in up in the nightmare, Jessica Tandy as an overbearing mother who's own fears threaten to strangle her household, Rod Taylor as her devoted son, and then-child Veronica Cartwright as innocent Cathy, who ironically receives two lovebirds just as the rest of the bird-kind become a threat! A must-see for Hitchcock fans, horror enthusiasts and film students alike.

Erik M.

Body Snatchers is the 3rd film based upon the book that featured the alien pods and their soulless duplicates that are bent on taking over our world! This time mostly set in a military base where conformity is already expected, the story follows a young girl who's dad works at the base and whose entire family is soon threatened by the eerily emotionless invaders who shriek when they discover actual humans not yet replaced in their midst! Can she escape the horror happening around her, and even trust a helicopter young male pilot who seems to realise their danger? Will the pod people overrun the world?! If you've seen the earlier movies you may have an idea, but this film tries to take elements from those and ratchet up the horror with some creepy effects and remarkably effective acting in spots. Superior to the 4th version with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig for actual terror! Worthy of a look for Halloween.

Erik M.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Worlds is an often-visually stunning but strange science fiction adventure starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as two young lovers-Valerian and Laureline-who are also human government agents/soldiers trying to solve the mystery of a doomed alien princess and her destroyed world. CGI and SFX heavy, the film suffers from uneven pacing, hammy dialogue, underdeveloped characters and inevitable comparable elements to Star Wars, Star Trek, The Fifth Element (which director Luc Besson also worked on), Blade Runner, Total Recall and Avatar. Rutger Hauer and Rihanna show up briefly as the President of their Federation and a shape-shifting entertainer, while John Goodman appears as a Pirate leader. Worthy of seeing as a glossy artwork film that could have used better characterizations.

Erik M.

The Dark Crystal is a dramatic puppet-populated fantasy adventure film created by Jim Henson, without any humans present, set on a world dominated by hateful, selfish reptilian beings known as Skeksis that drain others of their life-force so they can continue their decadent and evil ways indefinitely. Only good, elf-like creatures called Gelflings can break their dominion and save their dying and tormented world! A great family classic with dark elements, The Dark Crystal provides lessons in courage, hope, perseverance and working together toward a good cause! Root for Jen and Kira as they strive to win the day.

Erik M.

Finally, 30 yrs later, the story of the Dark Crystal is revisited in a rich, compelling story that transports us to the tumultuous period where the Skeksis show their profound depravity and predate upon their cowed subjects on Thra in their selfish quest for immortality at all cost! In this prequel series, the history behind The Dark Crystal is explored, expanded and explained, new heroes rise up, and all the spectacle and wonder that made the original film a classic are present and perhaps even surpassed. Join the rebellion against the wretched Skeksis and their misguided minions in this enchanting tale! If there's any fault to find, it's inherent in all prequels-you know, ultimately, where the story is headed if you're familiar with the original. That said, this is an extraordinary 10 episode series that screams out for more! Garthim Wars next, anyone?.

Erik M.

The Russian Bride is a horror thriller about a lovely young Russian mother and her beautiful daughter who are lured to join a rich, older American man at his isolated manor. Things immediately go horribly wrong as the man becomes increasingly erratic and violent, his servants sinister and the fate of his prior victims comes to light! Corben Bersen plays the maniac wealthy recluse, Oksana Orlan is the Bride determined to save herself and her daughter, with Kristina Pimenova as the endangered innocent child that becomes the object of the villain's attention. Slow-starting but then the 3rd act is all chaos as a grueling battle for survival pits the Bride against the creepy old man and his many ruthless minions.

Erik M.

Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin star in this tense thriller as a Emergency Call Center worker and a young teenage girl who has been kidnapped by a murderer who has killed a child earlier while she was seeking help! Jordan, the Call Center Worker, talks Casey, the victim, through ways of thwarting her captor and helping the police locate them, before she leaves the center to try to rescue Casey herself! Implausible, YES! Halle and Abigail manage to elevate the thin and linear plot with their earnest portrayals of a traumatized civil servant determined to prevent another death on her watch and a girl who struggles valiantly when her life is in danger. Worth seeing at least once when you need a straightforward thriller.

Erik M.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as Joel and Clementine, two opposites (He a lonely introvert and she fearless and quirky) who quickly fall from one another, unaware that they were previously involved until one sought out a memory erasure! This sometimes sweet romantic comedy with a tale about the value of cherished memories intertwines with a cautionary second plot about the dangers of using a mind-altering device and allowing unknown agencies to meddle with memories. Elijah Wood gives a creepy turn as an identity-stealing technician named Patrick, Kirsten Dunst as a secretary named Mary who's involved with the company behind the memory erasing, and Mark Ruffalo as another technician, Stan, who has been involved with Mary and he, along with Patrick, are responsible for Joel and Clementine's continued dilemmas. Sometimes confusing and trying to juggle being a romantic comedy with science fiction and psychological thriller elements, ESotSM works best as a film showing just how hard it is to remain committed to a complex relationship. Kate and Jim make it fun to watch.

Erik M.

A Hellraiser-like puzzle box might not magically lead to another dimension of pain and pleasure, but it does invite 6 people into a horrific contest where they must solve puzzles in a variety of dangerous rooms or environments with nods to Cube, the Saw franchise, and the idea of televised blood sports from films like The Running Man and Hunger Games. The people gathered for these deadly games share a secret connection, one that a mysterious Gamesmaster and shadowy Puzzle-maker use against them in devious ways. Harrowing escapes, awful torments and a struggle to survive follow. Effective little horror movie that keeps the tension building and leaves room for a sequel.

Erik M.

Owen Wilson, a nostalgic writer named Gil, takes a magical trip where he meets all sorts of colorful, helpful personalities of the Jazz Era 1920s like Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and more as he seeks inspiration and passion-things not found with his present fiancee and her boorish family. Gil learns about himself and rediscovers actual love in the City of Love in this cream puff-light story that's a Woody Allen Romantic Fantasy. Sweet, airy and pleasant.

Erik M.

Anything Else stars a demented, promiscuous and darling Christina Ricci as zany girlfriend Amanda, who teases and torments the hero, a struggling comedy writer (played by Jason Biggs) named Jerry who also has to deal with an insane and paranoid teacher, Mr. Dobel (Woody Allen). Danny DeVito plays Jerry's con artist agent. Like many Woody Allen movies, this one's in love with New York, populating it with wildly weird characters and full of his own quirks. Ricci chews the scenery with relish as she vacillates between being adorable and Borderline Personality Disorder, while Woody is, well, classic nervous and dithering Woody-as-Dobel. If you like Wood Allen romantic absurdist comedies, give it a go and watch poor Jerry get pulverized by his girlfriend and "mentor!"

Erik M.

Mystery Men is about a group of misfit up-and-coming wannabe heroes who, when a real superhero-whose a bit of a louse-goes missing shortly after the release of a master villain-have to try to band together and rise to the occasion despite their lack of formal training, mediocre abilities and struggle to believe in themselves! Can spoon-throwing, toxic farts, faulty invisibility, a possessed bowling ball-like sphere, a shovel, unbridled rage and being mysterious help?! These guys (and one woman) think so, and there's the show-silly powers and wacky bad-guys collide as the fate of the city they live in hangs in the balance. This should have been funnier, and could have been, but it remains OK and spoofs a great many superhero tropes! A great cast tries hard, but the writing and direction just needed some more attention.

Erik M.

Dodge and Penny are two sweet, odd yet relatable people who meet during the chaos of the apocalypse as there's only days until a planet-killing meteor strike obliterates life on Earth! Dodge wants to see his high school crush, while Penny just wants to enjoy life and make it home to be with her family awhile-and the two embark on a journey together to do just that amid the crisis. Sometimes funny, other times a bit poignant, the story is just as the title states-they don't want to be alone for the End, and end up discovering one another in this comedy-drama-romance! Keira Knightly and Steve Carell might not seem like they should have much in common-or their characters-but there's a plausible sweetness to their getting together and a on-screen chemistry that makes the end particularly affecting! It might not make you roll in the aisles or laugh big laughs, but it does have some funny moments, thoughtful moments and, well-it's the end of the world. Give it a look and root for Dodge and Penny.

Erik M.

The Happytime Murders stars Melissa McCarthy as Det. Connie Edwards, a crude and rough burned out member of the LAPD who has to team up with her old partner and now private eye Phil Philips, who happens to be a puppet-formerly the only puppet ever to be a policeman. Someone is wiping out of the cast of a once-popular puppet show called Happytime, and the pair must try to stop the murders. It's a weird crime thriller meets comedy with human and puppet characters-think Lethal Weapon, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Peter Jackson's Meet the Feebles tossed into a blender and made into a milkshake. It's strange, occasionally funny, perverse and satirical send up of cop buddy films, crime dramas and any number of puppet productions, but especially the one starting with the letter "M." If your cup of tea does not include gratuitous profanity, puppet sex, puppet carnage and mayhem, then this might not be the show for you. If you like any or all of those and are a fan of Melissa McCarthy as an action and comedic star, you may want to give this oddball film a shot.

Erik M.

Extraterrestrial is a science fiction horror/thriller with some comic elements that gives way to terror as 5 college friends head up to a secluded cabin for fun getaway that's anything but. Soon, awful, tall Grey aliens relentlessly attack them and others with a barrage of X-Files/Alien-encounter tropes and cliches with deadly effect. Cynical, satirical, uneven and a bit grim, Extraterrestrial is just an average time-passer that has some gore, some silliness, and little sense.

Erik M.