TV Review: Sarah Connor Chronicles Ep 2.12 "Alpine Fields"

After a fair time away from my blog, hopefully I will be supporting this and Mike's FlashBang site (which has also taken a break) a bit more. So, if there are any readers out there. "I'llll be back".

*****SPOILERS*****

Terminator: 2.12"Alpine Fields"

Sarah, Cameron, and Derek work to save a family (whose unborn child will play a pivotal role in the future, of combating a biological weapon from Skynet) from a T-888. Details of Derek and Jesse's first meeting is depicted.

This raises the bar after a run of mediocre, convoluted stories. It's still not enough to stop me wanting this series cancelled. I want the Terminator Salvation movie to succeed so that further movies of the Future War are made. T:TSCC could well colour people's view of the upcoming movie.
Alpine Fields encompasses what makes a good Terminator story; a chase, a mysterious pursuer (as far as the family in this story are concerned), characterisation and future war references/scenes.
Sarah, in this episode, empathises with the Mother in that she was once this person; disbelieving but having to process, on the hoof, as to what is actually happening and why it is happening.
Derek is brought to the fore, slightly more, as parts of the story focus on the reasons why the mother must give birth and how her offsring will save lives.
I'm not expecting a Terminator film every week, but i feel that the writers have got themselves bogged down with the amount of time travellers, Riley, Sarah's maternal angst, John attempting to manage the expectations of his mother and the resistance whilst trying to enjoy his childhood like any other young man, along with the Catherine Weaver/Ellison sideline. It's all very messy.
People could argue that a long running series should focus on these issues because otherwise it wouldn't be very realistic. Hello, it's a show about machines sparking off an apocalypse.
There are far too many characters in the show. In a series like the modern Battlestar Galactica, this is fine. The characters on that show are fully formed and interesting, not necessarily likeable but interesting. I find characters on T:LTSCC irritating or two-dimensional. Sarah Connor, whose chronicles the title refers to, is often sidelined or made whingy and unlikeable; not a helpful factor for a leading lady in a long running TV show. I'm not convinced by Shirley Manson's depiction of a T-1001. The actors playing T-888s aren't particularly convincing and prove to critics of the biggest name in Hollywood (Arnold Schwarzenegger - that's 20 letters!) that there's no real replacement for his Terminator. The Razor-babe, who plays time traveller Jesse, is about as charasmatic as a garden chair. Derek isn't bad but has little time to flesh out his character, which is a shame. He spends most of the time looking as if he's about to cry. Ellison continues to be underused, with no clear sign of how he fits into the scheme of things. Riley; ok maybe the writers have got something sinister planned for her, but it's slow in coming to light. Cameron is...Cameron. What can you say about Summer Glau? It's very strange having a cute killing machine.
Alpine Fields shows, again, that the best stories link in to the future war, in a similar way to the original 1984 Terminator film.
Bring on Terminator Salvation! The trailer shows promise for the movie.

DVD Review: Street Kings

Mike has posted my DVD review of the Keanu Reeves crime drama. Check it out at the link below;

http://www.flash-bang-movie-reviews.com/streetkingsdvd.html

The Punisher War Zone is not in trouble!

Check out the good news at the link below;

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37965

Interesting how these rumours get to be news stories. I wonder where movie websites get their news sometimes. Perhaps it was a ruse to get people interested in the movie during all the Dark Knight hype. All in all, I'm glad that War Zone is still an R. I hate having to wait until DVD before seeing the "unrated extended" versions.

The Punisher War Zone cut to a PG-13? Say it ain't so!!!

If this story is accurate, i wish they'd never made the damn thing. Think what you like about Dolph Lundgren's 1989 version of The Punisher, at least it had balls! Talk about alienating the core audience for this flick!

From http://www.darkhorizons.com/;

She may have been (allegedly) kicked off the project but considering what they're doing to her baby, one doubts director Lexi Alexander would want back on.Not content with being situated as the sole wide release on the worst filmgoing weekend of the year (the post-Thanksgiving weekend), Latino Review reports that Lionsgate has decided to edit their upcoming "Punisher: War Zone" film down from a hardcore R-rating to a PG-13.Why is it happening? The likely answer is "The Dark Knight" which managed a PG-13 despite its super dark and intense scenes. But whereas Batman has all sorts of psychological angles and a superb script backing it up, "Punisher" has no such quality filmmaking pedigree and thus is very reliant on the hardcore bloody stylings of the violence, as demonstrated in a super-violent clip screened in San Diego last month.

DVD Review: Death of a Ghost Hunter - Region One

THE DEATH OF A GHOST HUNTER

Directed by: Sean Tretta

Starring: Patti Tindall, Lindsay Page, Davina Joy, Mike Marsh

I’ve been an avid watcher of horror movies for twenty-five years now. I’ve seen trends come and go. There’s only really one movie that has scared me witless and that was The Exorcist. I’m still looking for a movie that will genuinely creep me out. For a second there, I thought it might be this low budget gem. Sadly not, but it is still well worth catching. Just make sure you watch it at night, in a low lit room…

Synopsis

A respected professional ghost hunter, Carter Simms, famous for debunking so-called spiritual manifestations, is offered $5000 to stay in an inherited house to research a spate of phenomena by the owner of the house. Much to her annoyance, the owner insists that she is accompanied by a writer and photographer who get more than they bargained for when they are joined by a mysterious girl who says she’s from a nearby church. She says she wants to maintain the good name of the Christians murdered there, but what is her real agenda?

Review

Death of a Ghost Hunter purports to be a true life story. However, there is no documentary evidence to suggest that this is none other than the writer’s conceit to make the drama more effective. This worked for both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Blair Witch project, both of which were based upon real life serial killers and urban legends respectively.

In this day and age of seemingly countless versions of Mostly Haunted (almost as much as CSI style shows) it is not a surprise to see a movie tap into that interest. What is strange is the detailed and intelligent way that it is done, and for such a low budget. This movie should shame some of the more experienced directors of horror movies into making something scary. Like the Spanish zombie movie [REC], the characters in the story are believable and react to the events in a natural way as opposed to forced, acted out in dozens of rehearsals, performances.

The low budget does show on occasion. The sound levels don’t seem right as the volume dips in and out. This may have been intentional but it doesn’t seem that way. The location is right for the movie and reminded me of a stripped down Poltergeist on a couple of occasions. Whereas Poltergeist came across as a kid’s movie with adult themes, this film is a clear procedural ghost hunters movie that doesn’t get lost in the investigative process but uses it to dramatic effect. There is an excellent use of night camera footage which is way spookier than anything in Poltergeist.

The entire cast reminded me of “movie of the week” actors. Not great but not horrifyingly cringe inducing. Patti Tindall plays Carter Simms, the ghost hunter, with an earnest honesty. I can’t say that I liked the character and I don’t think we were supposed to. The script helped enormously. Every character has a voice, helping to persuade the viewer that they are watching a docudrama, not an out and out work of fiction. This is also helped by Carter Simms’ narration. Davina Joy plays the brash writer, Yvette Sandoval. She plays the part very well and like the others, is believable. Mike Marsh plays Colin Green, who handles the cameras in the house. There’s a funny scene where Colin and Yvette get high and re-enact scenes from famous movies including the “snot scene” in Blair Witch. Lindsay Page plays Mary Young Mortenson. This character starts as irritating and then goes to being downright creepy and unsettling. You really do not know what she will do next. Whilst her reasons for being in the house are signposted early on, it doesn’t matter. The final denouement might be a touch predictable when it comes but it is also very unsettling and provides a slightly psychological unnerving feeling which is lacking in so many supernatural movies.

There is about twenty minutes of what I would describe as set-up, but it is important because the movie soon shifts into the main plot and leads to an ending that leaves you wondering about, and questioning, theories on life after death.

This is a movie that jaded horror fans might overlook. That’s a shame because it deserves to get a wider audience. True, decent, low budget movies like this come along once in every decade. It looks professional and despite some confusing FX, doesn’t rely on CGI overload. What works in this film is the suggested threat and supernatural presence. Yes, you see ghosts but not quite in the way you would expect, helping the believability of the project. Allegedly shot over 9 days, costing $10,000, it looks far more expensive. I’ll be looking out for Sean Tretta. This man could be in for quite a career.

Look for this movie in all the usual outlets, Region One only at the moment.

8/10

Lethal Weapon 5?

Ain't It Cool News report that Lethal Weapon 5 might be in the offing. I thought that LW4 was one too many. The only way that this project could have a hope is if Shane Black gets to write the entire script. I usee the superb Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as an example of Black's more recent successes. LW5 would have to be an R, in keeping with the tone of the originals, not some toned down PG-13 rubbish, with an unrated DVD - yes, like Die Hard 4.0!

DVD Review: Lost Boys 2:The Tribe

I liked the original Lost Boys. Not surprising, being a teenager in the 80s. I did not like the DTV "sequel". Check out my review at Flash-Bang movie reviews.

Now, I read that there is an intention to film a third movie, focusing on the Frog brothers. It could be better. I guess it depends on the script and the movie makers.