Spoilers, etc.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
A completely bonkers coming-of-age mecha anime, with all those extreme perspective shots and everything gets bigger and bigger. Similar to FLCL, but there’s an actual story and there’s no annoying music constantly playing.
Pandorum
Interesting premise and monster origin, though I didn’t think the monster’s “design” was inspiring, merely rubber-mask scary. Look for the “Post Apocalyptic Nice Guy is Actually a Cannibal” and “My Mental Disorder is an Onscreen Person” tropes. About the latter: why are they always insufferable? Every depiction just ends up talking way too much.
Arrival
A hard-soft sci-fi movie: “hard” because there’s heavy military involvement and perhaps paradoxical lack of action, “soft” because of the deep dives into language and social theory. The beginning/ending—they are thematically, literally linked—will tear you apart. One of my favorite movies of any genre from the last decade.
Infinity Chamber
A man in solitary confinement with no memory has to outwit his sorta helpful, disembodied captor. Requires more than one viewing to get the full impact.
Blade
The Matrix, but for peak vampire action fans. Fights with a terrible oonts-oonts techno accompaniment. Features one of the oddest minibosses I’ve ever seen.
Stardust
Haven’t heard of this one before, but it was a delightful surprise, with its rather innocent fairy tale quality dancing with adult-themed elements; with Neil Gaiman as a writer, that’s expected. A good-natured loser tries to win the heart of a girl who doesn’t give a damn about him by capturing a star for her. Robert DeNiro plays someone who isn’t Robert DeNiro, for once.
Europa Report
That one South African guy from all those South African sci-fi movies. A deep space disaster movie where, eventually, and thankfully, the final conflict centers not around killing the Big Bad or surviving, bit literally just hitting the “SEND” button.
Cargo
Martin Freeman plays Martin Freeman, the hapless everyman, perpetually just a little confused about everything, but he usually ends up with a solution and somehow gets by. Gets called a “white” guy for the second time (first was Black Panther). Zombies that cry and barf honey. Some great visuals of rural Australia and the native population, without being whiny or preachy about it.
The Golden Compass
I don’t think this was received well, especially with some religious groups. Some interesting ideas with the “daemons” and the titular Ancient Artifact. The protag is a Spunky and Resourceful Young Female but the actress played her so well that I found her more endearing than tiresome. The universe’s main Magic Dust that Just Works is called “dust.” LOL
Extinction
Another alien invasion movie, with some decent twists. Got preachy at the end with a preschool lesson. I’ve read reviews that mention how annoying the two children are, but they were realistically portrayed. When kids are in danger, they scream, or run and hide. They also tend to not listen to their parents. The whole “little kids are really small adults with amazing ideas and mental fortitude” has been played out, so that criticism is misplaced.
6 Comments
The only one that interests me is Arrival. We’ve discussed before the heptapods and thinking outside the linear structure of Western intellectual traditions. Oddly, it’s the only one on your list with at least one serious attempt I’ve found by some brand of Christian to link it to Satanism.
The Golden Compass was much maligned by Christians back in the day.
Was it? I think it was released in a time I paid no attention to movies, so I don’t know.
No surprise there, Jill. Institutional religion can be pretty goony at times.
I like these lists.
I’ll do more of them!