Brought to you by OBS staff member Rose

Name: The Time Machine (1960)
Rated: PG
Running Time: 103 minutes

Director: George Pál

Synopsis
When an English gentleman and inventor, George (Rod Taylor), invites four high society friends over for dinner, his friends ponder his tardiness. Ms. Watchett (Doris Lloyd), George’s housemaid, announces that a handwritten note from George informs that they should head to the dining room and start dinner without him. After they sit down and start their feast, George appears torn and tattered through the doorway and begins to tell his friends his journey in the time machine.

Review
The Time Machine released in 1960, is based on the novella by H. G. Wells of the same name, first published in 1895. The prospect of seeing this older film excited me for I never had the pleasure and I tried to put my 21st century film expectations aside for I did not want it to cloud my judgment.

Seeing George sit in his ‘Time Machine’ at the starting date of 1902, the special effects depicted the changes in the outside world that he could easily view from his garage. Night and day sped forward, as did the weather and a view of a clothing store mannequin depicted the change in style of women’s dress through the years. One gaff I found with this is, his city was pummeled from WW II and that good ol’ trusty storefront mannequin remained constant, which made no logical sense. The Time Machine time stop-motion and time-lapse trickery did win an Oscar for Best Special effects so that renders me mum on any further digs. Maybe.

After seeing his city destroyed during an atomic air raid in the 1960’s and escaping a volcanic eruption of hot oozing lava just in time, he travels forward full throttle thousands of years into the future. Changes to the earth terrain encapsulate him under rock. Finally in the year 802,701 he is able to venture into his surrounding and stops. Here he meets the Eloi, an unassuming, uncaring, universally blonde childlike community that lives in fruitful abundance and unabashed naivety, which is reminiscent from something out of Twilight Zone.

After his first encounter with the Eloi, by saving a woman named Weena (Yvette Mimieux) from drowning, he follows her to have lunch with the rest of the Village of the Damned look alikes. Here he questions the Eloi and realizes they are being controlled by the Morlocks who live underground. Society as he knew it has been divided between those who don’t work and don’t care, to those who rule them and use them as cattle. His image of the Garden of Eden quickly falls away. After visiting a library and all the books turn to dust, he is distraught at the idea that the Eloi has let civilization and knowledge fall by the waste side and allowed themselves to become lambs for the slaughter. Here the acting is laid on thick. George yells, rants and raves with aplomb but to no avail. Wanting to leave such an unstructured and jejune existence, he tries to flee but his time machine is taken by the Morlocks. Cue the battle of George and the Morlocks, who look like they are dressed in store bought Halloween costumes. I must admit I laughed when I saw them.

I know I am suppose to take this movie at face value and look upon it in awe of the special effects ability of it’s time but it was difficult. In moments like these is where I say the book would be better than the movie. You are able to fabricate your own scenes and there is nothing wilder and more real than ones own imagination.

The ending was paramount in my enjoying the film for I appreciated the moral it conveyed. George returns back to the future with the ideology that he can make a difference and change the Eloi and make a better life for himself and them. There are additional morals to be learned and more psychological aspects to consider, but I’ll let you figure those out, for regardless of the fact that it might not be the best acting you’ve ever seen nor the most believable special effects, the story it tells is timeless.

Rating: 7/10 stars

Due to the new Alice in Wonderland coming out, a lot of Alice merchandise is hitting the shelf’s including SyFy’s Alice on DVD. One of our staff members bought and watched it and now brings you a nice little review.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Erin

Name: SyFy Alice
Rated: TV-14
Running Time: 240 minutes

Director: Nick Willing

Synopsis
150 years after the original Alice visits, another Alice has come to Wonderland, but it’s very different than the one Lewis Carroll described. The Red Queen has complete control over the inhabitants, keeping them submissive with “tea” harvested from oysters…

Alice Hamilton is a martial arts instructor who lives with her mom while searching for the father who disappeared when she was ten. Her world is turned upside down the night she introduces her boyfriend to her mother; after he leaves her apartment he is kidnapped and Alice chases after him, following the kidnappers through a mirror.

Review
Following the success of Tin Man in 2007, SyFy hoped to revamp another classic, this time Alice in Wonderland, with a 60’s drugs, crime, and casino feel (think “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane).

What could have been an amazing concept was marred by simplistic writing and some less than believable acting from some of the major characters. Even Kathy Bates was less than stellar. Despite this, I watched the miniseries twice; just to see more of Hatter and the White Knight.

If you can get past the subpar acting, it’s worth watching at least once. The way the characters were interpreted for this modern adaptation are interesting: from Hatter running a tea house, to the White Rabbit organization and the members of the court, the caterpillar is head of an anti-Red Queen Organization, and Tweedle Dee and Dumb are psychotic doctors. However, the March Hare would have been better if his back story had been flushed out more; he seems like an addition that was thrown in at the last second.

I’m not sure if a third part would have developed some of the half thought out plot lines, but it may have helped.

Rating: 5.5/10 stars

moviesblog.mtv.com:

Forget the idea of retro-fitting old movies for 3-D, which sometimes reminds me too much of when Ted Turner thought it’d be a good idea to colorize classic films back in the mid-80s. Vampires are a much better trend. If you don’t believe me, just check out the mash-up video “Gone with the Wind with Vampires,” which takes the all-time top-grossing (adjusting for inflation) classic and tosses in a plot involving bloodsuckers. Rhett Butler as a Civil War-era Dracula? Or is he more like a 19th century Edward Cullen? Either way, it fits.

Here are five more classics that could be retro-fitted with vampires:

“Casablanca” (1942)
Never mind that WWII backdrop, this is now a story of a city in North Africa taken over by vampires. For the most part they let the humans there function normally, as long as the undead are kept moderately fed via regular donations (and gambling losses). But if the humans attempt to flee Casablanca, the deal is off and the rampant bloodsucking begins. Keeping things somewhat in check is the neutral Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), nightclub owner and intermediary, who deals directly and indifferently with the head vampire, Renault (Claude Rains). That is until the one human he cares about shows up.

More here

Lol this is hilarious, though it would kill my teacher to see one of his favorite classics like this . And I love how Dracula blends so well in some scenes.

What do you think of these vampire retro classics?

Source: fearnet

Having never seen George A. Romero’s original 1973 version of The Crazies, I don’t know what to expect, what should be in the film, or should not. In a way I like this…I’m coming to the film fresh and untouched with how it should and shouldn’t be. However with that pro there is a con. I shy away from any spoiler articles such as this one, which keep me out of the loop and when I review the film I won’t be able to make any comparisons. So I’m struggling not to succumb to the temptation and locate the original and see it before tomorrow (when I watch the reboot). With that being said here is the article about the 5 Things That Better be in The Crazies Remake:

1 – The entire opening scene…
Let’s face it, the first 5 minutes of George Romero’s The Crazies really sets  the tone for the rest of the movie and it’s a doozy. Allow me to set the scene for you. We’re casually introduced to two children we can only assume are brother and sister. They appear to be around 7 or 8-ish and they’re running around the house in their PJs, brother is playfully trying to scare sister as she turns each corner. Simple enough, right? We can mostly identify? Their innocent game turns insanely uncomfortable when they catch a man we can only assume is their father tearing the place apart. He’s violently knocking shelves over and pouring kerosene on the hardwood floor. In hysterics, the children run to their parent’s bedroom for reassurance. They attempt  to wake their mother only to discover that she’s covered in blood. Cut to a shot of the house burning down, opening credits begin.

Wow, need I say more? I’m not asking for a shot by shot remake, but that scene is so effective, I’d really like to see something like this or along the lines of the opening of Zack Snyder and James Gunn’s Dawn of the Dead reboot.

Read the rest of the article here…

Do you agree with the list of 5 things? Have you seen the original?

I am a lover of angels fallen to Earth stories and Constantine is one of the best out there. Let’s read a little bit more about it.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Krystal

Name: Constantine
Rated: R
Running Time: 121 minutes

Director: Francis Lawrence

Synopsis
Demon hunter John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) was born with a gift, or a curse, to see demons and angels walking this earth disguised as humans.

Now a skeptical police officer Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) has come to him to solve the mysterious suicide of her sister. Their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.

Review
Based on Vertigo Comic’s Hellblazer combined with elements of Garth Ennis’ “Dangerous Habits”, Constantine is far lacking in comparison. Constantine isn’t a graphic novel, but luckily it isn’t trying to be one.

John Constantine is the perfect anti-hero, a man trying to buy his way into heaven rather than do the right thing. Keanu Reeves, of course, manages to kill that brilliant character depth by playing Neo… in hell. That’s not to say the film is bad. On the contrary, I rather enjoy the film. Despite all my gripping I have to admit the humor between Reeve’s and his sidekick Chas (Shia LaBeouf ), although piled on thick, still manages to make me chuckle. In fact the film as a whole has a good sense of humor about itself.

Artistically it’s one of the most beautiful films I saw in 2005. Director Francis Lawrence brings a dark and moody film noir look to the film which perfectly fits a world where demons lurk hidden in dark corners. The CGI (computer generated imagery) while obvious at some points manages to be subtle in other areas, but honestly how are demons not going to be obvious CGI.

Overall, a worthy film of rental if you like the Matrix films, Reeves or are just a fan of the battles between Heaven and Hell on Earth.

Rating: 9.5/10 stars

One of the creepiest movies i’ve seen in a long time, The Descent is a great psychological thriller/horror. The darkness and claustrophobia really gets to you, even if you aren’t phobic. Let’s see what our OBS staffer has to say.

Brought to you by OBS staff member Rose

Name: The Descent
Rated: R
Running Time: 100 minutes

Director: Neil Marshall

Synopsis
When a young woman, Sarah (played by Shauna MacDonald), loses her husband and her daughter in a horrible car crash, she agrees to take an annual adventure-seeking caving expedition with 5 other friends to break out of her sorrow. Juno (Natalie Jackson Mendoza) is the thrill junkie among them, along with her new protégé’ and newbie to the group, Holly and leads the girls into what they think is the Borum Caverns, a Level 2 difficulty, mediocre and a known touristy cavern. Little do the rest know that Ms. I-Take-Too-Many-Risks has led them into uncharted territories.

Review
When The Descent was released it was the scariest movie to come out in a long time. This is probably due to the plausibility of the horror story. It is utterly frightening to the core. The beginning of the film with its two-minute back-story is filled with foreshadowing, if you pay attention. The naming of the movie was genius, as it pertains not only to the women’s descent into the foreboding caves, but a descent into hell of their minds and of their morals and humanity.

Descent’s story takes time to bake, it refuses to be rushed. We are not thrust into a gore fest in the first ten minutes that is why is works so well. The claustrophobia, tension and anxiety lead for much of the way. The back-story of certain characters surfaces again much later whilst their being chased and preyed upon by deadly vicious creatures. This lends a twist and a deep fissure between two of the friends, which is played out in the climax as they fight for their lives. Personally I think all the actresses did a great job, no stereo-typical screamers here.

If you haven’t seen it yet, run to your nearest video store, grab a friend, and turn off all the lights. This is a must see A+ horror film.

Rating: 10/10 stars