Dog’s Movie House: “Mercy” Mostly Entertaining Look At The Possible Future Of Law Enforcement!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog Here with a look at a movie that I thought would have gotten more publicity! It’s called” Mercy and it’s a science fiction film starring none other than Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson! Chris Pratt alone should sell the movie, but I’ve seen very little in the way of marketing for the film. It’s directed by Timur Bekmambetov who is probably best known for “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and features a script by Marco van Belle that touches on some themes including AI and authoritarianism. Despite these not inconsiderable talents both in front of and behind the camera, the result is a film that’s fun but eventually forgettable!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Avatar: Fire And Ash” Is A Visual Marvel That Continues To Impove It’s Characters!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here and I have to say that it’s difficult to bet against James Cameron. Today he unleashes “Avatar: Fire And Ash” upon the world, the third entry into a series of movies that have made over five billion dollars with just two films. “Fire And Ash” continues the story of the conflict between the native N’avi on the planet Pandora and the Evil Earth corporation trying to strip mine the place in the name of universal greed. It’s a visual marvel that stands with some of the most awe-inspiring imagery ever put to film, but the narrative still lags behind a bit, particularly in the one-not portrayals of the various villains. Cameron’s writing is improving, though, and “Avatar: Fire And Ash” is easily the most emotionally engaging of Cameron’s latest sci-fi opus!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House – “Predator: Badlands” Best Film Since The Original!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at writer/director Dan Trachtenberg’s latest entry into the ongoing Predator series. After scoring on streaming with “Prey” and the animated “Predator: Killer Of Killers” Trachtenberg brings the alien big game hunter to the big screen with “Predator: Badlands” a first for the Predator series. In this case, this is the first time we experience a story from the Predator’s point of view. It’s a narrative change that manages to honor the films that came before it while taking the Predator story in a new and fresh direction! And the result is wonderful!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Tron: Ares” A “Meh” Return To The Grid!”
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with an admittedly belated look at the latest Tron film. It’s amazing that Disney identifies the world of Tron as a franchise: in 43 years we’ve had a total of three films and this latest film seems to almost entirely disconnected to the rest of the original story. “Tron: Ares” features very pretty visuals, some interesting ideas that aren’t adequately explored, and a killer soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails, but as a franchise entry it fails to either advance the story or provide an engaging, entertaining cinematic experience!
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “War Of The Worlds” May Be One Of The Worst Sci-Fi Movies Ever Made!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here and those of you who are regular readers (or listeners to the Pat Walsh Show on KFBK on Friday nights) know that I usually go a lot easier on most films than my vaunted colleagues. Even the worst films have their merits, in my humble opinion, especially since the crews and actors are all going to extreme lengths to get the movie made. I’m here to tell you that I have found a film about which I may not have a single good thing to say! It’s Amazon Prime’s update of “War Of The Worlds” and it is absolutely terrible in both construction and narrative. What makes it even more frustrating is that there is a gem of originality in the central story that really goes absolutely nowhere!
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