Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies: Part 4

After taking a quick detour to the Wild West, we are ready to go "Back to the Future!" with more of the best Sci-Fi films!

13: Edge of Tomorrow: Live Die Repeat

Oddly retitled Live Die Repeat, Edge of Tomorrow is a film that takes the basic concept of Groundhog Day and utilizes it in a fashion that makes the film unlike any other. Edge of Tomorrow is based on a Japanese light novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, titled “All You Need Is Kill,” which was adapted into a manga (comic book) in 2014, and then into the film.

Tom Cruise plays a character that departs from his usual cool, calm, and collected protagonist with Major William Cage, who knows very little of actual combat, thus he progresses in both skill and character as the loop repeats continually. However, the film does falter towards end with the final Act being lackluster in comparison. What puzzles me is why has this concept not already been used before!? It is ingenious for a sci-fi action flick! 

12: Cowboy Bebop: The Movie

In many ways Cowboy Bebop is the original Firefly/Serenity, as it contains certain story elements that Whedon uses in Firefly. The series is an animated television series, which had a spinoff film produced. Since the movie takes place within the series continuity and not afterwards, it can serve as an entertaining introduction to the Cowboy Bebop universe for newcomers, although watching the series first is preferable.

The film retains the style and memorable characters of the Cowboy Bebop series except with a movie scale plot, improved animation, and even better action sequences than the series. If you want to watch some stylized action and well developed characters, Cowboy Bebop is most definitely worth checking out.

11: Interstellar

Interstellar exemplifies one of my favorite aspects of science fiction: the exploration of scientific concepts in ambitious and thought-provoking ways. Christopher Nolan explores the outer reaches of space by utilizing real scientific hypotheses about time relativity, wormholes, and a variety of other ideas and concepts. Nolan's use of practical effects provided the film with a sense of realism reminiscent of the classics such as Star Wars and Alien that is often lost in contemporary science fiction in favor of CGI. Unfortunately, Nolan failed to execute characters and script writing nearly as well. Despite this, Interstellar's ambition is what makes it among the best of science fiction in my mind. If you want to know more about Interstellar, click here to read my full review.

I apologist for this extra short section of the Top 25 list, but I wanted to dedicate two posts to the Top 10 Sci-Fi films, which you can read about more soon! So, what do you think of these three picks? Please comment below and let me know!

Previous Parts:

• Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies: Part 3
• Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies: Part 2
• Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies: Part 1

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Interstellar Review

Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s most recent, and possibly most divisive, film to date.

Before The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan seemed untouchable. His films received both critical and commercial success, and the legion of "Nolanites" literally sent death threats to anyone that opposed his reign as the "Best Director of our Time." However, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar's mixed reception showed that Nolan was, indeed, human, as even some of his own fans said that it was not the "Best film ever made." So, how Interstellar does actually stack up to his previous work? Let's find out!

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Sci-Fi

Release Date: November 5, 2014

Running Time: 169 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Gripping and suspense scenes, Exceptional performances, Incredible special effects, Hans Zimmer soundtrack, Well developed main protagonist, Unexpected plot twists, Fascinating world building, Unique robot design, Surprisingly well executed finale (except for one major thing),

The Bad: Various minor plot holes, Inconsistent character motivations, Apparently predictable twists, Several convenient dumb moments, Music overpowers important dialogue,

Plot Summary: Interstellar follows Joseph "Coop" Cooper, a widowed father of two, and a former pilot, NASA astronaut and engineer, as he is recruited for a mission to explore a wormhole that leads to another galaxy with potentially habitable planets.

Plot: 8.7/10- Interstellar introduces us to a fascinating future where is famine sweeping across the nation and taxpayer money is no longer spent on space exploration. The world Interstellar builds is enthralling, yet simple. Unlike most "apocalyptic wastelands" ravaged by war or "global warming," Nolan shows us a world that is not too difficult to believe. From the early scenes with Cooper's family on the farm, the film draws you in for an engaging space epic that is gripping from beginning to end.

Despite a potentially slow pace and a nearly three hour runtime, Interstellar is never boring. It moves from place to place with ease. The film exploration, of not only space, but the concepts of time relativity and how it affects the characters and the story creates compelling drama. As a fan of time-travel and other science fiction related to time, Interstellar's use of those concepts fascinated me, so if you are not interested in those concepts, maybe you will find it needlessly complicated.

Unfortunately, Interstellar is not without its flaws. Throughout the film, there are minor plot holes, plot conveniences, dumb actions by characters, and various aspects that fall apart when you think about them. However, the film's ambitious ideas overshadow many of the flaws from an entertainment perspective.

Characterization: 8.2/10- Cooper is one of Nolan's most relatable and likable characters to date. He is a widowed father with a family, and while that might seem like a cheap way to create an emotional connection with the audience, it certainly succeeded. Sure, Cooper might completely forget his son, but his relationship with his daughter, Murphy, is an effective tether to maintain Cooper’s connection to Earth.

Aside from Cooper and Murphy, the supporting is not nearly as well fleshed out. Dr. Amelia Brand is a bland character with inconsistent motivations. She is not a terrible character by any means, but just not a great one. My favorite, however, is the robot TARS. TARS' design is distinctly different than other robots, and as a fan of science fiction, the way the character is portrayed with his wit and the way he is used is fascinating!

Direction: 9.7/10- Christopher Nolan is at his finest with Interstellar. Visually, the film is striking, especially the scenes in space. However, the strongest aspect of Nolan's direction is the tension he creates. Several scenes of the film are positively gripping! They had me on the edge-of-my-seat!

Acting: 9.2/10- Matthew McConaughey is at the top of his game in Interstellar. His slow drawl when he talks draws the audience in, and his performance is the reason Cooper is such a likable and relatable character. Anne Hathaway is adequate in her role, and the rest of the cast do a fine job with the material.

Special effects: 10/10- Hands down, Interstellar has the best visual effects of 2014. Nolan's use of practical effects makes everything look far more realistic, and therefore more engaging. You feel like you are in space! It is incredible.

Soundtrack: 9.0/10- Hans Zimmer's score is different than his norm, which is great. His tracks create the perfect atmosphere for the film. However, there is one massive flaw; the music greatly overpowers the dialogue, especially during important scenes! At times, you literally cannot understand a word characters are saying, and it is annoying. How did the film make it past screenings with such a massive flaw!? It felt very unprofessional. Thankfully, it only impacts a few scenes.

Humor: N/A- Aside from TARS' perfectly timed humor, Interstellar is not a particularly humorous film.

Entertainment Value: 9.7/10- Despite the long runtime, Interstellar felt like watching a two hour film. From beginning to end, it engaged me on multiple levels, and as a sci-fi fan, it opens exciting new frontiers for space exploration films.

Overall: 8.6/10- Flawed as it may be, Interstellar is an engaging film that explores ambitious concepts with a main protagonist that the audience can relate to. Sure, it may not be one of Nolan's best films, but it highlights what Nolan excels at: Ambitious filmmaking. 

Closing comments: Even though Gravity dissuaded my interest in space film, Interstellar rekindles my dire to see more films like this! And in comparison to Nolan's other works, it is certainly better than The Dark Knight Rises, yet considerably weaker than Inception and right below Batman Begins.

Recommended for: Sci-fi fans, Nolan fans, Space exploration fans, Time-Travel fans,

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The Martian Trailer Review

The first trailer for the upcoming film The Martian is here, and it is certainly intriguing. The Martian stars Matt Damon and is coming to theaters this November. In The Martian, a storm strands an astronaut, Mark Watney, on Mars. He is believed to be dead, but desperately tries to contact help. The trailer reminds me a lot of Interstellar mainly because of Matt Damon and the spacesuits look very similar. Essentially, it looks like Castaway meets Interstellar, and with talent like Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien) and Drew Goddard (Daredevil, Cabin in the Woods) behind the project, this should be a slamdunk!  Unfortunately, the trailer appears to spoil the entire film, including the Final Act. So, if you do not want to be spoiled, watch the first minute and stop. Unless this is a misleading trailer, The Martian is another case of trailers spoilering a film’s plot. It is becoming a far too common trend, so do not spoil it for others in the comments. Do you plan to see the film? What did you think of the trailer? Please comment below and let me know! And check back next week for my review of Interstellar.

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Memento Review

Before Christopher Nolan hit it big with movies like The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception, he first made a name for himself with a small, yet brilliantly crafted, mystery thriller titled, Memento.

Memento follows Leonard, a former insurance fraud investigator that is on the hunt for the man that murdered his wife. However, there is a catch. While trying to save his wife from an attacker, he suffered a brain damage, which caused anterograde amnesia. Due to the anterograde amnesia, Leonard can only remember very recent events, like within the last 30 minutes or less, the movie begins at the end of the story and jumps back to each point before Leonard’s memory fades, which creates for a unique experience for the audience.

Anterograde amnesia is when a person cannot create new memories yet retains all, or most, of his or her memories prior to the incident. While there is more explanation in the movie, according to medical experts, Memento displays the most accurate representation of anterograde amnesia in film. To combat his memory problems, Leonard writes many notes and takes pictures to remind him of what he needs to do and who people are.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Mystery, Thriller,

Release Date: September 5, 2000

Running Time: 113 minutes

MMPA rating: R

The Good: Inventive and unique narrative devices, Perfectly paced, Mind-bendingly complex, Nearly flawless plotting, Top notch performances,

The Bad:

Plot: 9.9/10- Memento’s plot is unique, tight, and nearly flawless. 

As good as Nolan’s later films have been, even some of his best have had major plot holes and inconsistencies, yet, at least from what I have deduced, there are few if any plot holes in Memento. Using the narrative device of the character’s anterograde amnesia by starting from the end and going backwards to the beginning is not a gimmick, because almost everything takes place from the perspective of the main character Leonard. As for the mystery, Nolan leaves enough clues for the audience to figure it out, but not enough to make it obvious and the actual mystery is oh so intriguing to figure out.

Characterization: 9.2/10- Despite the continual time jumps, the main character, Leonard, is surprisingly compelling. While the other characters are not particularly developed, they are all memorable and distinct. 

Acting: 9.3/10- Guy Pearce’s performance is particularly exceptional as Leonard. He is able to convey the character’s condition effectively. Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano give noteworthy performances as well. 

Soundtrack: 7.2/10- While the score can be somewhat effective at points, it is barely noticeable overall.

Humor: N/A-

Entertainment Value: 8.9/10- Since the neo-noir mystery style is particularly appealing to me, trying to piece together the plot was very entertaining.

Overall: 9.5/10- Memento is a superbly crafted mystery film with a unique narrative structure and strong performances, there is nothing negative that can be said about the film.

Closing comments: OK.... What am I doing again? Ah, it looks like I am writing a review for something called “Memento.” I don't remember watching that....

Recommended for: Mystery fans, Christopher Nolan fans (Nolanites), Noir fans, Guy Pearce fans, Thriller fans,

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Coming Soon: November 2014

Hello readers of J&J Productions blog! Welcome to another installment of Coming Soon where I will recap the movies that came out in October (which turned out to be an incredibly strong month) as well as previewing the new movies coming out in an absolutely BLOCKBUSTER month of November. October was definitely a strong month, at least for the movies I chose to see, with the final average score being 8.5, which was a whopping 10.9% more than the average. I'd call that a good month!

Here's a look at what audiences received in October:

Annabelle: I didn't see this film and it sounds like it was a good decision. I predicted that it would be a cash grab with no where near the attention to quality detail as The Conjuring received and it seems that was the case. Audiences and critics alike just seemed to not find it all that scary or essential for viewing. 

Gone Girl: A fantastic achievement and one of Fincher's best in a few years (at least in my opinion). I was a big fan of the book and I loved this movie even more mainly due to some stellar performances, a well orchestrated adaptation of the original material, and a haunting original score, among other things. (Rath's Review Score: 9/10)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: Despite my hatred for the long name and decision to skip it in theaters, reviews and audiences indicate that it was a decent family film that was fun for its short duration and tried to get across a good message. Probably best for readers looking to take a family trip to the theaters.

The Judge: Yet another one that I skipped, mainly because its reviews were poor to mediocre and it's nearly two and a half hours long. Aint nobody got time for that! One common complaint that I've heard about it is that it constantly hits you over the head with its screenplay, assuming the audience that it is catering to isn't all that intelligent. Probably a movie best to save for a rental from the comfort of your own home. 

The Book of Life: You guessed it! I skipped this one too. It's been a stellar year for animation so far and many critics cited The Book of Life kudos for its style, plethora of colors, and humor. Although the consensus seemed to indicate that it wasn't the best animated film of the year, but then again, it's been an unusually strong year for that art. 

Dracula Untold: I didn't have any desire to see it, nor did I. I'd probably seen almost half of it from the constant barrage of trailers that have been released and even those didn't interest me. The film itself seemed to be generic, with a distinct lack of horror. Many related it back to a superhero's origin story. Like many of Universal's monster universe (with the exception sometimes being the Underworld series), this seemed like glorified trash. 

Fury: Finally a movie I saw! And I'm glad I did because it was far more impressive than I was anticipating. The cast gives strong performances all around and Ayer's direction is intense and really captures some true horrors of war. A powerful, but very cliched, World War II movie. (RRS: 8.5/10)

Birdman: Probably the most overrated film of the month unfortunately. It had some great humor, performances, and camera work, but was a bit to weird and slightly pretentious for me to really love it. (RRS: 7.5/10)

Whiplash: An incredible film about the pain of dedicating yourself to becoming great at something. Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons play off each other fantastically and the drum sequences are intense and impressive. Pretty amazing all around (RRS: 9/10)

Ouija: A crappy PG-13 horror film that seems to be making decent money simply because its near Halloween. The scares don't seem to be there and the premise is something that has been retreaded countless times. Or at least that's what unfortunate critics who actually saw it are saying...

John Wick: A mightily impressive action film with some VERY well shot action scenes and a true return to form for Keanu Reeves. Best way to describe its action? "Flow-motion". Patent pending. (RRS: 8.5/10)

Nightcrawler: Nightcrawler comes out on the 31st of October, so unfortunately my review is not complete by the time this posts. But feel free to check back with Rath's Reviews soon and see my thoughts. I'm guessing I will enjoy the film as early reviews are strong and indicate that it's a dark thriller with a fantastic performance.

Most Surprising: Fury/John Wick (tie)

Most Disappointing: Birdman

Worst Film: Birdman by way of default (although it's still pretty good)

Best Film: Gone Girl/Whiplash (another tie!) 

There you have it! There were a few stinkers in October, but I avoided all of them. Now get ready for a preview of what could be a record box office for November. Remember to click the titles for the film's trailer. interstellar

Interstellar -- Nov 5

Why It's Worth Seeing: The last time that Christopher Nolan directed an original film we got Inception. Do I really need to give any more reason than that? 

What Could Go Wrong: The length is the only thing that worries me (slightly longer than The Dark Knight Rises) but I trust Nolan to know what he is doing. It's not often that we get a "sure thing" at the theater but I think Interstellar is probably your best bet. 

Big Hero 6 -- Nov 7

Why It's Worth Seeing: To start, the trailers have been hilarious. Additional reasons would include that it's made by the same animation studio that gave us Wreck-it Ralph (classic) and Frozen (near-classic), and it's a Marvel movie, although not part of the larger MCU.

What Could Go Wrong: At this point in the year, we have had several amazing animated movies (The LEGO Movie and How to Train Your Dragon 2, among others) and we have all seen countless "origin stories" for comic book heroes. Big Hero 6 is both of these things so it will need to be special in order to stand out. 

Dumb and Dumber To -- Nov 14

Why It's Worth Seeing: The original Dumb and Dumber is considered a classic by many, including myself, and it stands the test of time as it's still uproariously hilarious today. This sequel looks to continue the adventures of Harry and Lloyd with the original cast and crew back (something the atrocious prequel lacked). The early previews have been a blast and I'm betting that this is nothing short of a good time at the theaters.

What Could Go Wrong: Has it been too long? Will audiences still care? Will the jokes still be there or will they feel forced? Will they recycle too many jokes? (It's that last one that I'm most concerned about). These are all questions where a negative answer could result in a very disappointing film for fans that have waited a long time. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen. 

Foxcatcher -- Nov 14 (Limited)

Why It's Worth Seeing: It's been getting fantastic buzz, mainly for the incredible performances by Carell (yes that's Steve Carell in the photo!) and Tatum, and that trailer is certainly a doozy. Well directed, well acted, and a good story? Sounds like a winner to me. 

What Could Go Wrong: If you had asked me before that trailer I would have said it could be just like any other sports film and it has the possibility to be generic. But there is a layer past just the wrestling here as it gives a vibe like a Fincher film...a Gone Girl for the wrestling scene, if you will. I don't foresee too much going wrong for this one to be honest.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Why It's Worth Seeing: Catching Fire catapulted itself to near the top of the YA-novel-to-movie quality list and for good reason. It was well directed, the adaptation of the material was solid, and it had better performances than this genre is used to. Mockingjay Part 1 looks to be more of the same, and that's a good thing. 

What Could Go Wrong: My main concern is with the splitting of the third book. A lot happens in it, yes. But I'm not sure if it's enough to justify two films rather than a longer single one. My concern also lies with where they will decide to split the third book and what additions they will make to the material. These types of caverns can always sink a film like this in the fans' eyes. 

Horrible Bosses 2 -- Nov 26

Why It's Worth Seeing: I for one loved the first Horrible Bosses. I found the premise to be unique and the movie itself was actually quite funny. Horrible Bosses 2 doesn't seem like an exact copy cat and the original cast is mostly back with some key new additions (Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz for example). The initial trailer is pretty funny as well.

What Could Go Wrong: It could tread too common of ground or recycle too many jokes. Additionally, since it has been so long since the last one, the writing and chemistry just may not be there anymore, which was the main strength of the original. Lastly, the supporting cast needs to be as awesome as they were in the first film, which is easier said than done. 

The Penguins of Madagascar -- Nov 26

Why It's Worth Seeing: That trailer is pretty darn funny if I do say so myself. I'm not familiar with the Madagascar animated series, but I do know that the Penguins are one of the funnier aspects of it so, much like the Minions will have next year, Dreamworks decided to give them their own film. If the entire movie is as consistent as the trailer, it could be hilarious.

What Could Go Wrong: Honestly, it just comes down to the stellar other competition that the film is going up against. How does a animated film stand out in 2014? It either has to be REALLY funny, REALLY cool, REALLY well done, or all three to garnish attention. I'm not sure that the second-rate characters from Madagascar are enough to accomplish that. 

Must See (in order): Interstellar, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Part 1, Foxcatcher, Dumb and Dumber To, Big Hero 6, Horrible Bosses 2

On My Radar: Penguins of Madagascar

Predicted Duds: None! :-)

As you can see, it's going to be an AWESOME, but BUSY month of November. Enjoy it folks. It's not often that we get a month this incredible in the theaters. Thanks everyone and I hope that you enjoyed the overview! As always, I'd be really appreciative if you came and followed me through Blogger at RATH'S REVIEWS and like me on Facebook HERE! I follow-for-follow 100%. Thanks again! 

Hey everyone James the Movie Reviewer here. Please do not forget to check back tomorrow for my Top 10 Horror movies on Halloween. 

Interstellar Trailer 3

The third Interstellar trailer is here! And against my better judgment, I watched it. The trailer touches upon elements from the trailer, while also showing more of what happens after they travel through the wormhole. Fortunately, there is not a lot revealed as to spoil what is going to happen in the movie. Ultimately, the trailer is fine, and since it does not spoil much about the movie, I am glad. But it also doesn't give me much to say about the trailer either. For me, this is going to be the last trailer from the movie that I am going to watch, intentionally at least. What do you think of it? Are you interested in movie? Please comment below and let me know! Also check back tomorrow for my new podcast!

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Video Review: Interstellar Trailer Review

Today I present my first ever video review of a movie trailer, and it my review of the Interstellar trailer. Interstellar is by Christopher Nolan, who is best known for films such as The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception. Interstellar is his first original film since Inception, and it is one of my most anticipated of the year. Today's guest is Jordan Rath from RATH'S REVIEWS, and a special thanks goes to him for coming up with the idea for the trailer review. Please keep in mind that this is our first trailer review, and my editing is not always perfectly timed with what we are saying, and the video quality turned out lower than expected. Next time however, I hope the quality will be improved. Also, if you have not already seen the trailer, you can do so below. Please let me know what you think of this trailer review and if you would like to see more.

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Interstellar Official Poster and Tagline, and Trailer Coming Soon

Interstellar, Christopher Nolan's upcoming film, now has an official poster and tagline released, with a new trailer right around the corner. While not exactly amazing by any means, the official poster is rather cool, and it reminds me of something by Steven Spielberg like Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What interests me is the tagline: "Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here." Now that is a cool tagline! While the first did little to catch my interest or attention, the current plot synopsis is that is about a team that goes through a newly discovered wormhole, and that concept is intriguing to me. Despite the concept being intriguing, Nolan will definitely have to do something special and original to prevent the movie from being Gravity combined with 2001, and more like Inception in space, which would be awesome. While the reviews for the film will decide whether or not I am going to see it in theaters, this new trailer will hopefully give us something to convince us that the movie is going to be worth watching, but without spoiling too much. Also, a trailer is reported to be released at some point in the near future with rumors suggesting that it is going to be in front of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla.

In short, I am cautiously optimistic about the movie, only because Inception is one of my favorite movies. What do you expect from Nolan's Interstellar? Please comment below and let me know.

Here is the previously released teaser trailer.

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Christopher Nolan's Interstellar Trailer

The highly anticipated teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan's Interstellar is here! And almost nothing is actually shown. While Nolan is known for secretive teasers, this is taking it a bit too far. The teaser is okay, but very little real footage is shown from the film. On the other hand, the teaser for the Dark Knight Rises featured mostly old footage, and the Inception teaser did not show much either. What I expected was an innovative sci-fi thriller, and what we got was The Astronaut Farmer. In all seriousness, since Christopher Nolan's last original flick turned out to be one of the best movies ever made (Inception), I still have faith in Nolan to make a cool movie. Before any Nolanites go completely insane, to be clear, I thought the teaser was interesting, but not amazing. Regardless, you know I am going to watch the movie in theaters!

Before you go, my friend Jordan at RATH'S REVIEWS is hosting a poll where you vote for your Top 3 Movies of 2013 so Click here to take the survey and then comment with your thoughts on the trailer.

Not the official poster

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