// Category Archive for: Science Fiction

Music Review: Voyag3r, Doom Fortress

By Jeffery X Martin

Owing as much to Emerson, Lake and Palmer as they do to John Carpenter and Fabio Frizzi, Detroit instrumental synth-rockers Voyag3r (pronounced “Voyager Three”), create harrowing sci-fi soundtracks for non-existent films. Their first full-length release is called Doom Fortress, and it is precisely as happy as it sounds.

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DVD Review: Legendary (a.k.a. Tomb Of The Dragon)

By Brad Henderson

Most of us still love our old action stars. For me, Jeff Speakman, Brandon Lee, and Arnold Schwarzenegger are my favorites and have been for many years. Throughout the course of the late ’90s and today, most of these guys passed their peak and are doing a lot of DTV stuff. Yes, they do have a film in theaters here or there but not as solid as the films they did in the ’80s. With Sly doing The Expendables franchise, it has given these guys a chance to strike gold again on the big screen, and in a corny and cheesy way they succeed.

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The Truth Was Out There: A Retrospective Of The X-Files

By Martin Hollis

IDW’s re-release of The X-Files Classics series is about to reach its conclusion, with the final set of collated issues of The X-Files comic book being set to drop in just over a month. The first few volumes revealed a lot about the time in which the comic was made—mid-’90s Todd Macfarlane-esque splash pages abound—but also about the inventiveness and creativity which permeated the greatest seasons of the television show. In addition, the comic featured its own mythology, revealing shady Pentagon connections, crystal helmets, and hinting at the alien powers that Fox Mulder, among others, would wield in later seasons of the television show.

There are also some missteps. It seemed impossible to accurately draw poor Gillian Anderson’s face in 1995, her glorious visage distorted or squashed depending on the panel one happens to view. Much like the TV show, it was likely that the creators were up against real deadlines, turning out the product as quickly as possible to capitalize on the exponential success of the show.

Given that the comic book is, in essence, a microcosm of the show, it seems like we are more than overdue a proper reevaluation of the television show and films.

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DVD Review: Under The Skin

By Brad Henderson

I find it harder these days to write reviews of films that I thoroughly enjoy, and easier to review the films that I think are OK or not the greatest. Under The Skin will be in my Top 10 for this year and will not move from that spot.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Machine

By Brad Henderson

Sci Fi on a budget is one of the hardest tasks in filmmaking. One thing you constantly worry about is how the effects in your film will look. You don’t want them to look cheap and cheesy because that’s a good way to lose your audience quickly. Also, when it comes to this genre, you need a story that is original and not a copy of a copy.

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After You’ve Gone: Thoughts On Burial At Sea

By Paul Casey

Part One

I love Lost. I love Prometheus. I love Bioshock. Suspension of disbelief is a crutch for people who have a failure of imagination. Hammering something down and making it more comprehensible is not an inherent positive. Presenting a story that provokes confusion and forces the brain to engage in a creative way is not a failure of talent or of planning. It is an artistically rich approach that many actively seek out in opposition to what they are told are the true “reality” based goals.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Visitor

By Brad Henderson

Bat shit crazy. Those are the three words that sum up The Visitor most easily.

Drafthouse Films has brought us some fantastic films over the course of the last couple of years: Bullhead, Klown, The Act Of Killing, I Declare War, and many others. They also are dipping into older films that are “lost” or just need a better release such as Miami Connection, Wake In Fright, Ms. 45, and most recently, The Visitor.

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VHS Visions: Never Too Young To Die (1986)

By Brad Henderson

In 1986 a film was born. That film was Never Too Young To Die. It’s sad that many haven’t seen it, but that’s the point of this review. George Lazenby, Vanity, John Stamos, and Gene Simmons (yes, from Kiss) star in this magnum opus and give the best performances of their entire careers . . . I’m joking, but it isn’t that bad.

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Blu-Ray Review: Big-Ass Spider

By Brad Henderson

Why wouldn’t you want to watch a film called Big-Ass Spider?

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Best Alternative Posters Of 2013: Tal Zimerman

Godzilla by Phantom City Creative

Another award-winning design for Phantom City Creative—Godzilla AS the wreckage he causes.

The balance of simplicity, power, and conceptual playfulness that marks the modern movie poster movement just does not get better than this.

Evil Dead 2 by Jason Edmiston

Edmiston’s Evil Dead 2 poster got a ton of notice due to, among other things, the unprecedented smoothness between blended colors. Jason once again raises the bar for the screen print set.

The Visitor by Seek and Speak

This is the kind of poster you hope the movie is half as good as. It looks like how my uncle’s room smelled in the ’70s. It looks like all the Uriah Heep songs. It looks like that He–Man episode where everyone takes acid. Or did I watch it on acid and it just looked that way? I dunno.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter by Gary Pullin

Ghoulish Gary Pullin’s poster for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a master class in unsubtle. Sometimes the indie poster scene gets a little too clever. Other times, it’s just a giant fucking Jason face coming through your wall. And I like that.

There Will Be Blood by Aaron Horkey

Impossibly tight technique meets million dollar concept in Horkey’s There Will Be Blood print for Mondo. Horkey basically prints money, anyway. Ask anyone who has tried to buy one of his posters.

Jaws by Paul Shipper

This piece was from a Jaws tribute show, and if you told me it was a long lost Drew Struzan design, I would have believed you. Thank goodness for designer Paul Shipper and his unwillingness to let the classic ’70s and ’80s poster style die.

The Silence of the Lambs by We Buy Your Kids

Looking like a playing card from Satan’s personal deck, WBYK’s The Silence of the Lambs print combines concepts and aesthetics to form something both beautiful and creepy. A modern classic.

Creepshow by Mike Sutfin

Sutfin’s pays tribute to the original poster designs for BOTH Creepshow films (there is a third film, but we don’t talk about it . . . ever) and the variant edition glows in the dark. A movie that’s fun and spooky needs a poster big on both.

Frankenstein by Tom Whalen

This Frankenstein poster is but one of many designs found within Tom Whalen’s Universal Monsters folio for boutique gallery Dark Hall Mansion. I picked this piece because, well . . . that’s how I was feeling at the time. Tomorrow, it may be the Dracula poster, or the diptych with ALL the monsters in it. Who knows?

Evil Dead by Trevor Henderson

This was one of the first posters I thought of when I signed up to make my list. Those eyes! They don’t let you forget them so easily. This image was used to promote the film’s SXSW premiere.

Tal Zimerman is a founding member of the comedy troupe The Sketchersons, writer for Rue Morgue magazine, game show winner, and currently the subject of the upcoming documentary feature WHY HORROR?