I first discovered After Midnight (1989) during my freshman year of college. There at I Luv Video was this VHS tape that gave me nostalgia for a movie I actually hadn’t seen yet. The woman on the cover, a character played by Jillian McWhirter, was quite literally trapped in time, and the tagline beneath her fiery fate read: “Anything Can Happen in the Dark.” As it turned out, my little case of memory distortion was rather fitting; this movie starts off with someone having a vague recollection, albeit of a terrible event.
Growing up I had passed by After Midnight many times at my local video shop, but it wasn’t until some years later that I gave it a watch. And after witnessing the nightmarish fate of those college students enrolled in The Psychology of Fear, I was hooked. Jim and Ken Wheat’s movie — their horror debut as...
Growing up I had passed by After Midnight many times at my local video shop, but it wasn’t until some years later that I gave it a watch. And after witnessing the nightmarish fate of those college students enrolled in The Psychology of Fear, I was hooked. Jim and Ken Wheat’s movie — their horror debut as...
- 9/24/2024
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
Borderlands is an action sci-fi action comedy adventure film directed by Eli Roth from a screenplay co-written by Eli Roth and Joe Crombie. Based on an action role-playing first-person looter shooter video game franchise of the same name developed by Gearbox Software, the 2024 film follows the story of a group of misfits led by Lilith, an infamous bounty hunter as she returns to her home planet of Pandora. Together they fight against alien monsters and dangerous bandits to uncover one of the most dangerous secrets. Borderlands stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramirez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Haley Bennett, Bobby Lee, Olivier Richters, Janina Gavankar, Cheyenne Jackson, and Charles Babalola. While, Borderland isn’t getting much love from the critics or the audience, but if you love the action and bonds between the team in Borderlands here are some similar movies you should check out next.
- 8/9/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
After taking a look back at House II: The Second Story (a favorite of mine since childhood), House of 1000 Corpses (which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year), the awesomeness of Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, the leg smashing in the Stephen King adaptation Misery, three separate moments from John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, the “Jason vs. Tina” battle in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, and the “all hell breaks loose” sequence from the start of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake,
Directed by David Twohy, who also crafted the screenplay with Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, Pitch Black has the following synopsis: A deep space transporter crash-lands on a desolate planet circled by three suns. Among the survivors are pilot Carolyn Fry, mystic Abu `Imam’ al-Walid, cop William J Johns and convicted criminal Richard B Riddick, and their first...
Directed by David Twohy, who also crafted the screenplay with Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, Pitch Black has the following synopsis: A deep space transporter crash-lands on a desolate planet circled by three suns. Among the survivors are pilot Carolyn Fry, mystic Abu `Imam’ al-Walid, cop William J Johns and convicted criminal Richard B Riddick, and their first...
- 2/17/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
A new episode of The Arrow in the Head Show has just been released, and in this one hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek are revisiting the 1989 body horror sequel The Fly II (watch it Here). To find out what they had to say about this story of a boy becoming a fly – the latest in a long line of people becoming flies in this franchise – check out the video embedded above!
The Fly franchise began with a short story written by George Langelaan. That story served as a basis for a film that was released in 1958 and spawned two sequels: Return of the Fly (1959) and Curse of the Fly (1965). David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly is one of the most popular remakes ever made, and it was soon followed by The Fly II. Directed by Chris Walas from a screenplay by Mick Garris, Frank Darabont, Jim Wheat,...
The Fly franchise began with a short story written by George Langelaan. That story served as a basis for a film that was released in 1958 and spawned two sequels: Return of the Fly (1959) and Curse of the Fly (1965). David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly is one of the most popular remakes ever made, and it was soon followed by The Fly II. Directed by Chris Walas from a screenplay by Mick Garris, Frank Darabont, Jim Wheat,...
- 5/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It’s time for a new episode of the Real Slashers video series, and with this one we’re looking back at a film that celebrates its 35th anniversary this year: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (watch it Here)! To watch The Dream Master get the Real Slashers treatment, check out the video embedded above.
Directed by Renny Harlin from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Ken Wheat, and Jim Wheat (with Helgeland also sharing story credit with William Kotzwinkle), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master has the following synopsis: Your fave psycho-sandman is back! It’s the one-man-sleep-disorder, the unspeakably demonic Freddy Krueger, returning with a vengeance in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master! But wait. This time around, the fiendishly Freddy is up against a powerful new adversary! After beautiful young Alice sees the remaining Elm Street kids succumb...
Directed by Renny Harlin from a screenplay by Brian Helgeland, Ken Wheat, and Jim Wheat (with Helgeland also sharing story credit with William Kotzwinkle), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master has the following synopsis: Your fave psycho-sandman is back! It’s the one-man-sleep-disorder, the unspeakably demonic Freddy Krueger, returning with a vengeance in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master! But wait. This time around, the fiendishly Freddy is up against a powerful new adversary! After beautiful young Alice sees the remaining Elm Street kids succumb...
- 2/14/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Adding to their tradition of releasing box sets of beloved horror franchises, Scream Factory's five-disc The Fly Collection comes out on December 10th, and ahead of its holiday season release, we've been provided with the massive list of full special features.
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA -- Get ready for hours of skin-crawling terror as you witness a transformation like no other – from man to fly. On December 10, 2019, Scream Factory proudly presents the insect-morphing horror set The Fly Collection in a definitive Blu-ray™ release. This massive 5-disc set consists of the chilling original trilogy, the eye-popping 80s remake and its terrifying sequel, and is packed with hours of fascinating special features.
The complete list of bonus features includes a bevy of new interviews and audio commentaries with cast and crew, including with producers Mel Brooks and Stuart Cornfeld, screenwriter Mick Garris and composer Howard Shore. The Curse of the Fly...
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA -- Get ready for hours of skin-crawling terror as you witness a transformation like no other – from man to fly. On December 10, 2019, Scream Factory proudly presents the insect-morphing horror set The Fly Collection in a definitive Blu-ray™ release. This massive 5-disc set consists of the chilling original trilogy, the eye-popping 80s remake and its terrifying sequel, and is packed with hours of fascinating special features.
The complete list of bonus features includes a bevy of new interviews and audio commentaries with cast and crew, including with producers Mel Brooks and Stuart Cornfeld, screenwriter Mick Garris and composer Howard Shore. The Curse of the Fly...
- 11/7/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Joseph Baxter Jul 23, 2019
Vin Diesel is not done with Riddick yet, with the reveal that creator David Twohy has completed the script for a fourth film.
Vin Diesel still has a hand firmly on the wheel of his Fast & Furious film franchise, which, having earned $5.1 billion across its eight entries, has put the pedal to the metal for two more (main series) movies, set to end with a tenth film in 2021. However, the franchise that first brought Diesel to prominence, the dark sci-fi action of the Riddick films, appears to have more in the tank as well. Indeed, the star has revealed that the script for Riddick 4 is done.
In an Instagram video commemorating his recent birthday, Vin Diesel revealed that Riddick franchise mastermind David Twohy sent him a most auspicious present: the completed script for a new sequel, titled Riddick 4: Furya. While Diesel isn't exactly dishing on its contents,...
Vin Diesel is not done with Riddick yet, with the reveal that creator David Twohy has completed the script for a fourth film.
Vin Diesel still has a hand firmly on the wheel of his Fast & Furious film franchise, which, having earned $5.1 billion across its eight entries, has put the pedal to the metal for two more (main series) movies, set to end with a tenth film in 2021. However, the franchise that first brought Diesel to prominence, the dark sci-fi action of the Riddick films, appears to have more in the tank as well. Indeed, the star has revealed that the script for Riddick 4 is done.
In an Instagram video commemorating his recent birthday, Vin Diesel revealed that Riddick franchise mastermind David Twohy sent him a most auspicious present: the completed script for a new sequel, titled Riddick 4: Furya. While Diesel isn't exactly dishing on its contents,...
- 7/23/2019
- Den of Geek
I'm a huge fan of David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly. To this day is still grosses me out when I watch it. Not a lot of films still have that effect on me. In 1989 a sequel was released, and I didn't really care for it. The movie was directed by special effects artist Chris Wales from a script written by Mick Garris, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat and Frank Darabont (The Mist, The Walking Dead).
As it turns out, Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi almost directed the film and he wrote a co-wrote a script for it with his brother Ted. I can't help but think a sequel to The Fly directed by Raimi would have been awesome!
This little bit of trivia was recently revealed in the latest episode of the Post Mortem With Mick Garris podcast. Bryan Fuller (American Gods) was a guest on the show.
As it turns out, Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi almost directed the film and he wrote a co-wrote a script for it with his brother Ted. I can't help but think a sequel to The Fly directed by Raimi would have been awesome!
This little bit of trivia was recently revealed in the latest episode of the Post Mortem With Mick Garris podcast. Bryan Fuller (American Gods) was a guest on the show.
- 5/26/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Humankind’s collision with otherworldly life forms can make for unforgettable cinema.
This article will highlight the best of live-action human vs. alien films. The creatures may be from other planets or may be non-demonic entities from other dimensions.
Excluded from consideration were giant monster films as the diakaiju genre would make a great subject for separate articles.
Readers looking for “friendly alien” films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and the comically overrated Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are advised to keep watching the skies because they won’t find them here.
Film writing being the game of knowledge filtered through personal taste that it is, some readers’ subgenre favorites might not have made the list such as War of the Worlds (1953) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).
Now let’s take a chronological look at the cinema’s best battles between Us and Them.
This article will highlight the best of live-action human vs. alien films. The creatures may be from other planets or may be non-demonic entities from other dimensions.
Excluded from consideration were giant monster films as the diakaiju genre would make a great subject for separate articles.
Readers looking for “friendly alien” films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and the comically overrated Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are advised to keep watching the skies because they won’t find them here.
Film writing being the game of knowledge filtered through personal taste that it is, some readers’ subgenre favorites might not have made the list such as War of the Worlds (1953) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).
Now let’s take a chronological look at the cinema’s best battles between Us and Them.
- 7/13/2014
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
Whether you saw it in theaters of not, you’ll never have gotten the full experience of Riddick, directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel, until you’ve obtained and watched it in your home entertainment center. Here are all the details in the official press release below.
Vin Diesel Returns As The Most Wanted Man In The Universe In A Stunning New Chapter Of The Explosive Sci-fi Adventure Franchise Riddick Be The First To Own It On Digtal HD December 17, 2013 Never-before-seen Unrated Director’S Cut With Alternate Ending Coming To Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack Including Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital HD With Ultraviolet™ January 14, 2014 Also Available: Riddick: The Complete Collection Including Riddick, Pitch Black And The Chronicles Of Riddick Plus The Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Fury “One Hell of a Thrill Ride.”—Joel D. Amos, Moviefanatic.Com
Universal City, California, November 12, 2013— Vin Diesel returns to the larger-than-life role...
Vin Diesel Returns As The Most Wanted Man In The Universe In A Stunning New Chapter Of The Explosive Sci-fi Adventure Franchise Riddick Be The First To Own It On Digtal HD December 17, 2013 Never-before-seen Unrated Director’S Cut With Alternate Ending Coming To Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack Including Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital HD With Ultraviolet™ January 14, 2014 Also Available: Riddick: The Complete Collection Including Riddick, Pitch Black And The Chronicles Of Riddick Plus The Chronicles Of Riddick: Dark Fury “One Hell of a Thrill Ride.”—Joel D. Amos, Moviefanatic.Com
Universal City, California, November 12, 2013— Vin Diesel returns to the larger-than-life role...
- 11/14/2013
- by Jess Orso
- ScifiMafia
Director: David Twohy. Writers: David Twohy, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, Oliver Butcher, and Stephen Cornwell. Cast: Vin Diesel, Jordi Mollà, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff and Dave Bautista. It has been nine years since actor Vin Diesel has played the character Riddick. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) was a bolder and bigger story compared to the first film, Pitch Black (2000). Here, in director David Twohy's second sequel, Riddick is a smaller story, in which Riddick returns to his sci-fi and semi-horror roots. The character of Riddick develops very little, but Riddick is still an entertaining sci-fi story, set in a hostile and alien environment. As backstory, the first film, Pitch Black, did not perform spectacularly well in theatres. However, Pitch Black found a home entertainment market, which led to a larger sequel. The Chronicles of Riddick, despite what most critics tell you, was an exceptional film. The scope of story, settings...
- 9/8/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Riddick, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000′s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004′s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose...
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose...
- 8/27/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Check out poster 4 from Universal Pictures' Riddick, featuring Vin Diesel perched and ready to in the sci-fi follow-up to Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. The David Twohy sci-fi action thriller also includes Karl Urban, Jordi Mollà, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine, Raoul Trujillo and Nolan Gerard Funk. I love the look of this latest poster, and it's a solid statement that this one will be more like the first film in the franchise. Twohy also wrote the screenplay based on the characters created by Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat.
- 7/1/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out Vin Diesel in a new image from Riddick directed by David Twohy. The sci-fi film also stars Katee Sackhoff, Karl Urban, Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine and Nolan Gerard Funk, finding theaters via Universal Pictures on a yet-to-be-announced date. Twohy helms as well as scripting based on the characters create by Jim and Ken Wheat. The story follows Riddick who is betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, fighting for survival against alien predators, and becoming more powerful and dangerous than ever. Diesel produces alongside Ted Field and Samantha Vincent while Mike Drake and George Zakk serve as executive producers on the film.
- 1/23/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out Vin Diesel in a new image from Riddick directed by David Twohy. The sci-fi film also stars Katee Sackhoff, Karl Urban, Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine and Nolan Gerard Funk, finding theaters via Universal Pictures on a yet-to-be-announced date. Twohy helms as well as scripting based on the characters create by Jim and Ken Wheat. The story follows Riddick who is betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, fighting for survival against alien predators, and becoming more powerful and dangerous than ever. Diesel produces alongside Ted Field and Samantha Vincent while Mike Drake and George Zakk serve as executive producers on the film.
- 1/23/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the first poster for Riddick starring Vin Diesel on a desolate planet with what looks to have multiple suns. As fans will know, this was the case in Pitch Black, the first film in the Chronicles of Riddick sci-fi franchise. David Twohy directs and scripts the film which opens 2013, based on the characters created by Jim and Ken Wheat. Also in the cast of Riddick are Dredd's Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff of TV's Longmire series, Dave Bautista who's in current action flick The Man with the Iron Fists, Bokeem Woodbine (Total Recall reboot and upcoming The Host adaptation), and Nolan Gerard Funk of Jennifer Lawrence starrer House at the End of the Street.
- 11/29/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the first poster for Riddick starring Vin Diesel on a desolate planet with what looks to have multiple suns. As fans will know, this was the case in Pitch Black, the first film in the Chronicles of Riddick sci-fi franchise. David Twohy directs and scripts the film which opens 2013, based on the characters created by Jim and Ken Wheat. Also in the cast of Riddick are Dredd's Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff of TV's Longmire series, Dave Bautista who's in current action flick The Man with the Iron Fists, Bokeem Woodbine (Total Recall reboot and upcoming The Host adaptation), and Nolan Gerard Funk of Jennifer Lawrence starrer House at the End of the Street.
- 11/29/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Many film websites published “decade’s best horror films” lists in late 2009/early 2010. While these lists collectively provided a rough snapshot of the genre’s ups and downs during that time, with more time to reflect, it becomes increasingly clear what an important period the 2000’s were for the horror genre on a global scale.
Not only did this decade easily and obviously eclipse the comparatively arid 1990’s in both volume of production and overall quality, the 2000’s can also be looked at as a crucial one for horror cinema despite the justified outrage about the American film industry’s widespread strip-mining of classics and foreign films for remakes/re-boots and its saturation of the market with teen-friendly PG-13 rated horror films.
While by no means as groundbreaking as the 1970’s or as sentimentally regarded as the 1980’s, the 2000’s will be recalled as the decade that, despite well-founded criticisms...
Not only did this decade easily and obviously eclipse the comparatively arid 1990’s in both volume of production and overall quality, the 2000’s can also be looked at as a crucial one for horror cinema despite the justified outrage about the American film industry’s widespread strip-mining of classics and foreign films for remakes/re-boots and its saturation of the market with teen-friendly PG-13 rated horror films.
While by no means as groundbreaking as the 1970’s or as sentimentally regarded as the 1980’s, the 2000’s will be recalled as the decade that, despite well-founded criticisms...
- 11/4/2012
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
Some early concept art has been revealed on Vin Diesel's Facebook fan page for a potential third Riddick film. The artwork shows some of the settings from this upcoming film. Whether the third film is to be made is still a contentious issue, as there are issues involving finances. Lately, events seem to be moving forward despite the film's limited budget, with Vin Diesel potentially taking a pay cut to make the film work.
In the artwork, the character Riddick can be seen walking a desolate landscape with a vicious dog. The title for the artwork is "Riddick 3," but there is currently no confirmed title for the feature. Currently, the film is only known as Untitled Chronicles of Riddick Sequel from some sources. So, here is the 28Dla plea to fans for support on this project as this sci-fi series is one of the best ever made. Spread the...
In the artwork, the character Riddick can be seen walking a desolate landscape with a vicious dog. The title for the artwork is "Riddick 3," but there is currently no confirmed title for the feature. Currently, the film is only known as Untitled Chronicles of Riddick Sequel from some sources. So, here is the 28Dla plea to fans for support on this project as this sci-fi series is one of the best ever made. Spread the...
- 7/19/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Membership First has issued its 2010 SAG election slate of 29 candidates for the September vote. The group is "dedicated to protecting the members of the Screen Actors Guild by preserving the existing contracts as well as providing viable contracts for the future". In numbered ballot order: #1 Clancy Brown, #2 Esai Morales, #9 Valerie Harper, #11 David Clennon, #15 Pete Antico, #16 Bob Carlson, #18 Angela Watson, #19 Jane Austin, #20 Jeff Austin, #21 Scott Pierce, #22 Jenny Worman, #23 Joe Bologna, #26 David Joliffe, #29 Amy Madigan, #30 Sumi Haru, #34 Renee Taylor, #35 Paul Napier, #40 Alan Rosenberg, #42 Larry Joshua, #43 William Mapother, #44 Bernie Casey, #50 Hector Herrera, #56 Joe D'Angerio, #59 Alan Ruck, #61 Clint Howard, #65 Peter Kwong, #69 Nancy Sinatra, #73 Frances Fisher, #74 Carole Elliott.
- 8/11/2010
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Hollywood
A couple more cult-fave slasher flicks of the early ’80s receive the special-edition treatment via DVDs that arrive November 24. Fango got the details on a new disc of Mark Rosman’s 1983 The House On Sorority Row (the basis of the current big-screen remake Sorority Row) from Liberation Entertainment, and the DVDebut of 1980’s Silent Scream from the new Scorpion Releasing.
House On Sorority Row, previously issued on a bare-bones disc by Elite, has been given a fresh transfer from a recently discovered print for this 25th Anniversary Edition (even though the film is technically 26 years old). The film is now supplemented with:
Audio commentary by writer/director Rosman Alternate ending Photo gallery Trailer
Retail price is $19.95. Silent Scream, directed by Denny Harris from a script by Jim and Ken Wheat (who also produced) and Wallace C. Bennett, is set at a boarding house where a group of college students take up residence,...
House On Sorority Row, previously issued on a bare-bones disc by Elite, has been given a fresh transfer from a recently discovered print for this 25th Anniversary Edition (even though the film is technically 26 years old). The film is now supplemented with:
Audio commentary by writer/director Rosman Alternate ending Photo gallery Trailer
Retail price is $19.95. Silent Scream, directed by Denny Harris from a script by Jim and Ken Wheat (who also produced) and Wallace C. Bennett, is set at a boarding house where a group of college students take up residence,...
- 9/15/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 Chicago – Has one star ever had such an assault on their demographic as Vin Diesel is having in April 2009? He’s the star of two original video games (“Wheelman,” “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena”), a blockbuster movie (“Fast & Furious”), and has two catalog titles in “Pitch Black” and “The Chronicles of Riddick” hitting Blu-Ray. And all of it happens in the span of two weeks.
We’ve already reviewed “Fast & Furious” and we’ll get to both of the Vin Diesel video games later this week, but we needed to step back and catch up with two Diesel flicks hitting Blu-Ray for the first time - one of his best movies by far and, well, a disappointment to say the least.
Universal has given 1999’s “Pitch Black” and 2004’s “The Chronicles of Riddick” their spectacular Blu-Ray treatment, complete with 1080P pictures, DTS-hd Master Audio tracks,...
We’ve already reviewed “Fast & Furious” and we’ll get to both of the Vin Diesel video games later this week, but we needed to step back and catch up with two Diesel flicks hitting Blu-Ray for the first time - one of his best movies by far and, well, a disappointment to say the least.
Universal has given 1999’s “Pitch Black” and 2004’s “The Chronicles of Riddick” their spectacular Blu-Ray treatment, complete with 1080P pictures, DTS-hd Master Audio tracks,...
- 4/6/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Film review: 'Pitch Black'
Not the first time this has happened, "Pitch Black" is a science fiction movie with a cool premise and scary creatures that's thoroughly degraded and defanged by cliched characters and dreadful dialogue. A USA Films release directed and co-written by David Twohy ("The Arrival"), "Pitch" will be quickly ditched by genre fans after a black-and-blue opening weekend.
Starring Vin Diesel ("Saving Private Ryan", the "Iron Giant"'s voice and the upcoming "Boiler Room") as an anatomically enhanced killer convict caught with other survivors on a desolate planet after a spaceship crashes, "Pitch" has an exciting opening. It rapidly switches to overly familiar cheap thrills and gets bogged down in all the hackneyed conflicts that go with a gaggle of squabblers who have the slimmest possible chance of survival.
When many crew members are snuffed out in the calamitous crashing of an interstellar ship full of snoozing travelers, daring "docking pilot" Fry (Radha Mitchell) more or less takes over. Guarding Riddick (Diesel) is Johns (Cole Hauser), but this good guy is a moody ex-drug fiend and quickly marked as unreliable. Nonetheless, they ascertain they're stuck on a planet that has three suns and no nighttime but plenty of breathable air and spiky earthen mounds.
The other castaways include a Muslim cleric (Keith David) on a hajj to "New Mecca", a geologist (Claudia Black), an antiques dealer (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) and a runaway teenage girl posing as a boy (Rhiana Griffith). One starts rooting early on for the unseen beasties in the mounds to hurry up with their appointed tasks.
Finding the ruins of an abandoned settlement and a working but low-on-fuel ship to escape in, they also realize the planet is about to be plunged into darkness behind another planet with Saturn-like rings. Not exactly sure what will happen, they concoct a plan that involves scampering across open land between multiple crash sites to get fuel canisters and escape from the planet.
As darkness falls, swarms of bird/reptile things fly out of the mounds and go after the humans. Riddick has special eyes that allow him to see in the dark. The flying monsters are repelled by light and are attracted to blood. With expendable characters starting to meet their ghastly ends, Riddick comes to the rescue (or does he?) in the climactic race to escape death.
Even with rapidly diminishing expectations, the performances prove to be average at best. While the suns are up and the action is outside, "Pitch" has a blazing, burnished look that makes good use of South Australia desert locations.
Creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos' ravenous horrors of the night are hardly seen long enough to fully appreciate, while the few space scenes and exotic planetscapes are effective.
PITCH BLACK
USA Films
Gramercy Pictures presents
an Interscope Communications production
Director:David Twohy
Screenwriters:Jim & Ken Wheat, David Twohy
Producer:Tom Engelman
Executive producers:Ted Field, Scott Kroopf, Anthony Winley
Director of photography:David Eggby
Production designer:Graham "Grace" Walker
Editor:Rick Shaine
Costume designer:Anna Borghesi
Visual effects supervisor:Peter Chiang
Music:Graeme Revell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Riddick:Vin Diesel
Fry:Radha Mitchell
Johns:Cole Hauser
Imam:Keith David
Paris:Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Shazza:Claudia Black
Jack/Jackie:Rhiana Griffith
Running time - 107 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Starring Vin Diesel ("Saving Private Ryan", the "Iron Giant"'s voice and the upcoming "Boiler Room") as an anatomically enhanced killer convict caught with other survivors on a desolate planet after a spaceship crashes, "Pitch" has an exciting opening. It rapidly switches to overly familiar cheap thrills and gets bogged down in all the hackneyed conflicts that go with a gaggle of squabblers who have the slimmest possible chance of survival.
When many crew members are snuffed out in the calamitous crashing of an interstellar ship full of snoozing travelers, daring "docking pilot" Fry (Radha Mitchell) more or less takes over. Guarding Riddick (Diesel) is Johns (Cole Hauser), but this good guy is a moody ex-drug fiend and quickly marked as unreliable. Nonetheless, they ascertain they're stuck on a planet that has three suns and no nighttime but plenty of breathable air and spiky earthen mounds.
The other castaways include a Muslim cleric (Keith David) on a hajj to "New Mecca", a geologist (Claudia Black), an antiques dealer (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) and a runaway teenage girl posing as a boy (Rhiana Griffith). One starts rooting early on for the unseen beasties in the mounds to hurry up with their appointed tasks.
Finding the ruins of an abandoned settlement and a working but low-on-fuel ship to escape in, they also realize the planet is about to be plunged into darkness behind another planet with Saturn-like rings. Not exactly sure what will happen, they concoct a plan that involves scampering across open land between multiple crash sites to get fuel canisters and escape from the planet.
As darkness falls, swarms of bird/reptile things fly out of the mounds and go after the humans. Riddick has special eyes that allow him to see in the dark. The flying monsters are repelled by light and are attracted to blood. With expendable characters starting to meet their ghastly ends, Riddick comes to the rescue (or does he?) in the climactic race to escape death.
Even with rapidly diminishing expectations, the performances prove to be average at best. While the suns are up and the action is outside, "Pitch" has a blazing, burnished look that makes good use of South Australia desert locations.
Creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos' ravenous horrors of the night are hardly seen long enough to fully appreciate, while the few space scenes and exotic planetscapes are effective.
PITCH BLACK
USA Films
Gramercy Pictures presents
an Interscope Communications production
Director:David Twohy
Screenwriters:Jim & Ken Wheat, David Twohy
Producer:Tom Engelman
Executive producers:Ted Field, Scott Kroopf, Anthony Winley
Director of photography:David Eggby
Production designer:Graham "Grace" Walker
Editor:Rick Shaine
Costume designer:Anna Borghesi
Visual effects supervisor:Peter Chiang
Music:Graeme Revell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Riddick:Vin Diesel
Fry:Radha Mitchell
Johns:Cole Hauser
Imam:Keith David
Paris:Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Shazza:Claudia Black
Jack/Jackie:Rhiana Griffith
Running time - 107 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 2/14/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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