Jupiter Ascending

Where can you even begin with a film like this? It was evident in the initial trailer from what felt like years ago: this is a Wachowski film of grand sci-fi epic-ness, which brings along a certain set of expectations and trepidation. The fact that the film’s release date was pushed back nearly a year, smacked into the dead of winter, can’t be a good sign either, and general audiences will assume the worst. And perhaps they should: Jupiter Ascending is being met with mostly negative reviews, but I was excited enough by the previews and a fan of the genre that there was no question on my attendance. Where do I stand on the film? I’m not a polarized person, evidenced by my ability to ride the fence for extended periods. I came out of Jupiter Ascending neither floored nor disappointed. It was good, not great. It may grow on me though. All the ingredients are there for repeated, enjoyed viewings. My first trepidation was the story, which judging from the previews was going to be akin to a…

Saturn 3

What’s worse than an eight foot tall robot with razor sharp pincer fingers and a penchant for beautiful women and murder? Nothing. Nothing is worse. Which is why Saturn 3 is so brilliant. There is a killer cast here: Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel and of course, the robot named Hector. The locale is incredible: somewhat claustrophobic halls and labs of a base carved into the surface of one of Saturn’s moons. The atmosphere is creepy, silly and questionable, making this one of the most interesting films I’ve seen in the past few months. Certainly, I expected something far worse, more in line with a b-movie than anything else. Saturn 3 delivers production value that would make those films jealous. Indeed, it may have had a small budget (I’m not sure if it did or not) but chose to wisely focus the film on three characters and good set design. Saturn 3 is a remote installation billions – yes billions – of kilometres away from Earth: it should feel a bit different. The base is occupied by two people…

Close