Nov 1st Reviews

Well, at least these reviews are a bit more "fresh" than the last. The Town, has probably run its course in most theaters (I saw a very late screening of it), but I'll share my opinion on it anyway! This week's Netflix/rental happens to be a very unknown/undersold space-horror, Pandorum. Prepare for amazing wit and in-depth nit-picking, after the jump!
The Town Brief:  "The Town" is the tale of four men -- thieves, rivals and friends -- being hunted through the streets of Boston by a tenacious FBI agent and a woman... The Town follows the escapades of four bank robbers in Boston, dealing with the repercussions of a loose cannon, a dangerously efficient FBI agent and a woman who could possibly undo their entire operation. My Take: I am not usually a fan of heist/gang films and while this particular story isn't really either one, it feels a little like both. While many films can be said to be formulaic, but I've always found the bank robbery films to be especially predictable. (Romantic comedies and Westerns are two other genres that seem to have the hardest time breaking the mold, but that's a different subject). For the first third of The Town, I felt like I was in for yet another text-book robber flick with only a minor twist in the love interest (all of which you see in the trailer). However, I was happy to note that, while the mold wasn't really broken with this film, it started to (and continued to) do things that piqued my interest. Not completely novel, but when the poo does start to hit the fan, you are left wondering how it will all end. Ben Affleck was the real surprise to me, as both his direction and acting were refreshing. He does a great job of making the setting feel authentic, to the point where I had trouble understanding the occasionally thick Boston accents. The characters were all distinct and had decent depth to them. Overall, the film is well done, but the story really wasn't to my taste. Should You See It: If you like bank heist-centric films, or are curious to see how Ben Affleck is doing both in front of and behind the camera (pretty good, promise), I'd say yes. Though I didn't love the film, I suspect that mostly had to do with my bias slipping through. If the trailer looked good to you, and you were hoping there was more to the movie than what was revealed (which was admittedly a lot), never fear, it delivers. Should Kids See This: No. While there's no kids-in-mind review up yet, it's a pretty profanity-heavy picture, with it's fair share of violence and surprise (if brief) nudity.
Pandorum Brief:  Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is... Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. They're plunged into darkness, trapped, disoriented, stripped of their memories and struggling to make sense of where they find themselves. They must uncover both the mystery of where they are... and what has happened to their ship. My Take: Most of you probably don't even remember this coming to theaters and missed it entirely when it became available to rent. Critics panned the life out it, it did poorly in the box office and even the audience reviews (rottentomatoes) were about 50/50. All things considered, this movie was a flop. I. Love. This movie. First of all, this movie is a blend of other sci-fi classics. This fact caused many to take issue with it, which I honestly don't understand at all. Sure, it takes the best parts of movies like Alien, Sunshine, and Descent, but it blends all these parts together into something else entirely. The story really does start out pretty simply, but by the time all of the parts are sewn together, the pacing and dark mood have you hooked. It then starts to throw in plots elements that flesh out a rather simple story without losing a grip on the suspense/gravity of it all. The real problem with the film is that it's target audience is ridiculously small (more on that later). As far as acting is concerned, it does vary from great (Ben Foster is, as always, amazing) to "good job there, sport," but everyone works well within the setting of the film. Also, for being such a low-budget film, it's rare that you'll be able to tell. Should You See It: Again, the movie's target audience is super-narrow. You've got to be a fan of horror and sci-fi (and I mean a BIG fan of both) while also being willing to get past the feeling of "I think I've seen that before." Again, I loved a movie that was pretty poorly received, but if you think you're one of us hard-core horror/sci-fi nerds that can leave your nit-picking be, you'll be golden! Should Kids See This: What are you crazy? Space. Horror. Terror... Possible mutilation. No.