PCP on DVD - Prometheus

Prometheus was a film I had circled on my calendar as soon as I heard it was coming out.  Unfortunately, circumstances conspired against me to prevent me from seeing it in theaters, so I had to wait until it came out on video.  By then, a lot of the outcry and controversy about whether or not the film was any good had died down and was forgotten, which allowed me to view the film with much lower expectations than I would have had were I to have seen the film when it first came out.  I'm glad I waited, I think I liked the film much better than I would have otherwise.

Prometheus - 2012, rated R.  My rating:  8 out of 10.

"But you don't understand.  You don't know.  This place isn't what we thought it was.  They aren't what we thought they were.  I was wrong.  We were so wrong."

The reasons I had circled Prometheus on my summer 2012 film calendar were primarily because of the people involved on the project.  First off, there was director Ridley Scott, making his return to science fiction.  Ridley is already one of my favorite directors, and since he directed the first Alien film, I was super excited for this film set in the same universe.  Secondly, Lost writer Damon Lindelof, a very funny guy to follow on Twitter, was involved in the script.  And last, I loved the cast assembled for this film, especially Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender.

As I mentioned, for those of you not aware, Prometheus is set in the same universe as the Alien films.  It is not a direct prequel to Alien per se, but it ties in some of the same mythology, especially primarily that of the powerful Weyland corporation.  It does take place some time before the events of the Alien films though, but it also shares those films' spirit of a strong heroine, with Rapace filling in for Sigourney Weaver, as well as those films' dark tone and mood.

The film follows the crew of the ship Prometheus as they travel to a distant world in search of a species of alien that was potentially responsible for creating life on Earth.  When they arrive, bad things start happening as they encounter weird and dangerous things on the planet.  I'd say more but I don't want to go into spoilers in case you haven't seen the film yet.  But the film raises a lot of questions and some interesting ideas, the only problem is that not all of them are resolved fully to the viewer's satisfaction.  A sequel is supposedly in the works though, with the promise of answering the questions this film leaves open.

Overall, despite some of the plot holes and unanswered questions, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.  The acting was outstanding from all of the cast, and the film is visually gorgeous and breathtaking, with some incredible vistas and shots of the ship.  In the end it is a pretty good science fiction film that stands well on its own, separate from the Alien films.  I already can't wait for the sequel.

It is Sci-Fi week here on the blog

This week is going to be Sci-Fi week here on the blog.  Why?  Because I feel like it.  Also, with Man of Steel coming out this past Friday, and World War Z dropping this coming Friday, this is the perfect week to fill with sci-fi content.  There will be a fresh post every day this week covering something having to do with science fiction, including reviews of the films a few films and books, as well as a top 10 list.  So check back daily for fresh material!

PCP on DVD - Think Like a Man

Think Like a Man is an ensemble comedy based on a self help book, Steve Harvey's Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. The film is basically the dating version of last week's review, What to Expect When You're Expecting. And just like in that film, an ensemble comedy based on a self help book is a difficult thing to pull off.

Think Like a Man - 2012, rated PG-13.  My rating: 6 out of 10.

Think Like a Man is a rather shallow film. Each of the film's main characters is having struggles with the opposite gender, until the women in the film discover Harvey's magical advice tome, and suddenly they know what to do. Except the men discover that the women have read the book, and adjust their own game accordingly. None of the characters are particularly well developed, most are just common character types: the lonely power woman, the single mom, the maneater, etc.

Pretty much the only redeeming thing for this film is that it has some funny moments, mostly courtesy of stand-up comic Kevin Hart. He's the only thing that saves this movie from being a complete disaster. It's still largely a predictable waste of time though.