Cade: the tortured crossing
Similar2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), American Psycho (2000),
Blade Runner (1982) Cape Fear (1991), Ghost in the Shell (1995), I Robot (2004), Memento (2000), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979),
Strange Days (1995) Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Shining (1980),
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) The Sixth Sense (1999), The Terminator (1984), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Vertigo (1958), Videodrome (1983),
Say what you will about independent film auteur Neil Breen: he has a vision. All of his movies have a common theme, in which a man with superhuman abilities (played by Neil Breen) directs those abilities toward vanquishing evil corporate and government entities. Many people die in the process, but in Breen’s vision it’s all in the name of world peace. What he’s trying to say isn’t all that hard to figure out: he thinks the world would be better off without corrupt CEOs and pass-the-buck lawmakers (and hey, I don’t disagree). Continue Reading →
Hypnotic
There's at once too much, and somehow not enough, of the whimsical DIY spirit of writer-director Robert Rodriguez in his latest film, the shaky B-thriller Hypnotic. The Austin native made his name in the halcyon days of '90s indie filmmaking, shooting his first feature (El Mariachi) for a mere $7,000 at the tender age of 23. Since then, he's leveraged that inventiveness into a cottage industry of his own based out of his hometown of Austin, Texas, whether it's kid-friendly fare (Spy Kids), big-budget CGI blockbusters (Alita: Battle Angel), moody noirs (Sin City) or grindhouse splatterfests (Planet Terror, From Dusk Till Dawn). Hypnotic is all and none of those things, a chintzy lo-fi Christopher Nolan riff that doesn't have nearly enough life to work. And yet, there are just enough charming elements to save it from outright dismissal. Continue Reading →