He has Remixed Emotions. He’s the…
Vidiot
Week of August 8, 2014
Only the medicated can be perpetually happy. First up…
Divergent
In most dystopian scenarios the human race is divided into
two groups: meat and not meat.
However, the futuristic civilization in this sci-fi film is
split into five.
Abnegation (altruistic) from birth, Tris (Shailene Woodley)
was raised in a post-apocalyptic Chicago.
On her 16th birthday, she gets to decide if she would rather
be Amity (passive), Erudite (academic), Candor (truthful) or Dauntless
(fearless).
While she chooses the latter, her State aptitude test revels
she is all five, and thus Divergent.
Meanwhile, the head of Erudite (Kate Winslet) is using
mind-control on Dauntless soldiers to eradicate the Abnegation.
Based on the popular YA novel, Divergent mimics others of
its ilk in terms of it hierarchical society and puerile romance; however, it
deviates from the pack when it comes to its higher caliber of acting and
directing.
Incidentally, allotment in any setting - apocalyptic or not
- is usually by someone's race. Yellow
Light
Need for Speed
The key to a successful video game movie is getting women
excited about watching their boyfriend watch it for hours.
Fortunately, this cartridge based action movie attempts to
engage ignored girlfriends as well.
Released after serving time for his brother’s street racing
death, Tobey (Aaron Paul) sets out to catch the real culprit, car enthusiast
Dino (Dominic Cooper).
But to prove it was Dino who killed his brother, Tobey must
do the impossible and win a cross-country race organized by the elusive Monarch
(Michael Keaton).
Riding shotgun is the owner (Imogen Poots) of the Shelby
that Tobey will be careening the Pacific Coast Highway at high-speeds in.
Based on the popular racing game, this big-screen adaptation
delivers the stylized street-races the franchise is known for, but fails to
trick it out with a credible story or capable leads.
Incidentally, the winner of street-races that end in driver
fatality are the general public. Red
Light
Oculus
Until now, the only monsters in mirrors were women before
they put their make-up on.
However, no eye shadow could titivate the mirror-eyed
apparition in this horror movie.
Eleven years after confessing to police that a possessed
mirror murdered his parents, Tim (Brenton Thwaites) is released from a mental
institute.
Reunited with his sister Kaylie (Karen Gillan), who can
attest to supernatural involvement, Tim is also brought back together with the
antique mirror he believes is responsible.
Purchased by their parents (Rory Cochrane, Katee Sackhoff),
who were driven insane by it, Kaylie and Tim plan to capture the creature
within its surface on camera and kill it.
With both timelines told simultaneously, Occulus reveals its
intricacies methodically. Well told and well executed, the scares are
psychological and startling.
By the way, the best way to ward off evil spirits living in
old mirrors is to install it above your bed.
Green Light
***The Human
Raceway***
Death Race 2000
The one thing to look forward to in a dystopian society is
the live broadcast of the annual human blood sport.
Thankfully, this post-apocalyptic action movie has full
coverage.
In the year 2000, a band of rebels plot to usurp the
omnipotent Mr. President (Sandy McCallum) by sabotaging a state sanctioned
death race across country in which racers garner points by running over
pedestrians
While their efforts work on lesser racers like Machine-Gun
Joe (Sylvester Stallone), Nero the Hero (Martin Kove) and Matilda the Hun
(Roberta Collins), it fails when it comes to the mysterious wheelman
Frankenstein (David Carradine).
Produced by B-Movie schlockmeister Roger Corman, this 1975
adaptation of an obscure fantasy novel was and is still ahead of its time in
terms of apocalyptic parables - but not so much in the over-the-top acting or
trashy special effects.
Incidentally, if a points system were instated, hit-and-run
drivers would come forward.
He’s a Mixed Race-car Driver. He’s the…
Vidiot
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