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steve_n88
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Space Station 76 (2014)
An uneven, slightly funny, sci-fi flick that could've been so much more...
The opening of this film seemed very promising, I was hoping maybe something along the lines of Wes Anderson in space, but got a film filled with mostly unlikeable/uninteresting characters put in predictable situations. Don't get me wrong there is some good in this film, the cast is top notch even though they're not given much of a story to work with. The set pieces and costumes are also great, but other than that I can't really say this film has much else going for it. There are some comedic moments, but far too few to list.
When I first saw the poster and cast I was very intrigued and wasn't sure how a film with such an interesting premise and great cast could have such a poor score, but after watching it I completely understand.
The main issue with this film is that its entirely uneven, I understand that its supposed to be a comedy/drama, but the "comedy" is often lacking and off-putting. I would've preferred something more subtle than the raunchy moments we often received instead. The dramatic aspect is not much better but isn't really apparent until the final scenes when all of the characters become exposed. It just felt like I was watching an amalgamation of a soap opera and a sitcom, rather than a carefully intertwined dramedy/space-opera.
Again, this film could've been so much more, but it is what it is. Perhaps someone will view this and realize there is a much better film to be made here and a talented writer/director will take the reigns (I'm looking at you Wes Anderson, Joss Whedon, Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman, George Clooney, Paul Feig, Judd Apatow.. to name a few).
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Jessica Biel is hot.... And thats about all there is to this movie
Lets see how should I began... Besides the fact that this film introduces a new clan of vampire hunters that Blade who has been around the block a few times doesn't notice, the new enemies that decide to finally come out of hiding, or that Dracula, one of the most feared evils of all time, goes by the name Drake; Blade Trinity is a disappointment. With a better writer, director, and a much needed recasting this film could have been up to par with the previous films. Now don't get me wrong the story isn't THAT bad, with just a few tweaks it could've actually been good. Finally Blades enemies wise up and use a human as bait to catch Blade in the act of murder. Using the FBI to do the vampires' own dirty work, now doesn't that sound a little bit easier than spending years tinkering with the human/vampire genome to create a perfect race of vampires? The enemies also become more efficient with their feeding sources, instead of grabbing people off of the street the enemies use "blood farms" which harvest 100's of humans blood keeping the humans alive but brain dead. Now the entire film could have revolved around these two smarter deeds done by the vampires, perhaps Blade could find all of the "blood farms" and destroy them whilst he must avoid authorities from his capture and find a way to bring down the vampire nation, instead they bring in the lord of darkness himself, Dracula. Now when you see this film you will think otherwise, other than the fact Dracula is badly cast (Dominic Purcell), he really isn't needed, just as long as his other enemies were recast as well they could prove themselves far more formidable than Dracula, or "Drake" as they call him, was in this film. He first comes off as a bad-ass and just when you think its going somewhere he turns around and starts following orders for some new age vampire bitch. The final battle which was a complete and utter let down, lasted about five minutes when Blade and "Drake" both lose their weapons and start body slamming each for awhile. Than Drake turns into his original form which looks maybe a little frightening he than starts to dominate Blade, which was like "why didn't you just do that in the first place, I mean what was the deal with the swordplay?"
The leader of the new age vampire enemies was a sassy chick played by Parker Posey who had an utterly ridiculous lisp throughout the film (maybe her fake vampire fangs were a bit too large). Posey played perhaps the most diabolical villain in the story (which isn't saying much for her or the rest of em') she was more or less the ring leader, collaborating with authorities to capture Blade (which was foiled by his new vampire hunter friends), resurrecting Dracula himself and making him hunt down Blade, and falling to the inevitable emblematic state most badly created villains do, trying to create THE PERFECT VAMPIRE, which is their main goal, as in the last film. Posey's main posse is her brother (Callum Rennie) and a bulky minion played by none other than professional wrestler Triple H, the other villains were insignificant serving no purpose but to look stylish and hip as the new age vampires.
Blade's new friends or the "Nightstalkers" as they call themselves is mainly Abigail Whistler, played by the very beautiful Jessica Biel, and Hannibal King, played by Ryan Reynolds. The rest of the "Nighstalkers" meaning the people you saw maybe once or twice in the film, were of course the overweight virgin gadget man, the black driver that seemed to always find a nice and expensive ride for the clan, and last but not least the blind electronics/chemical/physics/whatever the hell else the writers think is at all plausible for a blind person to be an expert at. I mean don't get me wrong the blind are capable of lots of things, but come on a blind scientist, I mean really what the hell were you writers thinking??? Anyways, Jessica Biel plays Whistlers daughter, and is the quiet but deadly type. She wields this really cool looking light bow that can cut through vampires like butter but as cool as it looks its used like twice throughout the entire movie and for only two vampires which is a let down. Well she has another bow with some pretty cool upgraded arrows as well. She can kick some serious ass but when it comes to the scenes where she's not fighting she doesn't have much to say, in fact I think she has about 10 lines throughout the entire film and most of them are a few words at a time if not less. The person who really steals the show is the somewhat out of place Ryan Reynolds. With the constant one liner's and fart jokes, it makes you wonder whether this movie is actually supposed to be a comedy. The jokes get old and Reynolds becomes this obnoxious sidekick of Blades that you wish would just go back to National Lampoon films.
All in all this film could have been better, if there were maybe a little more evenly distributed lines, a little less fart jokes, a complete recasting of the villains, better writing, more extended fight scenes, better editing, better characters (mainly just the blind scientist you've gotta be on crack to think of that or maybe it was a dying blind kids last wish, ya never know), the main reason - excuse me the only reason I gave this movie the ten out of ten was because of Jessica Biel, I really do think she's the hottest thing on the planet, I mean come on, that could be your selling point right there, a little less vampires, a lot more Jessica Biel. Hell, if movies keep coming out like this, maybe just Jessica Biel.