Laura_Organa_Solo Reviews

Pandorum (2009)

Regardless of its Predecessors, "Pandorum" Stands Just Fine on Its Own

[9/10 · 22 January 2010]

It's impossible to watch the trailers for "Pandorum" and not immediately draw comparisons to its predecessors -- the "Alien" series, "Event Horizon," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Solaris," etc. In spite of the easy comparisons, however, "Pandorum" not only manages to stand on its own two feet but takes things in an interesting new direction.

Yes the basic premise -- people stuck in a large, dark, malfunctioning spaceship with something awful -- has been done before but "Pandorum" puts a new spin on things that keeps the story fresh and intriguing. The final twist is new and different, even if the characters aren't quite so (although Dennis Quaid was very good as the level-headed, unflappable captain trapped alone). The acting was solid.

Something I enjoyed that I haven't seen in a horror movie in a long time is the less-is-more approach that the director took with the violence and gore for the bulk of the movie. I think it made things more sinister and mysterious and it kept me guessing at just how dire the situation was and how long it had been going on (is it just a few monsters? How monstrous are they, anyway? Are they completely feral or are they sentient? Have they been eking out a pathetic existence for a few years or for decades?).

Don't pass "Pandorum" up just because you think you might have seen it before in the form of other movies. There's a good chance you will be pleasantly surprised, especially if you enjoy the genre. I know we were.

Dark Harbor (1998)

Fantastic Pay-Off if You Stick With it

[8/10 · 30 January 2008]

If the ending hadn't been so fantastically unexpected, I don't think I could rate this movie so well.

This movie has a lot of uncomfortable, distressing, "marriage falling apart" character interaction. That sort of thing is not my kind of drama, so the pace seemed to drag for me.

In addition, the main characters are difficult to relate to and thus care much about -- the husband (Alan Rickman) is rather bitter and cranky and the wife (Polly Walker) is aloof and a little haughty. The acting was just fine (Norman Reedus was very alluring), but the characters themselves were perhaps a little TOO realistically flawed (for me).

The setting was nice and appropriately isolated and a little spooky. The cinematography had something to it that seemed a little old-fashioned to me somehow.

But the last 5-15 minutes of this movie are so ingenious that every uncomfortable scene, awkward conversation, and inexplicable character behavior absolutely worth it. I guessed every typical plot twist except the one that occurred.

The ending definitely makes this movie worth watching. The intrigue and the drama, not quite as much.

Moon Child (2003)

Not NEARLY as Bad as Expected

[9/10 · 4 April 2004]

When I first heard about Moon Child, I thought it was a joke. After a few months, I figured I guess it's for real. The few reviews I read that WEREN'T made by squealing fangirls were not very promising.

When I was given the opportunity to watch it, I was fully prepared to groan, wince, and otherwise need to close my eyes to avoid the silliness.

I was more than a little surprised, and in a good way.

Yes, Moon Child has its moments of cheese, camp, and general dorkiness -- I think that's kind of impossible to avoid when it involves Gackt Camui, a man not known for his sanity -- but all in all, it was wholly enjoyable.

No, it is not a work of cinema genius but it is very, very heartfelt, amusing, with fun choreography, a touching score, and a fun cast. I know little of Japanese cinema so I can't really judge the acting but considering the fact that the cast was speaking a language or extreme dialect foreign to them at one time or another and that a couple of them have almost no acting experience, I was rather impressed.

If you can enjoy a good action movie, a good drama, a good comedy, see this film. At least rent it since it's coming to Region 1.

On a side note, there is zero homosexual/homoerotic content in this film. I didn't even see much of a subtext. Don't let people that read too much into things ruin this for you.