Doomsday

Doomsday
Great Britain, 2007. A deadly plague, known as the "Reaper Virus," has broken out, killing hundreds of thousands in its wake. In desperation, the British Government evacuates as many survivors as it can out of the infected area, and then builds a wall, preventing the remainder from escaping. Thirty years later, with the wall still up and the victims all but forgotten, the virus breaks out again. The Government decides to send a crack team of operatives, led by Major Eden Sinclair, into the hot zone to investigate the possibility of a cure.

Missing Pages (Amended Version)

Missing Pages
Those of you who follow the film festival scene might already be familiar with this excellent science fiction short film from Speaking Pictures. Filmmaker Jerome Oliver wrote and directed Missing Pages, the story of a professor who invents a time machine and touches off a war. The 24-minute "amended" version of Missing Pages is now available via Speaking Pictures or iTunes.
What makes this piece particularly unique and visually stunning is that the story is created entirely with 40,000 pictures from a digital camera. The still images were processed and animated using Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop using a technique the director calls "fotomation". To get a glimpse of the creative process behind Missing Pages, check out Toolfarm's interview with Jerome Oliver last year.
Despite being based in still photography, Missing Pages makes you think about motion and dynamics and it raises questions about the classic persistence of motion film theory. It's definitely somewhere between photography, motion graphics, graphic novel, and filmmaking.
Funded by the J-Pop star Chage of Chage & Aska fame, this short is the result of 14 months of arduous work and experimentation.

Via PlanetDamage

Cypher

Cypher is a Canadian sci-fi thriller released in 2002, directed by Vincenzo Natali and written by Brian King. It stars Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu.

Vincenzo Natali follows up his stunning debut Cube with this impressive cyber-thriller about corporate espionage and identity crisis. Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu star

Five years on from his cult Canadian sci-fi film debut Cube, director Vincenzo Natali returns with this more pedestrian, but no less enjoyable, identity thriller set in a near-future world of corporate intrigue and espionage.

Plot (SPOILER@Wikipedia / IMDB)
Jeremy Northam stars as Morgan Sullivan, a suburban accountant so fed up with his life of grey flannel suits and spreadsheets that he jumps at the chance to become a corporate spy. Despite being sent off to attend some of the most boring conferences in the universe, Morgan revels in his double life until he meets Rita (Liu), a glamorous conference guest who claims that things are more complicated than they seem. Drawn into a web of deception and paranoia, Morgan has to question his very identity in order to survive.

Beautifully shot by cinematographer Derek Rogers in desaturated grey-metallic colours that recall Andrew Niccol's Gattaca, this disorientating film makes no apologies for its hardcore sci-fi approach, explicitly cribbing from authors like Philip K Dick and William Gibson and films like The Truman Show and The Matrix. While the script ties itself in knots in the third act, taking us so far through the looking glass that we end up in the narrative equivalent of a hall of mirrors, Natali's direction is first-class.

Natali creates a believable future world without recourse to expensive special effects, while coaxing excellent performances from Northam as the worm who turns and Liu (a revelation) as his femme-fatale saviour.

It may not have the originality, or startling bleakness, that characterized Cube, but until Natali gets around to making the sci-fi masterpiece his fans believe he is capable of, this is good enough to be going on with.

Personal Note:
This DTV movie at a mere $7 million still manages to get into my favorite movies list. Natali has made a highly stylized (Gattaca like) corporate espionage movie with mindfucks and twists and turns not unlike a Philip K. Dick novel. Northam & Liu both deliver their A game, together with King's writing this made a compelling movie for me to watch from beginning to end. Most memorable scenes will have to be the brainwashing during the lectures. If you have a vested interest in interrior decorating or design the competing corporations make for a nice stylized adversary. Definitely worth a rental but I would suggest to buy the DVD if you can.
Reviews:
"Combines industrial espionage with alternative reality in a satisfyingly mind-bending plot reminiscent of Philip K. Dick at his best. / Natali has crafted a clever, futuristic mind-bender that's both beautiful to look at...and cerebrally challenging with its questions about reality and identity. Not bad for a film made for the cost of The Matrix's opening credits." Via Rottentomatoes.

"In many ways, Cypher comes across as a cyberpunk version of Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. The pacing and feel of Cypher is very similar, and in both movies, you really never know what’s coming around the next corner, but most assuredly it will involve more layers of out-of-control untruths. With all the goodness that Cypher gives us, you’d almost expect the final score to be a 9 or 10. But unfortunately, Cypher’s story falls apart at the end. The technical believability, which is decently high throughout the film, flat-out does a belly flop at the end, and expects us to buy something that anyone who knows a whit about data security, just can’t stomach (I can add a spoiler page on this if anyone is interested). However, this sore point is not enough to sap enjoyment out of an otherwise wonderfully made film. You may not have heard of Cypher, but this is not an indication of its quality. Give it a go – chances are you’ll love it!" via Cyberpunkreview.

"Proof that Natali is a sci-fi filmmaker of considerable talent, Cypher may not have the startling originality of Cube, but it's an enjoyable example of paranoid cyberpunk with first-class performances from Northam and Liu." via Channel 4.

HP Lovecraft's The Other Gods

HP Lovecraft's The Other Gods
A prophet who longed to look upon his deities. A daunting journey to a mountain peak. A confrontation with gods too powerful to name.

This is the story that inspired Peter Rhodes, who worked as a filmmaker and artist during the 1920s. Few people know of his work, and it's only through luck and perseverance that we have been able to track down the elements for this "lost" film. "The Other Gods" has undergone an extensive restoration and is currently being screened at select film festivals throughout the world.

Rhodes' films were created using silhouette animation, a technique perfectly suited to depict Lovecraft's mythic Dreamland stories. The filmmaker's involvement in New York City's occult and literary scenes provided him with a select audience for his work. Rhodes was especially influenced through his relationships with occultist Aleister Crowley and writer H.P. Lovecraft, but it was personal tragedy that moved him to produce "The Other Gods," his most powerful film.

The restoration of "The Other Gods" features an all new soundtrack by Keith Handy. For more about his music, visit www.keithhandy.com

Aliens vs Predator 2 : Requiem

Predator vs Aliens 2:Requiem:

>

A little town in the hills of Colorado will become the battleground between two of the deadliest extra-terrestrial lifeforms - the Alien and the Predator. When a Predator scout ship crash-lands in the hills outside the town, Alien facehuggers are released in the crash, and an even more evil creature - a hybrid Alien/Predator - is also released. A man & his son hunting in the forests near the crash site soon become the first victims of the facehuggers, and when a Predator receives data about the crash on his home planet, he comes to Earth. One at a time, the inhabitants of the town become targets of the Aliens and the Predator, including the local sheriff, a young female soldier recently returned from Iraq, and several teens. Though the National Guard is called in, they are unable to stop the deadly creatures, and a plan is set in motion to destroy the town with a nuclear device...


The most fun part to watch was the Predalien a hybrid mix of Alien and Predator vs The Predator climax fight. Both bad ass Hunter Killers duking it out. Who will win? Watch the movie to find out. ;P If you hunger for a "monster" flick check out this one if you do not mind in your face action thrills. Baby snacks give me the munchies.

Zeitgeist, The Movie

Zeitgeist, produced by Peter Joseph, was created as a nonprofit filmiac expression to inspire people to start looking at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that very often things are not what the population at large think they are.


This film gathers information from many sources and puts it together in a way that shows it is possible for people to be manipulated by large institutions, governments and economic powers. It is divided into 3 parts. 1. Religion: Pagan astrological beliefs compared to modern and ancient religions. (9:35-35:53) 2. 9/11: An overview of the numerous questionable aspects of this immensely important event. (35:54-1:09:16) 3. The Federal Reserve Bank: A history of its formation and ability to control the economy. (1:09:17-1:56:23) With many news clips from tragic events in history, audio excerpts from those who believe people are being misled about the level of freedom they have, this riveting documentary will anger those who agree with it as well as those who do not. A very timely and important piece of work that all free thinking people should see.

Coraline

This ought to be fun.
High Res Version

I Am Legend

Finally a new decent Post Apocalypse movie.
Trailer:

Official Website