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Posts Tagged ‘Summer Sci Fi Films’

by LaTaeya Lane

Warning mild spoilers below:

A Quiet Place: Day One, starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, and Djimon Hounsou and directed by Michael Sarnoski (Pig), takes place at the beginning of a major extraterrestrial invasion in the heart of New York City.

Terminally ill Samira, portrayed by Nyong’o (Us), is a poet living on borrowed time as she attempts to manage her Day-to-day life while creeping closer to her death. A routine day trip to a Marionette show in the city soon becomes a fight to survive as the city becomes utterly unhinged with chaos and destruction. While seeking refuge with other patients and a nurse on the trip, the will to survive suddenly becomes a journey to get Pizza from Patsy’s in Harlem. With her emotional support feline in tow, Samira meets a man named Henri, portrayed by Hounsou (Blood Diamond), who helps her learn how to move among the aliens undetected.

Surrounded by death and loss, Samira finds herself trapped in a tight situation; her feline companion comes to the rescue as he finds someone who can bring her to safety. Eric, portrayed by Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), helps Samira by bringing her to safety and helping her get the medication she needs. Together, they set off to get Pizza in a world on the verge of ruin.

This film was exciting, packed with explosions, jump scares, thrills, and, most importantly, an emotional energy that radiated off the screen and into the hearts of moviegoers. Lupita’s performance not only delivered but also made such a deep connection between her character and co-star, Quinn, in such a profound way that it brought Samira and Eric together so quickly. It shows that despite the lack of dialog within the film, two actors can carry a movie without much conversation. Strangers can grow to care for one another in a way that impacts their lives beyond their shared traumatic experiences. This film gave me vibes from The Last Us, Alien, and Cloverfield.

A Quiet Place: Day One was deeply moving; the cast, cinematic view, score, and visual effects created an experience only the theater could bring.

I gave this film 5 stars!

Check out the trailer below:

L.L.

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Warning: Mild Spoilers Below

Nope, written and directed by Jordan Peele and starring Daniel Kaluuya (OJ Haywood), Keke Palmer (Emerald Haywood), and Steven Yeun (Ricky Park) follows a family and small California Ranch community as they experience and attempt to document a series of strange phenomena linked to an extraterrestrial probe that is connected to the sudden death of siblings OJ and Emerald’s father.

This Sci-Fi Horror is the summer blockbuster of the year. It was so exciting to experience this film in IMAX. For fans that believe in the Ancient Alien Astronaut Theory, this is the film we have been waiting years to see. The story was very well written and uniquely presented.  Filled with subject matter that Sci-Fi moviegoers are familiar with, however, the level at which this was brought to life was moving, and eye-catching. Daniel’s character performance showed a humbled strength that transformed and elevated every scene. Keke’s performance created a balance among the onscreen family dynamic and Steven Yeun’s character portrayal (Ricky Park) gave filmgoers the invitation to think and ask deep questions about the character’s traumatic past while connecting the elements of his story with the story of OJ and Emerald. The elements of horror were prevalent in certain parts of the film. There are some scary moments that will make you almost jump out of your seat.

The setting was structured well, and the plot had a special backstory intertwined within that gave fans an acknowledgment of great respect. The film’s visual effects and score were magical. All the components were blended to create a cinematic masterpiece. Nope is a movie that will open the door to a world of possibilities.  It is a great film that will give you the means to live in the moment while escaping into a world where the existence of aliens is no longer a secret conversation, and their presence is no longer part of the dark shadows of conspiracy theories. Nope…

I gave this movie 5 stars! It is worth seeing again..

L.L.

Please check out the trailer below:

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Lucy poster

Lucy directed by Luc Besson and starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman tells an interesting story about a young woman living in Japan that gets swept up into an international drug trade.

The film opens with a so-called friend Richard, trying to convince Lucy to take a mysterious briefcase to someone that she doesn’t even know. Very reluctant to do this favor, Lucy denies his request and she is forced to put herself in a situation that will eventually change her life forever.
Lucy enters the dark world of the unknown as she encounters a group of Japanese Mob men that basically plays Russian Roulette with here life.

She is attacked and forced to smuggle drugs back into the US with an implanted bag of a synthetic pregnancy hormone.
Lucy tries to rebel against her captors and is attacked once again. The bag explodes inside her, and the drug is released into her bloodstream as it opens up a whole new world of abilities that her brain unlocks.

Lucy escapes the prison that she is being held in and soon reeks havoc upon everyone that was responsible for her pain and suffering.
Lucy’s brain functioning is evolving by the minute. She seeks the help of Professor Norman, a Brain Scholar (played by Morgan Freeman, as she tries to cope with her new found intelligence.
One by One she picks off the Japanese Mob crew. Her crusade to put an end to their plan starts a war between her and the Boss. He will stop at nothing to see her die and does everything in his power to make that happen.

In the end Lucy meets allies on her journey for revenge and leaves the legacy of her intelligence behind for the professor.

I thought the overall concept for this film was awesome and I could see the future makings of a great superhero film.
I really enjoyed the special effects, but felt as though there were some unnecessary scene flashes such as the animals running in the beginning,it seemed out of place. The movie was too short, but I felt that the imagery was Sci Fi driven and the action scenes were engaging.
I gave this movie 3 stars.
L.L.

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