King Kong (2005)
Dec 15, 2005Giant Ape
Peter Jackson's dream project, a remake of the 1933 film, and his finest work as a filmmaker. Jackson builds the original out considerably and his command of the effects gives us something quite dazzling
Kyle Chandler
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Dec 14, 2008Alien Visitor
An interesting if uneven remake of the 1950s SF classic from Scott Derrickson that smartly updates the story from the Atomic Age to a post-9/11 era where it now delivers a modern environmental warning
Super 8 (2011)
Jun 16, 2011Alien Monster/1980s Coming of Age Tale
J.J. Abrams makes a homages to 8mm filmmaking and the films of his youth – you could easily imagine this as a Steven Spielberg-produced film of the era. On the other hand, after the obsessive secrecy in pre-release, the results emerge as underwhelming
Godzilla, King of the Monsters (2019)
Aug 24, 2019Giant Monster Bash
Follow-up to the 2014 US-made Godzilla. This introduces other monsters from the Japanese series and tries to create a shared universe. But when the film is all massively-scaled mass destruction, it seems hard to root for the monsters
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Jan 8, 2021Last Man on Earth Tries to Communicate with a Space Mission
George Clooney starred in Gravity and now directs/stars in his own scientifically grounded space film about the last man trying to communicate with a surviving space mission following a catastrophe event on Earth
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Apr 10, 2021Giant Monster Bash
One of fantastic cinema’s great titles bouts is a spectacular effects show. At the same time, it also has one of the single most ridiculous script I have ever come across in the entire time I have been running this site
Slumberland (2022)
Dec 2, 2022Adventures in Dreams
Live-action adaptation of the one of the great early comic-strips Little Nemo in Slumberland, a work that was ground-breaking for its experimental innovation