The mission of The Department of Afro-American Research Arts and Culture to identify the global significance of the creative contributions pioneered by an international diaspora of Blackness
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Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts

Friday, December 9, 2016

The Bermuda Depths (1978, TV Movie)




















Starring:


Storyline
Traumatized, orphaned college dropout Magnus Dens returns to Bermuda to find the cause of his father's mysterious death years before. At the Bermuda Biological Station, he finds Eric and Dr. Paulis, friends and colleagues of his late father, and joins them on a quest for gigantic sea creatures. He also meets Jennie Haniver, a mysterious young woman who was once his only childhood friend. Dr. Paulis' housekeeper, an island local, warns Magnus that Jennie is dangerous. The beautiful but vain young woman had sold her soul with the Devil centuries before and lives forever young deep in the waters of the Devil's Triangle (a.k.a. Bermuda Triangle). Nobody heeds the folklore and the researchers trap the giant sea turtle, setting the stage for a deadly confrontation with both minions of the Devil.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Predator (1987)























Starring:
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Carl Weathers
  • Bill Duke
IMDB.com
A team of special force ops, led by a tough but fair soldier, Major "Dutch" Schaefer, are ordered in to assist CIA man, George Dillon, on a rescue mission for potential survivors of a Helicopter downed over remote South American jungle. Not long after they land, Dutch and his team discover that they have been sent in under false pretenses. This deception turns out to be the least of their worries though, when they find themselves being methodically hunted by something not of this world.

McTiernan's Predator released in 1987 and has stood the test of time as a Sci-Fi classic. A fitting and elaborate cast (Arnold, Carl Weathers, etc.) help viewers come to grips with the environment of the movie. Silvestri's soundtrack kicks in with excellent timing as do the sound effects which remain crisp and heart-stopping. The cinematography is good and the action scenes are smooth, realistic and fun to watch.

The characters are commandos targeting renegade forces in Central America to rescue a diplomatic hostage. Watching them transcend from macho-man confidence to panicky prey-like paranoia creates a perfect atmosphere for the film, which plays off your imagination until the climax where Dutch, played by Arnold, relies on wit and instinctual strengths to combat the terror at any cost. The effects are impressive and are excitingly original, especially with the creation of such a sophisticated beast as the Predator.

Perhaps what makes the film have a such a raw, earthly quality is its relation to settings of man vs. nature in the modern world. Facing something infinitely more powerful than man is what the story comes down to; perhaps even man can conquer the unknown if he remains true to his natural powers than his ammunition.

Survival suspense of the purest kind. Predator deserves higher ratings. 10/10.

The Predator was played by a black male -Kevin Peter Hall. That makes him a supervillain!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Bugged (1997)














































Starring:
Urban America calls on exterminators to wipe out the unwanted vermin. In BUGGED, the only unwanted vermin is Man. Beautiful homemaker, Devin (Priscilla K. Basque), hires a whacked-out group of "Bugbusters" to rid her house of disgusting bugs. But it's not long before the bugs grow to enormous sizes and the bugbusters become the exterminated. It's up to Dave (Ronald K. Armstrong) and Steve (Jeff Lee) to combat the creatures before their friends become insect food one... by... one.