Movies
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins
“Being a rabid fan that grew up on the franchise created by James Cameron, the idea of McG getting behind the camera for this sequel was slightly nauseating, and yet, by some miracle, the fourth film in the franchise is (barely) passable.”
Spoilers follow
After the fun-yet-disappointing Terminator 3, I had extremely high hopes for Warner Bros. Pictures’ new trilogy that kicks off this May with Terminator Salvation. Being a rabid fan that grew up on the franchise created by James Cameron, the idea of McG getting behind the camera for this sequel was slightly nauseating, and yet, by some miracle, the fourth film in the franchise is (barely) passable.
The film takes place after Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in the apparently unavoidable nuclear holocaust, as a group of survivors, led by John Connor (Christian Bale), struggle to keep the machines from finishing the job (by killing a young Kyle Reese).
The most impressive aspect of Salvation is that it wasn’t anything I thought it would be. From the trailers and footage I was led to believe McG was going to deliver some Michael Bay non-stop action version of Terminator, only the uncredited (on IMDB) rewrites by Jonathan Nolan have brought a much-needed heavy dose of character development to the table (even though it still wasn’t enough). While there is solid story structure and (some) quality character development, there are odd holes stringing through the entire feature. For some reason, Salvation takes zero time to delve into the past of Kyle Reese or really illustrate Connor’s hinted-at romantic relationship. It also fails to reference time travel at all (I guess it wasn’t developed yet?) and skims over what exactly Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) is and more importantly when the machines decided to make him what he is. The screenplay gives the machines more logic and humanity than I was willing to believe; it was my observation that they were cold, calculating and omnipotent – almost God-like. Furthermore, my brain almost exploded as I tried to understand why the machines were after Kyle Reese. John Connor was an important figure in the war; hence their need to destroy him, but Reese is just a nomad running through the ashes of Los Angeles with his little friend. If time travel wasn’t invented yet, how would the machines even know what Reese was destined to do? They couldn’t. I can only hope that the next two films in the new trilogy address these glaring plot holes and missteps and bring it all together in the end.
Still, the fact that so much time and energy was put into the story as opposed to the action was refreshing. But don’t get me wrong – there is plenty of action that takes to the sky, the highway and even to the water as we are introduced to an array of new robots from bikes and planes to underwater robo-snakes.
And yet, even with all of these “new” robots, one inherent issue is that while this is a sequel, technically the robots themselves are younger than any that have ever graced the big screen before. So while the definition of a sequel should read “bigger and better”, Salvation doesn’t have a choice but to go backwards and be “lesser than.” Only at the end of the film to we get to see the T-800 in action, and while it’s overwhelming to John Connor, we’ve been there, done that.
Speaking of the T-800, super fans get ready to geek out as the big battle at the end features John Connor doing hand-to-hand combat with the first of the Arnie-T-800-bots. For the idiots who bitch about the CG face smacked onto the body of another actor, think about this logically as this would be the Terminator featured in the 1984 movie (making Arnold Schwarzenegger 25 years younger).
While some of the situations were underdeveloped (like the fact that Connor knows Reese is his dad, but Reese has no clue; this could – and should – have been an increasingly uncomfortable situation), the new Terminator film is just passable, maybe even a little lackluster. I think the best way to look at Salvation is as a plot builder for the first two films. Maybe when it’s all said and done it can be watched in the same order as the Star Wars films (starting at 4 and ending at 3 – maybe even including the TV series?). The only majorly disappointing aspect of McG’s effort is that it really, really, reallllly feels like a one time see and I don’t think I’ll be revisiting it until at least the next one hits theaters.
One of the all-time foundational fixtures in horror is the vampire. That means over a century’s worth of bloodsuckers in film, in various styles and mythology, from across the globe.
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control over the area’s hopping vampires, and other restless spirits. When Master Kau is hired to oversee the reburial of an affluent town elder, he and his two bumbling assistants find themselves in a supernatural battle to the death when the elder’s corpse resurrects as jiangshi. Produced by martial artist and Hong Kong cinema legend Sammo Hung, Mr. Vampire was a huge box office success in Hong Kong and launched a franchise. Still, it’s a charming, lively horror comedy that could use more love among contemporary audiences.
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To – Plex, Prime Video, SCREAMBOX
Writer/Director Jonathan Cuartas‘s feature debut feels like a spiritual sibling to We Are What We Are in many ways. Both offer meditative, brooding depictions of isolated families far removed from the rest of the world. Both families are willing to commit unspeakable acts on behalf of their loved ones. In this case, siblings Dwight (Patrick Fugit) and Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) find themselves routinely tasked with murder so their sickly younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell, Super Dark Times) can have the fresh blood to survive. In the vein of The Transfiguration or Martin, this brooding debut feature grounds its vampirism in reality and focuses on the constricting, devastating toll of familial obligation.
The Night of the Devils – Kanopy
A disturbed man, Nicola, recounts the story of getting stranded in the woods, only to find refuge in a charming family’s house. The longer he’s there, the more he uncovers something is deeply amiss. Witches, vampires, and sordid family secrets ensue. Like Mario Bava’s anthology segment “The Wurdulak” in Black Sabbath, The Night of the Devils is also based on The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Director Giorgio Ferroni balances the gore and sleaze with haunting Gothic atmosphere and stunning cinematography. While it’s methodical in its buildup, the craftmanship and grim ending make this underseen Italian and Spanish co-production worth the watch.
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat – Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Plex, the Roku Channel
Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Hellraiser III) has a blast with his high concept horror comedy that sees vampires living in the reclusive desert town Purgatory. They seek a peaceful life, with the plan to get an artificial blood factory in operation. Everything goes off without a hitch until Van Helsing’s descendant, Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), arrives in town. It’s a vampire western horror comedy that lovingly pokes fun at vampire tropes. The simple setup becomes anything but thanks to town politics, new tourists, and Van Helsing’s irresistibility to a vampire (Deborah Foreman). David Carradine presides over the vampire hijinks as Count Jozek Mardulak. For those looking for something fun and lighthearted, this pick is your best bet.
Vamp – AMC+, Plex, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
This highly entertaining horror comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get nearly enough attention; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper, all to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Grace Jones’ riveting performance.
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