Category — Sci-Fi

Thoughts/Words/Reviews:

cafeblu-ray.com says: The Kubrick classic in stunning Bluray!

When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on “the proverbial intelligent science fiction film,” it’s a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel,” 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film’s opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the “star child” at film’s end, Kubrick’s vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director’s underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick’s film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone–puzzling, provocative, and perfect. –Jeff Shannon

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Richard Donner

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Warner Brothers Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (Blu-ray)
The Version You Have Never Seen!
Unwittingly released from “Phantom Zone” imprisonment, three super-powered Planet Krypton criminals (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) plan to enslaveEarth - just when “Superman” (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor) alsoreturns from the first film and with a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction and visuals that astound and delight. “Superman II” saves the day any day you watch it.

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James Cameron

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MGM The Terminator (Blu-Ray)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as a time-traveling T-101 “Terminator” in this smash hit directed by Jonathan Mostow. With dazzling effects, bravura thrills and a story that boldly spins into the unexpected, this is an eventspectacle to see and see again. In the year 2029,the ruling super- computer, Skynet, sends an indestructible cyborg (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton)before she can fulfill her destiny and save mankind.

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Steven Spielberg

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Anybody who has written him off because of his string of stinkers–or anybody who’s too young to remember The Goodbye Girl–may be shocked at the accomplishment and nuance of Richard Dreyfuss’s performance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Here, he plays a man possessed; contacted by aliens, he (along with other members of the “chosen”) is drawn toward the site of the incipient landing: Devil’s Tower, in rural Wyoming. As in many Spielberg films, there are no personalized enemies; the struggle is between those who have been called and a scientific establishment that seeks to protect them by keeping them away from the arriving spacecraft. The ship, and the special effects in general, are every bit as jaw-dropping on the small screen as they were in the theater (well, almost). Released in 1977 as a cerebral alternative to the swashbuckling science fiction epics then in vogue, Close Encounters now seems almost wholesome in its representation of alien contact and interested less in philosophizing about extraterrestrials than it is in examining the nature of the inner “call.” Ultimately a motion picture about the obsession of the driven artist or determined visionary, Close Encounters comes complete with the stock Spielberg wives and girlfriends who seek to tether the dreamy, possessed protagonists to the more mundane concerns of the everyday. So a spectacular, seminal motion picture indeed, but one with gender politics that are all too terrestrial. –Miles Bethany

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Ridley Scott

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CAFE Blu-ray says: Holy moly hi-def megapack. BladeRunner rocks.

Visually spectacular, intensely action-packed and powerfully prophetic since its debut, Blade Runner returns in Ridley Scott’s definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects. In a signature role as 21st-century detective Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford brings his masculine-yet-vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high-tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, muderous replicants - and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul. This spectacular 5-Disc Set includes all five version of the legendary Sci-Fi film from Director Ridley Scott - the definitive Final Cut with all new 5.1 audio, three additional versions of the film, and the rare Work Print version - in addition to the in-depth feature length documentary “Dangerous Days”, and one complete disc of bonus content including over 80-minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes. The Ultimate Collector’s Edition is packaged in a limited edition, numbered “Deckard” briefcase and features rare and collectable memorabilia such as a Spinner car replica, Unicorn figurine, Illustration and Photo cards, and a lenticular Motion Film Clip in lucite. This is the ultimate collection that no fan should be without! Also available in HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc.

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Christophe Gans

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Based on the best-selling horror action game, Silent Hill stars Radha Mitchell (Man on Fire) as Rose, a desperate mother who takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears and Rose begins her desperate search to get her back. She descends into a fog of smoldering ash and into the center of the twisted reality of a town’s terrible secret. Pursued by grotesquely deformed creatures and a townspeople stuck in permanent purgatory, Rose begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years back. Dare to step inside the horrific town of Silent Hill, where darkness preys on every soul and Hell’s creations await around every corner. But know that once you enter…there is no turning back.

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Danny Boyle

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Hailed as the most frightening film since The Exorcist, acclaimed Director Danny Boyle’s visionary take on zombie horror “isn’t just scary; It’s absolutely terrifying” (Access Hollywood).

An infirmary patient awakens from a coma to an empty room
in a vacant hospital in a deserted city. A powerful virus, which locks victims into a permanent state of murderous rage, has transformed the world around him into a seemingly desolate wasteland. Now a handful of survivors must fight to stay alive, unaware that the worst is yet to come.

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Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

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28 WEEKS LATER is sequel to the successful 28 Days Later.

The film pick up six months after the Rage virus has spread throughout the city of London. The United States Army has restored order and is repopulating the quarantined city, when a carrier of the Rage virus enters London and unknowingly re-ignites the spread of the deadly infection, wreaking havoc on the entire population. The virus is not yet dead, and this time it’s more dangerous than ever!!

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