9. The Omega Man (1971)

One of the original adaptions of the I Am Legend novel, this movie will resonate with fans of apocalyptic scenarios. Biological warfare leaves US Army Lt. Cl. Richard Neville, MD immune to a plague that has swept the globe. Similar premise to I Am Legend (2007) [obviously..], yet quite different story progression. Despite various ‘cheesy’ scenes and dialogue, Charlton Heston manages to carry this movie to a slightly acceptable level.

Heads Up: Given the time this movie was released, be prepared to enjoy a groovy soundtrack throughout the movie. This may or may not be a good thing.

7. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die (2012)

Soothing voice and music from a beautiful woman (subjective). Definitely a retro feel to her music which may or may not be your thing.

Track on loop: ‘Blue Jeans’

6. Mission Impossible II (2000)

Re-visted this movie after nearly 12 years for a closer look. To put it bluntly, it is awful. The slow motion cam reminds me of modern day Zach Snyder’s techniques. The gimmick can only give so much. As far as the story goes, it’s an interesting look at biological warfare but with terrible execution.

The worst: ‘Jackie Chan’-style Ethan Hunt. Not believable after MI:I

‘So true’ line spoken: ‘To go to bed with a man and lie to him? She’s a woman. She’s got all the training she needs.’

4. Man on a Ledge (2012)

Slightly inspired heist movie that has all the right ideas but isn’t executed as well as it could be.

Highlights: mild sense of ‘Jake Sully’ acting

Possible homage: man on ledge throwing money to the crowd a la Dog Day Afternoon (1975). Doubtful it was intentional but it reminded me of Al Pacino’s great performance in that film. This made me smile.

Verdict: Mild Satisfaction.

2. The Knowing (2009)

Mixture of doomsday/ catastrophe movies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and movies of new beginnings.. but not in a positive way. The disaster sequences were chilling, in particular the airplane scene. Brr

8. Blade Runner (1982)

With a sequel in development, I decided to re-visit this film. It is quite fascinating for its time and proposes many interesting thoughts. The movie boils down to the principles that define our humanity. ‘The Final Cut’ had the better ending than the original due to its twist that Deckard (Ford) was actually a replicant. Commence increased heart rate (!). Separately, the original cut definitely influenced Tron (2010) with various aspects and both endings are basically identical.

Overall: an interesting look at futuristic slavery with an emphasis on the question ‘what makes us human?’

Memorable Quote: ’ I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… Time to die.’

7. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die (2012)

Soothing voice and music from a beautiful woman (subjective). Definitely a retro feel to her music which may or may not be your thing.

Track on loop: ‘Blue Jeans’

5. Red Tails (2012)

An inspirational movie. Adversity. Love. Loss. Triumph. Lucas did a great job with this movie although the acting was a bit spotty. Heavy hitters Cuba Gooding Jr. & Terrance Howard were really good but the rest.. eh.

Wow-factor: those aerial dog fights!

Really?-moment: “Thank god those Red Tails were here” line

3. The Grey (2012)

A nice blend of survival, love story and powerful imagery. Major gripe with the movie.. felt there could have been more authenticity to actual survival, i.e. replenishing the body’s energy storage after a day of trekking in a mini blizzard. Maybe it’s because I watch too many Disc. Channel survival documentaries.

Most intense scene: the plane crash.

Most rewarding aspect: the great ending

I personally connected with Liam Neeson’s character. Bit of a miserable bloke who goes on day by day thinking of the one he lost. His character seemed much more authentic given the loss of Mr. Neeson’s wife in a skiing accident.

“Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.”

1. The Hunger Games

Have heard a lot of buzz over this book and wanted to see what it was all about. Considering it was a book for ‘teens’ and having heard a lot about it from mostly females I had some reservations. In the end, I just decided to read it and I am glad I did. It was well paced and definitely a quick read. The story is interesting & the characters well defined. I am sure I will read the rest of the series but after the movie comes out (for which the trailer makes much more sense now, after reading the book).