The Worst Films I Have Ever Seen
 Posted on Thursday May 1, 2008, 00:00 by Helen O'Hara
This is, perhaps, an odd thing for a film critic to admit, but sometimes I positively enjoy bad films. You know, the films with no pretensions to anything other than stupidity, the films that star bad actors or display ropey effects orjust don't do what they set out to do. I realise that Van Helsing, say, is hugely, horribly flawed, but there are Friday nights (following long weeks) when I'd rather watch Hugh Jackman run around after vampires like the star of a particularly violent Timotei ad than any number of worthy, accomplished, admirable award winners. That said, there's a limit. When new critics start here at Empire, we're often sent to review the worst of the worst, and as reviews editor sometimes I take a bullet myself instead of sacrificing one of my minions. And sometimes I suffer a fit of the head staggers and think something like, "I know! I'll watch Blonde and Blonder tonight!" So here's a rundown of the films so bad they're awful, the ones that aren't fun on any level, Continue reading... Comment Now (51 comments)
How You Know You've Become A Sci-Fi TV Geek
 Posted on Thursday April 17, 2008, 09:50 by Helen O'Hara
Given that the most popular shows on TV these days often have a sci-fi or fantasy bent (Lost, Heroes, Doctor Who, Life on Mars) it's entirely possible for innocent viewers who don't know their Captain Picard from their Captain Birdseye to accidentally slip into geekdom. One minute you're innocently oggling David Tennant / Evangeline Lily, next minute you're considering the mechanics of time travel and wondering why Klingons suddenly developed bumpy foreheads between the original series of Star Trek and the Next Generation. But worry not, help is at hand! Using our simple check list below, you can assess whether or not you have already crossed the line, and find out if there's still time to get back to normality by mainlining episodes of Gossip Girl. Time to take THE QUIZ! 1. Take one point for each of the following that mean anything to you (in a sci-fi sense): BSG, DS9, NCC-1701, Flight 815, Ood, KJM 212K, the Minbari, Seven of Nine, Number Six, Reavers, Ziggy, Primatech Paper. Continue reading... Comment Now (108 comments)
What Price The Man of Steel?
 Posted on Monday March 31, 2008, 08:19 by Helen O'Hara
Last week a US court ruled that the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Seigel have the right to claim a share of the copyright in the character (read the full story here), putting the cat well and truly among the Warner Bros pigeons. Will this put the final nail in the coffin of a Superman Returns sequel? And more importantly, will it signal the end of Superman onscreen at all? Here's the technical bit. The judgment itself is pretty complicated, and likely to be the subject of an appeal by Time Warner, the parent company of both Warner Bros and DC Comics, but it does say that Seigel's family should share in proceeds from the comics since 1999 - leaving open the question of whether they should also share in the profits from Superman Returns. In 2013, Joe Shuster's heirs will be able to bring the same case, re Continue reading... Comment Now (21 comments)
Ban This Sick Film!
 Posted on Monday March 3, 2008, 17:41 by Helen O'Hara
Recently, a Tory MP introduced a Private Member's Bill into Parliament to allow for parliamentary control of decisions by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The bill failed (read all about it), but not before raising once again the question of violence onscreen and its relationship to violence in society. But, as ever when this subject is raised, I kinda feel like they're targetting the wrong films. Continue reading... Comment Now (56 comments)
The Curse Of The Over-Elaborate Title: Requiem And Salvation Origins - Part One
 Posted on Tuesday February 26, 2008, 14:56 by Helen O'Hara
So set to hit our screens next year are X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins and A Night At The Museum 2: Escape From The Smithsonian. This year we have Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - which I perhaps should excuse here, because at least it's less unwieldy than The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Thing is, do we really need all these fripperies? Aren't these films actually just Wolverine, T4, Museum 2, Indy IV and Prince Caspian? Perhaps we should blame LotR - or rather the threesome comprised of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Followed, as they were, by Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: Continue reading... Comment Now (39 comments)
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