Film Review: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) — A (World) SFF Film Odyssey

Readers may be familiar with director Luc Besson’s previous work, which includes the excellent films like The Fifth Element (1997), Leon the Professional (1994; featuring a quite young Natalie Portman), or the lesser-known, but personal favorite, Unleashed (2005; featuring Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, and the late Bob Hoskins).  These are wildly different films, but they are a testament […]

Film Review: Shank (2010) — A (World) SFF Film Odyssey

Most of you haven’t heard of Shank.  On some level, that’s probably a good thing.  Though low-budget can sometimes produce remarkable results, Shank is a film which suffers from a feeling of inexperience, overexertion, and disjointedness.  Set in a depression-rattled London in 2015, Shank follows a ragtag group of young men who are trying to earn enough money to […]

Film Review: Trollhunter (2010) — A (World) SFF Film Odyssey

Trollhunter (2010)(Trolljegeren in Norway) is André Øvredal’s most popular film, though it is, I’d argue, sorely overlooked by American audiences.  Originally released in October 2010, the film was eventually transplanted to U.S. audiences via the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.  The premise is fairly simple: Under the guise of presenting secret footage, Trollhunter follows a trio of student […]

A (World) SFF Film Odyssey: Mutant Girls Squad (2010) and Anime’s Excesses

Warning:  there are some graphic images in this post.  NSFW. Not too long ago, I set myself the goal of viewing every SF/F film released in 2010.  It figures that the first non-American film I decided to view would be one of the most ridiculous, violent, and bizarre films I have seen in a while. […]