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Snowpiercer (2013)
It's Chris Evans Year
I know this is technically a 2013 film but I'm going to treat it like a 2014 flick because that's when most of us will have a chance to see it. Quite frankly I wasn't expecting much from a movie about a post-apocalyptic train with a class system but...I was completely blown away. This movie is so much more than that. It's a gripping, suspenseful story filled with terrific acting and subtle jabs of satirical humor. The movie spends very little time on the set-up but instead drops you right into the middle of the action, a couple of generations in to this "city on a train." I won't go into much detail in order to avoid spoilers, but let me just say that the far out premise is quickly accepted due to the matter-of-fact way that director Joon-Ho Bong presents the story. Chris Evans is in every scene and he's terrific here as anti-hero Curtis. He's really scored a one- two knock out punch with "Snowpiercer" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" easily being the two best movies of the year so far.
The Machine (2013)
A Glimpse Into The future
I liked this quite a bit. The acting was top notch, the director really knows how to tell a story, and, despite a limited budget, I thought the special effects were very good. I also appreciated how the set designs covered up that limited budget by keeping you focused on the action up front. Although we've seen the basic story before, at no time did I find the film predictable; Director/Screenwriter Caradog W. James does a nice job of keeping the viewer slightly off balance with some beautiful camera work and a screenplay that tweaks the small stuff enough (what are the AI saying to each other?) such that the tale may be familiar but the trajectory is not. Both the lead actors are impressive with Caity Lotz impressively so pulling double duty in a movie that relies on her performance in a big way. Toby Stephens, who has been around for awhile, delivers a solid performance, walking that fine line between jerk and misguided soul. I can understand why some here see it as the beginning of Skynet or the Tyrell Corporation but personally I'll go with "Weyland-Yutani." Very good. Makes me interested in seeing what James and/or Lotz due in the future.