While it isn't amazing, it seems AVP: Aliens Vs. Predator (2004) has aged better than expected. Unlike the current standard for sequels, this movie doesn't fumble the basics. Its story has decent momentum, the characters are mostly convincing, and you get the monster fights you came for. It gets the job done, and I can see why series fans would be satisfied. I cannot always praise modern sequels in the same way, as most of them feel much more lifeless to me. It could be that we're several generations into the sequel/remake trend, and studios don't feel the need to try as hard anymore. This film at least has some passion and care put into it, and it was that was still the bar. If anything, I would appreciate more cheesy third acts like we have here. No spoilers, but the main character's situation at the end feels like something a parody might come up with. What made it even better was the unintended romantic undertones going on. If I had to classify this, I...

About 15 minutes into the new sci-fi/thriller Parallax I asked myself "what the eff am I watching?" The problem is, I was asking myself the same question as the end credits started to roll. I have no problem with a movie requiring me to think. But I take issue with one that doesn't give me any payoff. And Parallax is certainly an epic failure on that level. The movie is about a young artist who wakes up one day to a life she doesn't recognize, spending her time asleep, haunted by nightmares of drowning in a black void. As she begins to figure out what is going on, her sanity is threatened. That's the best way I can describe the plot, although I had to do some research to figure it out. Writer/director Michael Bachochin has definitely crafted a thinking person's film but, unlike last week's review Volition, this one isn't all that entertaining. It's a slow mystery that takes too long to get where it's going, and then doesn't delive...

How much free will do we have? Can we change our fates, or is everything pre-determined? By staying strong, and focused on the present, are we able to leave the past behind and live free? These are many of the questions filmmaking duo Tony Dean Smith and Ryan W. Smith ask in their sci-fi flick Volition, which just hit drive-ins, Digital and VOD everywhere. And finding the answers is probably one of the most fun things I've done in front of a screen all year. Adrian Glynn McMorran is James, a man plagued with clairvoyance, who desperately tries to first save his life, then the life of the woman he loves (Magda Apanowicz) after having visions of their deaths. Now, this isn't some CGI-heavy romp; Volition is a thinking person's sci-fi tale that relies on good writing and direction, and some spot-on acting, to get the job done. But it's nonetheless exciting and fascinating to watch. The Smith Brothers put a lot of thought into their script, which becomes apparent ...

It's been a wee bit of wait since Friday, but the latest broadcast on the mighty Radio NL 610 AM Kamloops is now a mighty podcast... From The Basement! And we continue to celebrate the release of the Canadian sci-fi film Volition, from Tony Dean Smith and Ryan W. Smith, with even more of our interview with the filmmakers. How much more? About six minutes and change! We get into the crucial casting of leads Adrian Glynn McMorran and Magda Apanowicz, how the Smiths were able to keep track of their twisty and turny plot, and how they hope the movie will find its audience in this pandemic world we live in. It's a damn fine conversation, and one we believe Basement Dwellers will enjoy. Plus we review the flick, and let you know if it's worthy of your VOD dollar. Well, is it? Stick with us! And stay tuned, as we review Netflix's revival of the 80s TV sensation Unsolved Mysteries, and the new possession movie The Assent. Is this quality viewing all around? Push p...

Ever wonder what it would be like to see the future? Think it would be all fun and cheating on the horses? How about predicting the winning lottery numbers? What if you saw your own murder? Would you try and stop it? That's the premise of Volition, the new Canadian sci-fi flick hitting Digital and VOD today. To celebrate, Jason and Shawn dedicate tonight's show on the mighty Radio NL 610 AM Kamloops to this movie. How so? They interview Volition writer/directors Tony Dean Smith and Ryan W. Smith, digging into where the concept came from, and how they pulled off this mind-bending tale. And, given this is technically a movie-review show, the Basement Boys put Volition on the chopping block as well. How is the movie, and what do the Smith Brothers have to say about it? Have Jason and Shawn got anything else up their collective sleeves? Tune in at 6:05 tonight via the 610 AM dial, or the streaming link to your right, and find out. Stick with us!

The mind-bending sci-fi flick Volition is headed to Digital and VOD platforms everywhere on July 10, and we in The Basement are so excited about it we're planning a couple of weeks' worth of content to celebrate the film's release. Directed by Tony Dean Smith and written by Tony Dean Smith and Ryan W. Smith, Volition is about a clairvoyant man who tries to change his fate after witnessing his own murder. Sound intriguing? Well, it sure is! Check out the trailer here: How are we going to celebrate? Shawn and I review the movie on our July 10 episode. That's right, just in time for Volition's release! And we're interviewing The Smith Brothers about all aspects of their movie. The following week, July 17, we interview Volition star Adrian Glynn McMorran about how he prepared for this demanding role, and survived a very intense shoot. The fun begins next Friday, July 10, only on Radio NL 610 AM Kamloops. Stick with us!

What if you could see the future? And what if, by seeing the future, you witnessed your own murder? Would you try and stop it, and therefor alter what has already been determined to happen? That's the premise behind director Tony Dean Smith's sci-fi flick, which cleaned up on the genre-festival circuit last year. And now Giant Pictures is ready to unleash it on audiences, just in time for the world to kinda sorta open up again. It's a great idea, and the trailer below makes it look like Smith and company delivered the goods. Check it out: Volition stars Adrian Glynn McMorran, Magda Apanowicz, John Cassini, Frank Cassini, Aleks Paunovic and Bill Marchant. It hits theatres and On Demand July 10. This looks pretty promising. What say you, Basement Dwellers? Source: Collider

When one of your favourites puts a call out asking if anyone is interested in sharing the teaser for her new movie, you answer. Which is why we're proud to present the teaser for Jamie Bernadette's upcoming sci-fi flick Colonials. She's one of the leads in directors Joe Bland and Andrew Balek's film. What's it about? A space colonist en route to Mars crash lands on Earth to save a resistance from an advanced Moon enforcer, and the galaxy from extinction. Now the teaser: Looks pretty slick! And with Jamie in it, we're guaranteed a watch. No word yet on a release date, but we're gonna keep you posted as we learn more. Source: Jamie Bernadette

Although strictly a coincidence, it seems fitting a movie about an alien virus infecting a small town would come out amidst the real-world scare like the Coronavirus. So well played, High Octane Pictures, well played. Granted, the hapless victims in Neil Rowe's low-budget effort are hit with a lot more than flu-like symptoms. The virus in Alien Outbreak drives folks to off themselves in often gruesome ways. Naturally, it's up to a couple of police officers to try and sort everything out, and keep a few stragglers alive during what seems like a full-scale alien invasion. Rowe definitely did a lot with the few things he had at his disposal. Alien Outbreak employs a small cast, and a few limited locations, but to great effect. This is very much like The Thing or Night of the Living Dead that way. What money was at his mercy went toward hiring a decent cast, and into his special effects, which are great given the scale of the picture. I liked how Rowe didn't explain wha...

Last week I wrote about the 10th anniversary Blu-ray release of Plaguers by Wild Eye Releasing... and admitted I'd never heard of the movie. That left me feeling something akin to shame, as I love B-movies with all my heart. So I rectified the situation immediately, and ordered the Blu-ray. It arrived this past weekend, and I sat down and watched it last night. Was it worth the money and time? Stick with me! Plaguers looks and feels like a Roger Corman production from the 80s. The filmmaking, special effects, and sensibilities are firmly grounded in that era and style of moviemaking. Thing is, Plaguers came out in 2008, so I'm thinking writer/director Brad Sykes had little to no cash, and did what he could with what he had. The result is a mash-up of Alien and Night of the Living Dead. So yeah, this is a space-zombie movie that looks like it was made on cardboard sets with first-time actors hot off a university production. Which is fine, as that's pretty much wha...

Horror anthologies are all the rage, but what about science fiction? When people think sci-fi anthologies they automatically think The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, but the makers of the new film 5 Galaxies hope to change that. And they've recruited Pom Klementieff (Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy, and soon to be Tom Cruise's sidekick in the next two Mission: Impossible movies) to bring butts into seats when the film hits in December. 5 Galaxies tells five stories (duh) that cover everything from love found in a time of overpopulation to space travel and exploration of the unknown. And, judging from the trailer below, it's a pretty ambitious project for a low-budget effort. Check it: Looks pretty decent if you ask me, which I know you didn't, but tough. I said it anyway. 5 Galaxies features the work of filmmakers Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov and Marc-Henri Boulier. It hits DVD and Digital Dec. 10. Source: Uncork'...

Leave it to Roger Corman to come up with a low-budget answer to Star Wars. And to have the stones to base it on classics like The Magnificent Seven and The Seven Samurai. Battle Beyond the Stars is important for a few reasons. It was written by John Sayles, who went on to write such high-profile flicks like Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, and the TV series The Alienist. Oscar winning composer James Horner (Braveheart, Aliens, Avatar and many, many more) got his start here as well.

Altered is a rare bird for us in The Basement. It's a movie Shawn and I have both seen, and even discussed on the show, but never formally reviewed. That being said, it's been out for a while, but not long enough to be considered a Retro Review. So I said "fuck it," as I'm want to do, and decided to write something up anyway. Because we can do whatever the fuck we want here in The Basement.

Sci-fi can be a tricky thing to pull off on a low budget, especially when you've got a film with big ideas in it. However, if you've got a good script, director and actors, it can work. Division 19 certainly has a lot of big ideas, and if you heard our interview with writer/director Suzie Halewood, you know she had some even bigger things she wanted to try, but had to hold back due to lack of funding. Was she still able to pull off a good movie?

The name has changed, but everything else remains the same! Isn't it nice that, in this crazy world we live in, there's one thing you can still rely on? For example, Jason and Shawn bring you not only a new review From The Basement, but an interview as well. What's the review? The new sci-fi movie Division 19, which hits theatres and digital today. And the interview? With Division 19 writer/director Suzie Halewood.

Back in the day, we movie geeks discovered a lot of our favourite films on VHS. Living in small town Canada, we didn't get many options outside of Hollywood blockbusters at our local theatres, so the hidden gems were found at our local video store. One of those gems was Nemesis, Albert Pyun's 1992 cyberpunk thriller starring Oliver Gruner. It was a mind blowing little movie that featured cool stunts, lots of gunplay and that holy grail of B-movie must haves: boobies!

It's funny -- but not ha-ha funny -- to think movies like The Running Man and the original Death Race pretty much predicted the reality TV craze decades before it became a thing. The fact these films took place in a dystopian future, where Big Brother is always watching, is even more timely given this is the world we've inherited.

One kids' movie and two smaller releases are all that stand between Captain Marvel and a second weekend atop the box office. We highly doubt any of those flicks has a chance of toppling Brie Larson's superhero movie. But Jason, Shawn and Howie still have a lot to say about this weekend's new movies, and a whole lot more, when they take to the Radio NL 610 AM Morning Show at about 8:40 this morning.

One of the great things about science fiction is it offers a venue to explore humanity at it's best, to offer hope for the future, and to engage people in bold, new ideas. The upcoming Swedish sci-fi movie Aniara doesn't appear interested in doing much of that, and that's intriguing to me.

Like all good science fiction, Star Trek manages to teach us something about ourselves while it entertains us. It did so for the better part of its three-year run on TV, as well as most of the feature films. But Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan seemed to have the most to say as it kicked off what is arguably one of the best film trilogies ever. Yes, I consider Khan, The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home a trilogy. Wanna fight about it?