Film You May Have Seen: 

• Dune: Part Two (dir. Denis Villeneuve) 

Undoubtedly one of the biggest cinematic events of last year, Denis Villeneuve’s second part of his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune nearly doubled its predecessor’s box-office take and expands on what was brilliant about that first film in nearly every way. It is a top-notch production, with a stacked cast, incredible visual effects, an epic musical score by Hans Zimmer, and a satisfying (for the most part) story, it’s only downfall is that the film leaves the story too open to be continued with a third film, the upcoming Dune: Messiah. If watched in a double feature with the first film, it’s just about as close to a perfect package that you can get these days. (read our review here)

Film You May Not Have Seen: 

• The Primevals (dir. David Allen) 

While the film itself is unfortunately middling, The Primevals is worth watching purely for the stop-motion work done by director/animator David Allen before his death in 1999. Produced by Charles Band’s Full Moon Features (a company known for low-budget horror/sci-fi films), the film was one of the company’s most ambitious projects, requiring the animating of several creatures, including a Yeti in the vein of King Kong. The project was initially scrapped following Allen’s passing, but after twenty years, Band revived the film and finished it with his team. Without the story behind it, it’s premise is far more interesting than the actual execution (much of the film is dedicated to a story about explorers discovering a Skull Island-type “undiscovered country where Yetis dwell), but when the creatures are on screen, it harkens back to an older age of filmmaking that isn’t seen much these days. This was a project that outlived its creator, and one that was lovingly resurrected in honor of the man who literally put his last days into it. 

Film You Can Go Ahead and Skip: 

• Trap (dir. M. Night Shyamalan) 

To go along with the theme of films that have better premises than executions, a film following a serial killer who is trapped (ha… ha…) in a massive concert venue, surrounded by cops and SWAT teams, trying to find a way to escape while simultaneously diverting the attention of his daughter, sounds like a great premise for a thriller. And to be completely honest, the first twenty-five minutes of the film aren’t bad, and there are some decent sequences throughout its (bloated) runtime. Unfortunately, the film takes itself dead seriously while it relies on some incredibly contrived situations to keep the plot moving forward. Josh Hartnett in the lead role gives a solid performance, one that would be greater if the writing was better, but his mannerisms and unsettling facial expressions give his character some edge. However, the film takes a good premise and somehow manages to make it drag and be unintentionally funny. This might make for a great flick to watch with friends late at night, but without that, there’s not much worth sitting through in this one.