NO NOVEMBER POLL

Only one person voted in - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in October of 2012 – poll and that appeared and disappeared – twice! I don’t know if there was a fault with the Blogger gadget or if no one was interested in any of these four horror films for the month of October. If not, I can’t say I blame any of you as I had only mild interest in two of the four and had no intention of seeing any of them at the theater. If anyone did try to vote on this month’s poll and was unable to, please leave a comment here.

There will be no poll for the month of November, primarily because of the lack of any really interesting genre films being released to theaters. There is the animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph (11/2) which I have a very minor interest in and will likely rent. The Man with the Iron Fists (11/2) which looks amazing, but I’m not a huge martial arts film fan and there doesn’t appear to be enough of a plot to make it more than worth a rental. Vamps (11/2) is a PG-13 romantic comedy about two vampires – enough said – PASS! The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is a PG-13 romantic drama about two vampires and the forth film in a series that I have not watched any of the previous three films – PASS! Rise of the Guardians looks like a CGI animated feature with some actual flair and I like the concept, but I’ll still be waiting to rent the blu-ray disc.

Although not genre per se, I will be going to the theater November 10 to see Skyfall. I am a huge Bond film fan and have seen every Bond film in the theater since The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977! I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Daniel Craig as James Bond, but he quickly won me over in Casino Royale, so I’m looking forward to Skyfall – particularly with Sam Mendes as director, who is better known for his dramatic films like American Beauty (1999) and Road to Perdition 2002).

 

If anyone is going to see any of these films in November, please leave a comment here and tell me why you are interested enough to see it on the big screen.

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN OCTOBER OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in September of 2012 – poll! The results to this month’s poll were pretty lack luster as only seven of you voted. I’m not sure if this reflects the quality of the films or the fact that fewer people go to the theater once the summer is over. There was a tie for first place with 5 votes (71%) for Resident Evil: Retribution and 5 votes (71%) for Looper. In second place was Dredd with just 3 votes (42%) and just making last place was House at the End of the Street with 2 votes (28%).

I saw three of the four genre films in this month’s September poll. I liked Resident Evil: Retribution better than most, but I will admit that it was not as good as the third or fourth entries in this series.  Resident Evil: Retribution has grossed just $38 million in the US in three weeks, but has done considerably better worldwide grossing  $175 million, so I think it’s a safe bet that there will be a sixth and final film in the Resident Evil film series. I thought Looper was the overall best film of the three this month, as it worked well on many different levels, including – most importantly to me – as a science fiction film. Looper took in just under $21 million in its opening weekend and with a budget of only $30 million it should more than make a profit domestically – which the studios really like. This means Looper director Rian Johnson will be given even more money and creative freedom with his next film and I for one hope it is a genre film. Dredd was somewhat disappointing for me, as it had all the elements to make an excellent adaptation of the comic book, but the simplistic story just didn’t engage me. Despite generally good to excellent reviews, Dredd has made just under $11 million in this country in two weeks. It has performed slightly better worldwide making $21 million, but with a budget of $50 million, it looks uncertain if there will be a sequel – which I’d actually like to see.

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now seven of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen Resident Evil: Retribution, Looper, Dredd or House at the End of the Street at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it.

THE OCTOBER POLL!

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I've posted. As always, this poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of October for 2012. They are: V/H/S (October 5), Sinister (October 12), Paranormal Activity 4 (October 19), and Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (October 26). I have left Cloud Atlas off the poll, because on the surface it appears to have the visual trappings of a science fiction film (aka: future setting and some sort of time travel). However, it is based on a 2004 book by British author David Mitchell, which is definitely not sci-fi, but a series of six stories interwoven by characters reading the tale that is revealed to be a story that is read (or observed) by the main character in the next story. Even though one of these stories takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, I don’t think Cloud Atlas is science fiction and could only be regarded as moderately genre – at least by my definition.

I think V/H/S looks like it could be a good scary movie, despite my dislike for the “found footage” format and a general dislike for anthology films. However, this is definitely a rental for me, as I’m the only one in my small group who is up for this type of terror trip. Sinister has an intriguing premise, a decent cast and an interesting look, but still seems like it is only worth a rental. I have only seen the first Paranormal Activity film and was bored to tears, so I won’t even waste my time with a rental of Paranormal Activity 4. I enjoyed the first Silent Hill film well enough - although I admired it more for its look than its less-than-frightening story - so I’ll also be renting Silent Hill: Revelation 3D.

As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater.

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN SEPTEMBER OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in August of 2012 – poll! The results to this month’s poll demonstrates the reason film studios usually save their less fiscally ambitious efforts for the last full month of summer. Only nine of you die-hard film fans (and you know who you are) voted on this month’s poll.

Of the nine people who voted, only one film dominated the tippity top of the pole.  The top vote getter for August was Total Recall which received 6 votes (66%)! Coming in with half that number of votes, in second place, was ParaNorman with 3 votes (33%). Tumbling into cinematic limbo third place was The Possession with only 1 vote (11%). In last place was a movie that had the dubious honor to be the first film in my 2012 film poll to receive 0 votes (0%) The Apparition.

I mentioned in last month’s poll results [PLEASE VOTE ON THE“WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN AUGUST OF 2012?” POLL!] that I would be seeing Total Recall (2012) in the theater and I did just that. I enjoyed it more than most people it seems, as it only received a 47% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It seems most of the people that disliked it were fans of the 1990 version and didn’t like all the changes made to the remake (in particular the lack of Mars in the film). As I mentioned in my posted review of the film [TOTAL RECALL – 2012 – TOTALLY CAPTIVATING] while I liked the original film, I had many problems with it as well. I was more than willing to see what a different director, writer and actors could do with the concept and for the most part I felt they succeeded in their efforts to make futuristic action-packed spy-thriller. The 3-D stop-motion animated ParaNorman has garnered good critical reviews, but in two weeks it has only grossed $28,261,577, so this obviously didn’t appeal to children as much as it did adults. The Apparition was brutalized by critics even more so than the average horror film and it opened to a measly $2,841,488 in its first week. The Possession opened yesterday and may do a bit better than its horror film predecessor, as the reviews for it have been better, if still somewhat lackluster. While I saw only Total Recall at the theater in August, I did see two other non-genre films at the theater: The Expendables 2 and The Borne Legacy. I enjoyed both of them for different reasons and recommend them to any action film fans looking for a little escapist entertainment over the Labor Day weekend.

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now nine of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen Total Recall, ParaNorman, The Possession and The Apparition at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it.

THE SEPTEMBER POLL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. As always, this poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of September for 2012. They are: Resident Evil: Retribution (September 14), Dredd (September 21), House at the End of the Street (September 21) and Looper (September 28). As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a fan of the Resident Evil film franchise and having seen all four of the previous films in this series at the theater, I don’t intend to break my streak with Resident Evil: Retribution! Another remake this month in the form of Dredd, which is not a remake of the 1995 Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone; but don’t try to tell that to fans of that film. I read the Eagle Comics [a short lived comic book publishing company that existed to reprint comic stories from the UK's 2000 A.D. magazine from 1983 to 1986] reprints of the early Judge Dredd comics stories from the late-70’s/early-80’s and thought that the 1995 film didn’t do the comics justice. I’m hopeful that this new film will be truer to the comics, so I will be making an effort to see Dredd at the theater. I saw the first Looper trailer months ago and was immediately interested in this film’s unique time-travel premise! I will definitely be seeing Looper at the theater! House at the End of the Street seems like another dull PG-13 haunted house movie, but some of the early reviews say different. Still, if I do watch this, it will definitely be on disc.

Let me know what films you’ll be seeing on the big screen by participating in this month’s new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN AUGUST OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in July of 2012 – poll! The results to this month’s poll were slightly less enthusiastic than last month’s; still most of you were excited by at least two of July’s blockbuster movie releases. Of the twelve people who voted, the overwhelming majority voted for one film.  The top vote getter for July was The Dark Knight Rises which received 10 votes (83%)! Coming in at a not-too- distant second place was The Amazing Spiderman with 6 votes (50%). Falling way behind in third place was The Watch with only 2 votes (16%). In last place was Ice Age: The Continental Drift with only one vote (8%).

I didn’t see any of the July genre films at the theater. Of the four films, I was most interested in see The Amazing Spiderman and had every intention of seeing it, but just never found the time. From the many written reviews I read and the several podcast reviews I listened to, I think I might have liked it better than the three previous Raimi Spiderman films, but I think I’d still have some quibbles with it too. The Dark Knight Rises was both a financial and (mostly) critical success. I’m pleased that Christopher Nolan was allowed to complete his vision of The Batman, but I’m hopeful that when DC/Warner reboots the character, they will make Batman a part of a larger DC superhero cinematic universe that will eventually lead to a Justice League film. The Watch was both a financial disappointment and a critical failure. I can only hope that the film goers are finally tiring of these raunchy R-rated comedies, but I have a feeling that the people who like this type of humor did not like it mixed with sci-fi. Ice Age: The Continental Drift topped $100 million in just two weeks, so it’s safe to say that most CGI-animated films will continue to do well at the box office. Based on recent polls on GotG!, it’s also safe to say that readers of this blog are in general not interested in CGI-animated films, so I don’t feel to guilty about not watching or reviewing the vast majority of them.

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now twelve of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spiderman, The Watch or Ice Age: The Continental Drift at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it.

THE AUGUST POLL!

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. As always, this poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of August for 2012. They are: Total Recall (August 3), ParaNorman (August 17), The Apparition (August 24) and The Possession (August 31). As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater.

The only film of these four that I definitely plan on seeing at the theater is Total Recall. For reasons that I stated in my TRAILERTUESDAY! TOTAL RECALL: TOO SOON TO REMAKE? post, I am really looking forward to this film. While the concept and the animation are suitably creepy, ParaNorman just doesn’t interest me. Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, who were responsible for Corpse Bride and Coraline – both of which I still haven’t seen, nor will I likely ever see – I’m fairly certain that ParaNorman is a film I can safely pass on as well. The Apparition is the type of slick horror film from Dark Castle that I love to watch around Halloween. Hopefully, the blu-ray disc of The Apparition will be available for rent by then, because that is how I will be watching it. I’m not sure The Possession is worth a rental, as it seems like so many other toothless PG-13-rated horror films that have been pumped out in the last decade or so.

Let me know what films you’ll be seeing on the big screen by participating in this month’s new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN JULY OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in June of 2012 – poll! The results to this month’s poll were nearly as positive as last month’s, so it seems most of you were excited by June’s movie releases as well. Of the fourteen people who voted, most were interested in one film. The top vote getter for June was Prometheus which received 11 votes (78%)! Coming in at a distant second place was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter with 6 votes (42%). Close behind in third place was Snow White and the Huntsman with 4 votes (28%). In last place was Brave with only one vote.  (7%).

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now fourteen of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen Prometheus, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Snow White and the Huntsman or Brave at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it.

THE JULY POLL!

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. As always, this poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of July for 2012. They are: The Amazing Spiderman (July 3), Ice Age: Continental Drift (July 13), The Dark Knight Rises (July 20), and The Watch (July 27). As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater.

The Amazing Spiderman is a film that I am very much on the fence about. Spiderman was my favorite superhero growing up and I read his comics for close to 20 years (1966 – 1986). I liked the first Spiderman (2002) film, but was less impressed with its sequel Spiderman 2 (2004) and disliked Spiderman 3 (2007). I never liked Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker or Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, so I’m pleased for the reboot as a chance for different actors to play these parts. Andrew Garfield looks like Peter Parker, but an unknown 28-year-old Brit playing an American teenager may be a bit of a stretch. In a good move, Gwen Stacy is Peter’s love interest, which does follow the comic book’s chronology. I do love Emma Stone, and she doesn’t look too far from the comic book character’s look. This is director Marc Webb’s second feature film and I haven’t seen his first, so fingers crossed that he will be able to pull off the visual action, as well as the personal drama. The trailers look promising, so I will make an effort to see this at the theater. I only saw Ice Age and didn’t like its visual style or sense of humor, so I’ll be passing on Ice Age: Continental Drift. The Dark Knight Rises looks visually amazing, but I’m in the vast minority as not being a fan of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. I think his take on Batman is too dark and I don’t like Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne either. I’ll watch The Dark Knight Rises on disc, just as I watched Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) on disc. Lastly, The Watch is a sci-fi comedy that could have been funny, but unfortunately, thanks to screenwriter Seth Rogen, it is rated R and will no doubt be filled with the kind of raunchy humor that made Superbad, Pineapple Express, and even the PG-13 rated Green Hornet unwatchable for me. So that’s a big pass for The Watch for me.

Let me know what films you’ll be seeing on the big screen by participating in this month’s new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN JUNE OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in May of 2012 – poll! The results to this month’s poll were much more positive than last month, which is an indicator that you are more excited about genre films being released in May than you were the ones in April. Of the fifteen people who voted, most were interested in one film. The top vote getter for May was easily The Avengers which received 11 votes (73%)! Coming in at a close second place was Men in Black III with 9 votes (60%). Limping in at a distant third place was Dark Shadows with only 3 votes (20%). In a very distant last place was Battleship with only one vote.  (6%).

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now fifteen of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen The Avengers (based on the amount of money it made, I’d guess most of you saw it), Men in Black III, Dark Shadows or Battleship at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it.

THE JUNE POLL!

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. As always, this poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of June 2012. They are: Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1), Prometheus (June 8), Brave (June 22) and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22). As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater. Snow White and the Huntsman is a film that looks visually stunning, but I just can’t get excited about yet another film “retelling” of a fairy tale, so I’ll pass on this at the theater. Prometheus is a film I’ve been fascinated with for some time, partly because of the mystery of whether it is truly a prequel to Alien, but mostly to see if Ridley Scott is still capable of directing a science fiction classic like Alien. I’ll definitely be watching Prometheus at the theater next weekend! Brave is Pixar’s thirteenth feature film, but I haven’t liked a film by them since Ratatouille in 2007 (yes, I thought Up was sentimental crap), so I’ll be passing on seeing Brave at the theater. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is interesting. It is based on a bestselling novel (which I didn’t read) and the screenplay is by the author (which I think is wise). The director is Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian-Kazakh film director known for the Russian films Night Watch and Day Watch, as well as the American film Wanted, all of which I liked. Still, I am uncertain if the weird historical-horror mash-up can carry a feature film, so I’ll probably pass on seeing it at the theater and watch it as soon as it is available on blu-ray disc.

Let me know what you’ll be seeing on the big screen by participating in this month’s new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN MAY OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in April of 2012 – poll! The results to this month’s poll were reflective of the less-than-stellar genre films being released. Of the six people who voted, there was no clear film that people were interested in seeing. Three of the four films each received two votes (33%). These were: Cabin in the Woods, Lockout and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. I am most interested in seeing Cabin in the Woods, but will certainly see Lockout when it is available on blu-ray for rent as well. I’m not a fan of Claymation, so I doubt I’ll even rent The Pirates! Band of Misfits.

Receiving the fewest votes was The Raven with one vote (16%) and not being a fan of Edgar Allan Poe I passed on this one at the theater as well. Still, I may check it out on Netflix streaming, as I liked the director James McTeigue’s previous films: V for Vendetta and Ninja Assassin.

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now six of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen Cabin in the Woods, Lockout, The Raven or The Pirates! Band of Misfits at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it.

THE MAY POLL!

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. This second poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of May 2012. They are: The Avengers (May 4), Dark Shadows (May 11), Battleship (May 18) and Men in Black III (May 25). As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater. The Avengers is a film I’ve been anticipating since Iron Man (2008), so I’ll be watching this film at the theater sometime this coming weekend! I am not a fan of either Dark Shadows or Tim Burton, so I’ll be passing on his weird reimaging of the old 1960’s daytime-TV drama. Battleship looks like a fantastic guilty-pleasure sci-fi action flick in the model of Transformers, but I’ll save my money and watch this one on blu-ray. I’m a fan of the two previous Men in Black films (yes, I even liked the much maligned MIB II), so it’s a no-brainer that I’ll be seeing Men in Black III on the big screen!

Let me know what you’ll be seeing on the big screen by participating in this month’s new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN APRIL OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in the - Which of these films do you plan on seeing in March of 2012 – poll! The results of the twelve people who voted were most interested in seeing John Carter with 8 votes (66%). I saw this film at the theater, but unfortunately many people did not. If more people had seen it, it may have made enough money for a sequel – which I would have loved to see – but unfortunately it did not.

The next highest vote getters were The Hunger Games and Wrath of the Titans, both of which received six votes (50%). I was not interested in The Hunger Games enough to see it at the theater, as I haven’t read the books; nor was I prepared to deal with the crowds of mostly younger people that queued up to see it last weekend. It didn’t need my money, as it took in a whopping $153 million in its opening weekend! Wrath of the Titans – the seemingly unnecessary sequel to the pedestrian Clash of the Titans – was a film I had no interest in seeing at the theater. The trailer for this looked slightly better than the first film and the reviews seem to indicate that the tone is lighter than its predecessor (the acutely somber tone of CotT is what I disliked the most about it), but in the end, I just wasn't enticed enough to make the time to see it on the big screen.

Receiving the fewest votes was Mirror Mirror with two votes (16%), a PG rated modern update on the Snow White fairy tale that was definitely not aimed at my demographic, which is just one of many reasons why I won’t be seeing this film either at the theater or on video. The slightly more action-oriented Snow White and the Huntsman, the second of the two Snow White re-imaginings coming out in June,  appeals to me more and I might see it at the theater if The Bride liked these type of films (which she doesn’t) or if I had an age-appropriate daughter (which I don’t).

Thank you all for voting on this month’s poll! There are now twelve of you who may consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals! Anyone who has seen The Hunger Games, Wrath of the Titans or Mirror Mirror at the theater, please leave a quick comment here and let me know what you thought of it!

 

THE APRIL 2012 POLL!

 

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. This second poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of April 2012. They are: Cabin in the Woods, Lockout, The Raven and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. As always, I’d appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater. This month’s films are a particularly uninspiring lot and Cabin in the Woods is the only film I would see at the theater – if I had someone that liked these types of horror films to see it with. I suspect that I could persuade Phileas to see Lockout at the cinema - he being the diehard science fiction film fanatic that he is - but anyone who has seen the five-minute-trailer featuring a fight scene over a huge turbine will not be surprised to hear that I will not be doing that. So, it seems I’ll be staying away from the movie theater for the month of April.

Thank you for reading GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! and hopefully participating in the new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN MARCH OF 2012?” POLL!

Thank you for voting in my first “which of these films do you plan on seeing” poll of 2012! The results of the nine people who voted were most interested in seeing Underworld: Awakening with 7 votes (77%). I did see this film at the theater and was pleased I did. The next highest vote getter was Chronicle, which received 3 votes (33%). I was not that interested in seeing this at the theater, as I am not a fan of found footage films. However, the generally favorable reviews from both fans and critics alike make me wonder if I made an error by not seeing this one at the theater. I will definitely be renting Chronicle as soon as it is available. Bringing up the rear with 2 votes (22%) was Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, a film I have no interest in seeing – not only because I didn’t finish watching its putrid predecessor Ghost Rider (2007), but also because I was never a fan of the comic book on which it was based. Last and most certainly least was Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which received 1 vote (11%). I liked Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008), which this is a quasi-sequel to, but only as a rental - and a low priority one at that. Thanks to all nine of you who voted in this poll – you know who you are – and you may now consider yourselves Genre Guardian Generals!

 A NEW POLL!

Once again on the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column the next poll that I’ve posted. This second poll includes the titles and release dates of all the major SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters in the month of March 2012. They are: John Carter, The Hunger Games, Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror. As always, I appreciate anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater and I will at least attempt to see the top vote getters. Of the four films listed, John Carter is the only film I definitely plan on seeing at the theater.

Thank you for reading GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! and hopefully participating in the new poll!

PLEASE VOTE ON THE “WHICH OF THESE FILMS DO YOU PLAN ON SEEING IN JANUARY/FEBRUARY OF 2012?” POLL!

On the right column of this page, you will see at the top of the column a new poll that I’ve posted. This first poll includes the titles and release dates of all of the SF, Fantasy or Horror films that are being distributed to movie theaters between the months of January and February of 2012. I’d like anyone who reads GUARDIANS OF THE GENRE! to place a vote for any of these films that you plan on seeing at the theater.

Beside the fact that I’m genuinely interested in finding out which of these films you are planning on seeing, if enough people are showing interest in a specific film, it may be enough to inspire me to see films that I might not have been interested in seeing already. Unlike last year, I will be reviewing every film I see at the theater, whether I loved it or hated it, so this is your opportunity to influence my decision making process.

In the current poll, the only film I currently plan on seeing is Underworld: Awakening. I’ve seen the other three films at the theater and own all three Underworld films on DVD/Blu-ray, so seeing this latest for me is a no-brainer.

VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN! OKAY, JUST VOTE ONCE, BUT PLEASE DO VOTE.

2011 GENRE MOVIE POLL RESULTS

My “Which 2011 genre movies are you looking forward to most?” poll closed yesterday and I want to thank the few of you who took the time to vote in it for doing so. I placed this poll at the bottom of our blog page, so maybe that is to blame for the small number of responses. Still, it does give myself and my fellow Genre Guardians an idea of which of the many genre films that are being released this year that you are interested in.

Cowboys & Aliens came out on top with 62% of the voters interested in seeing this film. I am interested primarily for its unique blend of sci-fi and western genres. I’m also a fan of director Jon Favreau’s Iron Man films, which proves to me he has the ability to humanize science fictional concepts. Also, the casting of Daniel Craig as the alien-weapon toting cowboy and Harrison Ford as the iron-fisted Col. Woodrow Dolarhyde is inspired!

Battle: Los Angeles gained the second highest number of votes, scoring 50% of the votes. I have already seen and written my review of this film. While it was not quite as good a science fiction film as I had hoped it would be, it was still a very good film overall.

 

Sucker Punch received 37% of the votes. I’ve also seen and reviewed this film. I was, and still am, uncertain as to what this film was actually trying to say or do. While I was both appalled and entertained by the film, I can’t say for certain that I actually liked it.

 

Also coming in with 37% of the votes were: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Super 8, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and The Thing. I look forward to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides the most, despite the loss of both the director Gore Verbinski and Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner. I’m one of the few people who liked Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, so I have no doubt that Transformers: Dark of the Moon will entertain me as well. The more I learn of the plot of Super 8 (which admittedly isn’t much) the less I’m looking forward to seeing it. Still, with J. J. Abrams both helming and writing the film, I still am betting that this will be good. I’ve seen all but one of the Harry Potter films at the theater, so I have no intention of not seeing the final chapter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 at the theater. I’m intrigued by what is purportedly a prequel to The Thing; but is it a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film or the novel on which it was based?

 

Of the films that received 25% of the votes, the two I am most looking forward to seeing are Captain America: The First Avenger (I love that they set it in WWII) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (I loved the first film and all the principals are back for this sequel). I like that they are going back to early days of the X-Men with X-Men: First Class (I particularly like the 60’s era setting), but not enough to see it at the theater. I’ve never been a huge fan of the original Planet of the Apes series. I never saw the Tim Burton “reimagining” travesty. So I have little to no interest in Rise of the Apes, a purported prequel which is suspiciously similar to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (’72).

 

Of the films that received 12% of the vote, I have no intention of seeing any of these at the theater. I’ll most likely rent Green Lantern, I Am Number Four, Thor and Season of the Witch when they come to blu-ray, but Red Riding Hood, The Adventures of Tintin and Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage will have to be watched on cable, if at all.

 

As for the remainder of films that received 0% of the votes, I will definitely rent Scream 4 (I’m a fan of the original films). The remainder - The Green Hornet, Reel Steel, , The Witches of Oz and The Cabin in the Woods I’ll watch on cable; but I will pass on The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, just as I did on the two previous films in the series.

Thank you again to all of you who voted. Let me know if you would like similar polls to this and what I can do to make them easier and more accessible to participate in.

 

Here are the full results of the poll:

 

Cowboys & Aliens 5 (62%)

Battle: Los Angeles 4 (50%)

Sucker Punch 3 (37%)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3 (37%)

Super 8 3 (37%)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 3 (37%)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3 (37%)

The Thing 3 (37%)

X-Men: First Class 2 (25%)

Rise of the Apes 2 (25%)

Captain America: The First Avenger 2 (25%)

Sherlock Holmes 2 2 (25%)

Red Riding Hood 1 (12%)

The Adventures of Tintin 1 (12%)

I Am Number Four 1 (12%)

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage 1 (12%)

Thor 1 (12%)

Season of the Witch 1 (12%)

Green Lantern 1 (12%)

The Green Hornet 0 (0%)

Reel Steel 0 (0%)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 0 (0%)

The Witches of Oz 0 (0%)

Scream 4 0 (0%)

The Cabin in the Woods 0 (0%)

Total Voters: 8