"Never send a human to do a machine's job."
When Star Wars (now titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) debuted in May of 1977, it forever changed sci-fi — and Hollywood’s perception of the genre — with its epic fantasy story and groundbreaking technology. It quickly became the highest grossing movie of all time and garnered numerous accolades, winning six of the ten Academy Awards categories for which it was nominated. Star Wars continually ranks near the top of just about every movie list category out there, including our own recent Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 1970’s and ‘80s, as voted by you, the Reelz.com readers.
The long-awaited prequel trilogy that was launched in May of 1999 with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was a huge success for Lucasfilm, but, even though it boasted far superior special effects, it failed to make the same sort of impact on moviegoers as the original. Was Jar Jar Binks really the source of the ambivalence that many fans felt toward The Phantom Menace or was it that they had already had their minds blown by The Matrix, which opened two months prior? And how do the Star Wars prequels and The Matrix trilogy stack up against other sci-fi movies with next-level special effects like Avatar or more cerebral movies like Donnie Darko? Sit down, jack in and upload your choices of the best sci-fi movies from 1990 to today.
Rate the Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies (1990s - 2010s) >>
Posted 03.14.13 by BrentJS 
Which Comic Book-Inspired Movies Are the Best? (No Capes!)
Superheroes were in demand among moviegoers in 2012, claiming the first, second, and fifth spots on the list of the highest-grossing movies of the year, but the recent announcement that rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises) has joined the cast of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For reminded us that some of the best comic-based movies don't have anything to do with superheroes at all. A fertile ground for movie adaptations, the comic book medium encompasses every imaginable genre of fiction and even non-fiction, with stories that deal with everything from the mundane — a pair of geek girls rage against, well, everythig — to the fantastic — a secret police force exists to monitor alien activities on Earth — to the sublime — the son of a princess ventures into a magical land to recover a fallen star. Forget Batman, Iron Man and the rest for now and help us choose the best non-superhero comic book movie adaptations.
Rate the Top 10 Comic Book Movies >>
Posted 01.15.13 by BrentJS 
The movie industry is at it again. With this past weekend's number one opening of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, it has simultaneously forced parents to sit through another stinker (Chihuahua earned a 44 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and stave off their children's inevitable requests to pick up one of these pocket-sized pups on the way home.
Over the years, this kind of popularization of specific dog breeds hasn't been good for the breeds featured on screen, leading to overpopulation, inbreeding, and worse. Perhaps the most glaring example occurred with the Disney classic 101 Dalmations and its 1996 live-action remake. Thousands of parents brought home a tiny spotted friend for their jubilant youngster, wholly ignorant of this breed's less-than-ideal "family pet" status. In fact, Dalmations are among the top "biting breeds." Their overpopulation has lead to a massive homeless problem within the breed and all-too-many sad puppies needlessly terminated after a family realized they simply couldn't handle the notoriously unruly breed.
Other examples include Frank the Pug from Men in Black and Eddie the Jack Russell Terrier from TV's Frasier. Pugs might look cute, but their list of health problems is almost endless. Jack Russells are cute and smart, but unless you have the proper time to exercise this intensely energetic breed, they'll soon be bouncing off your walls and tearing up your wardrobe.
Movie and television popularity of breeds often leads to inexperienced breeders jumping into the game to make a quick buck. The result can be improper breeding methods and inbreeding. Worse than that, puppy mills often place young pups in unsanitary conditions and, in some cases, abuse them.
So the next time your kid dances out of the latest Disney talking-critter flick begging for a trip to the pet store on the way home, talk them into a trip to your local shelter. Surely their short attention spans will be quickly swayed when they see the wide selection of sad-eyed future best friends eager to head home and please a new master.
Posted 10.06.08 by reelz