All Pitch In

Advantages: special effects, characters, storyline
Disadvantages: none

...Diesel) and his bounty hunter keeper Johns (Cole Hauser). And so begins the spectacle that is Pitch Black. The beginning of the film still leaves me breathless, the visuals used when showing the ship spiralling out of control towards the planets surface as various compartments of the ship were being jettisoned are fantastic, the camera shaking violently, the speakers pushing out oodles of atmospheric noise to put us right in the middle of the crashing ship. You are willing the people on board to survive what seems like a certain-death crash. You are praying that the nose of the ship comes down, you are scared? almost. Whilst the rest of the film isn't as fast paced as this superb beginning it has set the scene for a clever sci-fi film which has been well directed by David Twohy. There may have been a few faces that you would have...

sjp1966 10.10.2007 (11.10.2007) · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

High Pitched

Advantages: Great concept, great cast, great SFX
Disadvantages: A couple of strange contradictions in plot

...I heard the hype...I read the reviews, I avoided major spoilers...and I waited...and waited, but eventually the sleeper hit of the year in American hit these shores and I couldn't wait to see it! Many things hampered my attempts to see this film...my girlfriend decides to dump me after 2 1/2 happy years and for two weeks I was a shell of my former self. However, I pulled out in time to catch the final two nights of Pitch Black at the Odeon in Exeter. In the end, I went on my own...the first time I have ever had to do so and it was unnerving. However, I found to my shock that I actually enjoyed going to the cinema on my own...and I was glad I did with Pitch Black. The film had had minor rave reviews from the other side of the pond and I was interested from the moment I heard about it. I also saw an hour long trailer on the Sci...

poodu 05.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

Pitch Black - Pitch Wasted

Advantages: Great concept...
Disadvantages: ...flushed down the pan.

...-fi classic. The reason it doesn't happen is because the first half of the movie is filled with the film's OTHER plot - survivors from a crashed space ship battle against an intergalactic serial killer. Either plot would have worked well by itself, but with both stories crammed into one movie, neither is given the attention it deserves. On the plus side, Van Diesel as Riddick makes a cool anti-hero, growling one liners and acting hard. Due to the no-name cast, the audience is left wondering who will be next. Unfortunately, the real good guy and real bad guy are revealed far too early, losing most of the suspense. Now. Reasons why Pitch Black isn't "Alien-like" or "Alien-esque". Firstly, the aliens themselves. Giger's indelible creations had a clearly defined structure to their hive - egg, face-hugger, alien, alien queen...

Plissken 19.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

pitch black-a dvd opinion

Advantages: decent, actioner, awesome DTS sound
Disadvantages: pointless featurette

...I saw Pitch Black in a movie preview in May 2000 which was a few weeks before cinematic release. For some reason it was then out back a few months so I was happy I got into the preview. Due to the film being released in the USA way before it hit the UK anyone with a multi-region player had the opportunity to get it on dvd before UK cinemas and with the R2 release not far away this R1 release is still a better bet. For those who know nothing about the film I'll recap. A passenger spacecraft crash lands on an unknown planet. On board are various kinds of people and also a dangerous prisoner named Riddick. Naturally when they crash some are killed, others survive and the prisoner has escaped. This prisoner comes in the shape of one Vin Diesel who is a known ruthless criminal who has some problems with the rest of humanity...

utero 05.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

Platoon on an American football pitch

Advantages: Al Pacino - another great performance
Disadvantages: Stereotyped characters

...As you may have guessed from the title, this film is directed and co-written by Oliver Stone, and yes it is effectively the same film again; this time tackling the game of American football. It bears all the hallmarks of an Oliver Stone creation - multiple film-stock epileptic editing of world-weary cynicism on an important issue. In Any given sunday it appears that the central issue is the racial inequality in American football, with the majority of players being black, but the game controlled by white coaches and team owners. So to the story... the film casts Al Pacino as the weary 'over-the-hill' coach who is stereotypically cranky and stuck in the past until the predictably he sees the light. Whilst the role is perhaps a little constricting for an actor of Pacino's quality he does get to let loose in certain team berating...

Mercury 12.12.2000 (01.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of Any Given Sunday (Director's Cut) (DVD)

Anti-hero Riddick fights in the Pitch Black

Advantages: Believable, good acting and direction
Disadvantages: Limited due to simple plot

...One of the marvels of a sci-fi film is how believable it is. Successful sci-fi films tend to be the ones where the characters and events are believable, and the fear and helplessness of the unknown comes across to the viewer. The 2000 film Pitch Black is one such film. The fear of darkness and of creatures unseen combines brilliantly with the fear that the only guy capable of helping you is also the one most likely to kill you. Read on..... The Plot The plotline of a spaceship crash landing on another planet is a much followed one. It is prevalent in many films. This comes with a twist, as it has a passenger who is the most dangerous criminal known, being transported to a secure holding prison in space. With the plane crash landing, the survivors form a motley crew of families, the criminal: serial killer Riddick, and the man who...

pmcds 17.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (Special Edition) (DVD)

Liquid football!

Advantages: Depth and challenge remain, but so much simpler for the time conscious!
Disadvantages: Well, some people just don't like football - fools!

...FOOTBALL MANAGER 2009 (PSP) A long time ago (1992 to be precise) in a bedroom far, far away, sat a geeky football loving goof who, when not outdoors kicking a football about (surprisingly for a geek he was also frigging awesome at football), they were sat on their Amiga 600 being wowed by either the greatest football game ever made - Sensible Soccer - or the beginnings of an otherwise humble football management simulator. Little more than a text database with no discernable graphics or sound, Championship Manager did feature an addictiveness only previously matched by the e-numbers found in a packet of Skittles. Quite simply, there was little better than looking at a bunch of numbers to determine the best starting eleven, the tactics required to utilise the eleven purposefully and identifying future transfer targets to build...

clownfoot 03.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Football Manager Handheld 2009 (PSP)

For all the footy fans and footy widows alike

Advantages: Amusing, Colin Firth performance
Disadvantages: Lacks depth perhaps?

...'Fever Pitch' is the film adaptation of the best-selling book of the same title written by Nick Hornby. The film is directed by David Evans and was made in 1996. Set in London, during the 1988-1989 football season, the main protagonist is a school teacher called Paul (played by Colin Firth) who has just one love in his life, and that is Arsenal Football Club! The film does initially show Paul from his humble beginnings and how his obsession for the football team he loves the most developed but the main body of the film is in the aforementioned football season. Paul meets fellow teacher Sarah (played by Ruth Gemmell) and despite initial reservations, the two hit it off and start a relationship. The only problem being that this isn't a one-on-one relationship, it is a three way relationship with football getting priority. Cue...

shanediablo 08.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Fever Pitch (DVD)

Pitch Black Movie Review

Advantages: The best 'monster just behind the corner' film since Aliens.
Disadvantages: Could do with a better soundtrack.

...The Film: Pitch Black tells the story of the few survivors from a space ship that is forced to crash land on a planet. This planet has three suns and is therefore in constant sunlight. That is apart from every 22 years when an eclipse occurs that awakens the not too friendly natives. This simple premise makes for a very enjoyable film that starts of fast and does not slow down until the end credits role. The budget was very low for this film. It does not feature any big name actors but is still absolutely superb. There are two main lead characters? There is the captain of the ship (She becomes captain when her superior does not survive the crash). Throughout the film her authority is constantly being questioned and she find it hard to cope. There is an armed and dangerous convict who was being transported on the passenger...

michaelcrook 24.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)

Perfect Pitch

Advantages: Fast paced, never obvious
Disadvantages: Don't examine the plot too closely

......

baddog 02.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of Pitch Black (DVD)