Pete's weekend movie roundup: Terminator blues, Film Noir gems.

The only thing worse than the bleak future portrayed in the new Terminator movie is the film itself. Which is why you should step back in time to see some of the rare noir double features at the Roxie Theater.

TERMINATOR BLUES: The year is 2009. In a cineplex bunker in Walnut Creek, a 39-year-old viewer digs in for Terminator Salvation, the fourth installment of a cinematic sci-fi saga that began in 1984. Back in that Orwellian time, this viewer was less jaded, a sci-fi fan who gave a thumbs-up to just about anything, just as long as he got to watch it on a big screen (in this case the Regency 5 in Pleasant Hill). He loved The Terminator, James Cameron's low-budget classic about a killer cyborg sent back in time. Seven years later, he was a college student, and went to see T2: Judgment Day at the then-brand spankin' new Blackhawk Cinemas. He remembers it as the best possible summer blockbuster experience: an awesome action adventure with eye-popping special effects, screened in a state-of-the-art surroundings. Twelve years later Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines came along, and the viewer was thirtysomething film critic, more likely to recommend something like The Station Agent than the third part of a special effects extravaganza. Still, he found the Twilight Zone-style ending of the otherwise forgettable sequel to be chilling.

Fast forward back to present, 2009. The Terminator's star is now the governor of California. The viewer (who is me, in case you didn't get that) is ready to look into the near future, as Terminator Salvation takes place in the apocalyptic world of 2018. The only problem is that the movie is a depressing reminder of what happens to once-thrilling movie franchises these days. Its loaded with explosions and effects, but almost entirely absent of the mind-bending sci-fi ideas that made the original films so intriguing. The film actually starts well enough, but derails midway and leads to an endless/lame showdown sequence that wraps up predictably: with the promise of another sequel. Remember the feeling you had when Alien Resurrection ended and you said, "I wish I hadn't paid $10 for this"? That's the exact feeling you'll get from Terminator Salvation.

If you're still interested in seeing it, here's a good deal: Terminator Blah is a double feature with the exceptionally better Star Trek movie at the Solano Drive-In this weekend. Two movies for $6.75, makes Terminator seem acceptable. $10 not so much.

FILM NOIR PARADISE: Here's a much better way to spend your $10—the ultra rare film noir festival at the Roxie. Noir expert Elliot Lavine has booked a smorgasbord of killer black and white crime films from the 1940s and 50s. he also has a fascinating new book about noir movies called I Wake Up Dreaming that's a must read for noir fans.

Posted at 02:07 PM in Pete's Popcorn Picks | Permalink