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CAP · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 1732 Location: Autumn Mums

I am so like doing the boogaloo right now.. :Tigger: seeing the video.. thanks for a fantastic find. SciFi is going to air Aztec Rex twice that evening.. so I can watch Robin Hood and Aztec Rex in one night.. WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!
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CAP...

kaly · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 11:38 pm Post subject:

I am soooo jealous! Lord knows when it will be shown here.
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I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass.
David Lee Roth

Bogi · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 267 Location: Hungary

Thanks for the trailer Geoff!! Very Happy

But I can't download it. Is the link good?

Geoff · Joined: 11 Feb 2008 Posts: 157 Location: California, USA

Bogi · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 267 Location: Hungary

Thanks Geoff, it's work now! Very Happy

Maria · Joined: 01 Jan 2008 Posts: 283 Location: Bulgaria

Dinonut · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject:

This movie looks good. Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch it this weekend.
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Louisiana Lady · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 55

I'm warming up my VCR as we speak and getting my tape ready. LL Very Happy

CAP · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 1732 Location: Autumn Mums

Thanks to redswipe for pointing out the "Your Video Store Shelf" review.

An exclusive look at AZTEC REX — Premieres Saturday on SciFi
G. Conley on May 7th, 2008

Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Writer: Richard Manning
Starring: Ian Ziering, Shawn Lathrop, Milan Tresnak, Marc Antonio, Dichen Lachman, Jack McGee

I admire Brian Trenchard-Smith more than most directors that I’ve made contact with. It’s not a personal thing. I’ve liked the vast majority of industry people who I’ve had the chance to speak with at length. Trenchard-Smith is at the top of my list because of the beauty that he sees in the genre film. There’s a reason why he is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite directors, and it’s not because of the way he frames his angles or any of that nonsense. He knows that he’s not making high art. For example, Omega Code 2 could’ve been a drab, pointless, religious ‘epic’ like The Asylum’s 2012: Doomsday. With Trenchard-Smith at the helm, however, every actor seemed to have their volume turned up. The movie was fun to watch not because it had a great script, but because he had his feet firmly planted in the genre of the Christian epic and made a movie that was simply fun to watch. Dave Payne once told me, probably on the podcast, that when he was working for Corman in the 90s he found that many of the employees strived to make their movies bad. Trenchard-Smith doesn’t do this. He strives to take his movies, regardless of the budgets and talents involved, to a level where the average fan of the particular genre or genres he’s working in will have themselves a good, easily digestible 90 minutes of entertainment.

Aztec Rex, known internationally under the glorious title of Tyrannosaurus Azteca, is Trenchard-Smith’s twenty-first century take on The Valley of Gwangi, a 1969 movie that he cut the trailer for way back when about a cowboy who tries to capture a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a foreign land in order to place it in a Mexican circus. Aztec Rex keeps the foreign land idea and the main antagonist, but it takes the scenery to a completely different place. He made the movie in Hawaii, and its beautiful, lush landscape (captured by DP Paul Atkins) provides the backdrop of what I believe is supposed to be the 16th century in a land that has been untainted by the hands of Europeans.

Up until now that is. Captain Cortes (a virtually unrecognizable Ziering) and six of his men have set out to an unexplored part of the world in hopes of finding not just gold, but natives to rape of their land and religious freedom who can mine the gold for them. They find natives, but in place of gold there is a giant dinosaur that devours one of their horses, leaving only a leg behind. The natives have managed to keep “peace” with the monster by making a human sacrifice each night. When one of Cortes’ men wounds the monster that peace is disturbed and the monster is now ready for blood. The natives are also looking for blood, with one of them believing that the only way to save their society is to sacrifice not one, but all of Cortes’ men, Cortes included. Eventually a deal is struck, whereby the successful killing of the monster will lead to their freedom.

Aztec Rex has an extremely hot first half. There is a human sacrifice, a swordfight, a fiery performance by Dichen Lachman, tension between the Europeans and the natives, light character development that makes most characters recognizable, and some gory dinosaur deaths. In fact, the first half of Aztec Rex is almost a movie in and of itself, complete with what appears to be a conclusion.

The movie doesn’t end there though. It continues for another forty minutes or so, and these forty minutes often feel like they belong to a different movie. Even though the central conflict remains the vanquishing of the creature, there’s way too much attention paid to the conflicts among the humans.

As is the case with most SciFi movies, there are going to be a lot of people online complaining about the CGI creature upon its airing. Whatever. At times the creature looks awesome, and then there are times where it’s safe to assume that some shots were rushed. This is not a sign of technical incompetence, but simply a lack of money and time on the part of the effects company. This isn’t Jurassic Park. It’s Aztec Rex, a SciFi Channel Premiere movie, and I was more than satisfied with the effects.

I should note here as well that Trenchard-Smith is not afraid to pack on the red stuff. It’s not done in a “Zoom in on the limb as its removed from the body to gross you out” way, but rather in an often light-hearted “This is what it looks like when a dinosaur bites off your leg” way. This brand of humor plays into one of my favorite parts of the movie. While I didn’t catch much of his backstory, there is a Spanish monk who lives with the natives. At one point in the movie he explains why the natives they didn’t kill him. “I made myself useful. I taught Spanish to Matlal, Ayacoatl, and Xoxocin [younger characters in the film], convincing them that someday they would need it and I was right,” which indicates that the natives and the Spanish explorers were communicating in Spanish.

Keep in mind that the Spanish explorers speak English throughout the entire movie. This line was awesome and I imagine I won’t be the only person to be caught off guard by it.

Compared to the cinematic drek that tends to find its home on the SciFi Channel, Aztec Rex is a masterpiece. Compared to other movies in its budget range of a million dollars or so, Aztec Rex is still better than most, with its first half being among the best times I’ve had with a SciFi Channel movie in many, many months.

Aztec Rex premieres on the SciFi Channel this Saturday night at 9 PM EST. You can check out his appearance on the Your Video Store Shelf Podcast, and check out his excellent blog at Film Industry Bloggers.
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CAP...

kaly · Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 9:33 am Post subject:

Thanks for posting that Cap! It sounds so goooood!

To all my fellow country men and women back home,
remember to lock the doors, pull the shades, take the phone off the hook and dump your kids at your in-laws. Let nothing interrupt you. Oh, and makes lots of popcorn, looks like a popcorn movie!

Enjoy it!
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I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass.
David Lee Roth

Squid Lad · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 68 Location: Ireland

Damn! Thats a good review. Ill be expecting alot from this movie.

CAP · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 1732 Location: Autumn Mums

I hope to view it tonight Smile

Here is some background on Aztec Rex:

Sci Fi Channel airing 2 films by TalkStory
Hawaii-based TalkStory Productions recently completed two movies -- both filmed entirely on Oahu with the help of award-winning cinematographer, "National Geographic" veteran and Honolulu resident Paul Atkins ("Master & Commander," "Chief"). They air this month on the Sci Fi Channel.

The team took advantage of Hawaii's lush outdoor scenery to transform the locale into Mexico for one film and a deserted island for another. To save money on the $2.5 million budget per picture, they shot the films back to back. Be forewarned: The content is decidedly geared toward the science-fiction audience, complete with prehistoric beasts and global-warming crises. "It's not art-house," co-producer John Ching said matter-of-factly.

"Aztec Rex" is about Spanish gold hunters who find the feeding grounds of a reptile the Aztecs called "thunder lizard." It stars Ian Ziering ("Beverly Hills 90210") and Jack McGee ("NYPD Blue").

"Heatstroke" centers on a team that uncovers the otherworldly cause of radioactive emissions destroying the ozone. According to promotional materials on the movie's Web site, "She's an ex-model. He's an elite commando. They're going to solve global warming -- by stopping the aliens who are causing it!" D.B. Sweeney ("Jericho") stars with Danica McKellar ("The Wonder Years").

Jeffrey Hayes and David Kemper produced both flicks with executive producer Jason Lau. TalkStory Productions partnered with Los Angeles-based Rigel Entertainment to shoot in Hawaii, and the Sci Fi Channel has approved a third film, tentatively scheduled to begin production later this year.
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CAP...

Roxana · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 285 Location: *Romania*

CaP, thanks for this! Enjoy tonight Will's new movie and please write a personal review first thing in the morning. I'll be waiting Laughing

! Hugs!

wizard55 · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Posts: 17

Scifi Channel Movies are always soooooooooooo cheesy, but I'm going to check it out anyway just because of Will. Him and Dinosaurs again. Very Happy

cenobitetx · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 189 Location: Houston, TX

Cheese!! Cheese!! Action Cheese!!!

Oh, damn Will looks hot!! Oh, this is fun!!!
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As much fun as you can have without a zombie in it!