Splice (2010)

[tabuno]

Screened at the Sundance Film Festival, this possibly controversial sci fi, genetic engineering film with Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley presents at times an amazing and a superior new life form interaction with humanity compared to the super-blockbuster AVATAR (2009). Part sci fi, part horror movie, this movie captures the essential creepiness of a new life form, the unpredictable, sometimes funny, sometimes scary experience of dealing with the unknown. Whereas AVATAR (2009) dazzles with visual effects and design, SPLICE focuses on the more viseral human and alien life form elements, the psychological and moral dilemmas to great effect. There are a few places that may shock and repulse some audience members and some who will want to call this moral trash and derivative, with some resemblance to ALIEN (1979), THE ARRIVAL (1996), the detail and multitude of human/creature interactions is amazing, rarely directed or scripted for the creepiness, eeriness of alien life. Yet for all the strangeness, the portrayal was also amazingly realistic bordering on the likely feasibility of what could really occur (though most likely not to the extent of what was actualy presented). The moral implications throughout the movie were huge and markedly on display. For some, this movie is an intellectual feast and what hard core sci fi is all about. One of the best sci fi movies to come out in years.

[oscar jubis]

I'll watch anything exec-produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and starring the great Sarah Polley. Will keep an eye out for it. Thanks for the review.

[tabuno]

There's been some rumor buzz about this film finding distributors and then denials. There's a possibility that even with the positive buzz from Sundance, that this movie may go straight to DVD.

[tabuno]

Apparently SPLICE has been picked up by a distributor and IMDb is reporting a June 4 wide release date for this amazing movie!

[cinemabon]

After a bidding war between four major film distributors, Warner will now distribute in conjunction with Dark Castle (Dark Castle, an homage to William Castle, is a sub of Warner Bros run by Joel Silver... they specialize in horror pictures and have grossed over 500 million since 1999). "Splice" premiered October 2009 at the Sitges Film Festival outside Barcelona, Spain (the festival known for its number of horror entries). The director Vincenzo Natali described "Splice" as an "an emotional film with some very unconventional sex." Shot in Toronto and Ontario in the winter of 2008 on a budget of $26 million, Natali has already drawn up plans for a sequel.

[Chris Knipp]

SPLICE--SFIFF

This is one of a number of late additions to the SFIFF 2010 slate and will be shown as a sci-fi horror film May 4 at 10:00. Other SFIFF late additions are WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN' and BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK. BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK I saw as part of New Directors/New Films in NYC and have already reviewed here.



Director Vincenzo Natali’s cautionary science fiction tale Splice stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as superstar genetic engineers who want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. The result of their secret experiments is an amazing, strangely beautiful creature that exhibits uncommon intelligence, an array of unexpected physical developments and, as she begins to grow and learn at an accelerated rate, a taste for mayhem. Splice (USA 2009) will play in The Late Show section of SFIFF, 10:00 pm, Tuesday, May 4 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, with Natali expected to attend. Warner Bros. Pictures will release Splice in theatres June 4. I will not watch it at the festival. I will be watching the documentary about Afghanistan, RESTRAPO. SPLICE opens in theaters June 4.

Justin Chang's VARIETY review at Sundance said "could play nice at the b.o." The US distributor is Senator. (http://www.indiewire.com/film/splice/)