I must admit, it’s been almost a decade since I’ve paid much attention to anything released from the SyFy Channel. In fact, it was when the network still went by Sci-Fi. I cringe when I see it written the way it is now. Smart marketing decision aside – to make the name original so it can be copyrighted – I still think of how the term “sci-fi” was coined by the late Forrest J. Ackerman, and obviously he never had it copyrighted. A big part of me actually wishes he had. But here we are now. Hundreds of movies later about sharks that are ghosts and yawn-inducing movies about monsters that are a combination of two or more animals – oh like Piranhaconda for example. SyFy Films has gotten into the business of producing original content for theatrical and digital release. Its first release was something featuring comedian Dane Cook called 400 Days. I missed that one. That was January of 2016. Strangely enough, the second release comes a little over a year later, but right now in select theaters and available for download in Digital HD and for rent on VOD, SyFy Films gives you Atomica. And guess what? It’s actually kinda okay.
The love letter to Los Angeles that is La La Land is taking the world by storm and is a favorite for an Oscar nod. It’s dreamy, unreal and positive. It’s full of life and love and singing. The city of Los Angeles has played itself in cinema since the beginning. Like most cities, it’s many different things to the people who know it. Chad Ferrin’s Parasites, which is available today for digital HD download, takes a decidedly darker view of L.A. One that begins with an almost comical view of violence and ends up making a powerful commentary on class, power, society and institutionalized racism. The film meanders and stumbles a bit along the way, but stick with it. This is a truly bleak film, and an important one as well.