Imitation, flattering and otherwise

Sometimes imitation is a form of flattery:

Like some gritty 70s cinema artifact that fell through a timewarp, [Rob Zombie’s] followup rings with the unholy dread of early Tobe Hooper or even -- dare I suggest it? -- Martin Scorsese: Imagine Marty had made ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,’ and you’ve got it.

[from my review of The Devil’s Rejects]

And sometimes it isn’t:

Welcome to ‘THX 11-Michael Bay’! It’s not a science fiction movie, but an incredible simulation!

Actually, it’s more like a grand tour through a galaxy of science fiction movies: Look, there’s ‘Coma’! Hey, it’s ‘The Truman Show’! Ooo, ‘The Matrix’! Wow: ‘Logan’s Run’! Cool, look, ‘Gattaca’! If Michael Bay’s movies are theme-park rides, ‘The Island’ is, in its first half, kinda like It’s a Small, Small Brave New World: just sit back and enjoy the scenery as he chugs through a history of celluloid speculation.

[from my review of The Island]