I don't usually review new TV series until after at least two episodes, but I was so intrigued by the trailers for CBS's new Sci-Fi drama "Extant" and so taken by so much of it (some of it, not so much, but we'll get to to that in a bit). Spoilers ahead.
It's the not too distant future. Technology is obviously advanced and it seems the world is run by tablets. Halle Berry makes her small-screen debut as astronaut Molly Woods, who has just returned home after a 13 month solo mission aboard a space station. Solo? Isn't that a bit dangerous? What if something were to go wrong? Oh, well. Screw logic. Her gorgeous husband John ("E.R." alum Goran Visnjic) is happy to have her home, but their obviously not biological son Ethan is suspicious and knows something's off. Wait... what? Ethan is a robot? Okay, sure. Whatever. It had better be germane. On the same day John is presenting Ethan to a group of investors, Molly finds out that she's pregnant. (Dun-dun-DAH!!). And while John is earnest in what he wants to do, can he really be surprised that no one wants to invest in an artificial intelligence that doesn't follow Asimov's Rules (or at least have a kill switch). Weird things happen: Space exploration is now privately funded The International Space Exploration Agency is run by a nefarious Japanese investor who is obviously up to no good and Ethan throws a temper tantrum, after which he may or may not have killed a bird. So, let's take parts of The Astronaut's Wife; Rosemary's Baby; Alien; and A.I., mix 'em all up with a dash of Starman and a pinch of "The X-Files" and you have "Extant."
Not that it was terrible. There were some cinema-worthy effects in the pilot and some genuine performances from Berry and the supporting cast of TV regulars, including Camryn Manheim; Michael O'Neil ("Bates Motel"); Maury Sterling and Brad Byer. TV Sci-Fi is hit or miss, and this rather obvious-starting show had better have some tricks and amazing plot-twists up it's sleeve because despite the excellent cast, the pilot was so full of cliches, plot-holes and red-herrings I actually groaned more than once. I will give "Extant" a chance, but it had better find somewhere new to go, real fast. **(Two Out of Four Stars).
Thankfully, among the many things my amazing sister did for me, was help an electronically-challenged old fart reset his Wii, which got me back to Netflix, where I caught two of the four movies I finally got to see in between visits and the work they did.
The first was last year's Steve Carrell box-office failure comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a movie from which I think most people expected too much. And while it fails at being the Anchorman of magician movies, it succeeds quite well on smaller levels. Burt (Carrell) and Anton (Steve Buscemi) have been best friends and magical partners since they were bullied 5th graders. Ten years after signing a multi-million dollar contract to headline at hotelier Doug Munny's (get it?) new Vegas hotel, they have done the same tired show thousands of times and have been reduced to bickering strangers thanks to Burt's full-on Diva mode. In comes Criss Angel-inspired Steve Grey (a VERY in-shape Jim Carrey), who is clearly insane, and suddenly ticket sales for Burt & Anton are falling. At the urging of Munny (the late, great James Gandolfini in one of his last roles), the two try a spectacular new stunt, which goes immediately awry and splits the pair for good. Alan Arkin plays Burt's childhood hero as his patently crotchety old man, but it serves the role well and Olivia Wilde is the perfect foil for Carrell's antics as stage-hand-turned-assistant, Jane. Of course, the eventual romance between the two was telegraphed well into the first act, but was still completely unconvincing. One of my favorite character actors - Jay Mohr - has a supporting role of a fellow magician with the hilariously unlikely name of 'Rick the Implausible.' What struck me most about this movie was it's heart. You could tell it was made with love by people who believed in it, and it actually is a sweet story of friendship and redemption, the last act is so ridiculous as to make what's come before, meaningless. I went in with lowered expectations and came out surprised by it's goofy sweetness. ** 1/2 (Two and a Half Stars Out of Four). The Incredible Burt Wonderstone currently playing on Showtime.
Next up was Insidious: Chapter 2on Netflix. I was very much a fan of the first film, but missed it's sequel's theatrical release and was excited to return to the creepy realm created by Leigh Whannell and James Wan in the first film. The original cast is back, though it was odd hearing Lin Shaye's voice coming out of the mouth of 'young-alike' actor Linsey Seim. Whannell's script goes a long to explaining why the events of the first film happened, though oddly giving the explanation an exceptionally Freudian twist (though the Mama in this movie puts the 'batsh*t' in 'batsh*t crazy.'
Performances are fine, across the board though it is apparent that Wan has lost his taste for horror (he has announced that he is through with the genre) and the sequel lacks the intense creep factor of the original. ** (Two Out of Four Stars)
Showtime again for 2012's The Watch. Originally titled Neighborhood Watch, the title was changed after the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida. Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade form a Neighborhood Watch after Stiller's co-worker is found murdered at the Costco he manages. What follows is a weird mash-up of Science Fiction; buddy comedy and a d*ck joke every two to three minutes. Sadly, none of it works. That's not surprising since it's directed by former SNL writer/director Akiva Schaffer. The movie plays like an extended SNL skit with a fertility issues subplot that has little to do with the impending alien invasion they uncover. Nothing new. No surprises. Lots and lots and lots of d*ck jokes. I must admit to chuckling once or twice, but hardly enough to recommend The Watch. (Zero Out of Four Stars).
Finally and quite happily, the last movie I watched this weekend was also the best. Worst Best Movieis a very heartwarming documentary I've been wanting to see for the past five years, about the cult-status surrounding the 1990 horror movie Troll 2, which many believe is the Worst Movie Ever Made. I've seen Troll 2, several times. I agree that it is terrible beyond terrible, but fully understand it's watchability. Seeing the cast (most of whom were embarrassed to have been in the film) get their moments in the sun is quite fun and even inspiring, despite the obvious mental decline of one its members. I've been reading about Worst Best Movie for a long time and am very glad that I finally got to see it. If you haven't, you should! Nilbog! **** (Four Out of Four Stars).
Ah, cable TV. Where box-office failures appear first.
I'm not sure why last year's alien abduction movie Dark Skies bombed. It's not particularly bad (though it does have it's moments). I managed to catch it on cable today and was mostly entertained and mildly creeped out.
Lacy Barret (Keri Russel) and her husband Daniel (Josh Hamilton) are a typical suburban couple, struggling to get by. Daniel is a currently unemployed architect, while Lacy is a realtor in a depressed market. When their youngest son Sammy (Kadan Rocket) starts to have nightmares about the 'Sandman,' odd things begin to happen. There's the Poltergeist-like configuration of canned and boxed goods in the kitchen which appears in the middle of the night; the disappearance of all of the family photos and the 3 separate flocks of birds that commit suicide by dive-bombing their house. Then there are the apparent sleepwalking episodes experienced by most of the family. And let's not forget their 12 year old's obsession with porn and an older, bad-influence friend.
Director Scott Stewart (of the almost good Legion and the terrible Priest) manages to get some excellent performances from his cast (particularly the youngsters), but his screenplay leaves much to be desired. As the weird events build, we are treated to some truly creepy moments. But once J.K.Simmons is introduced as an "Alien Abduction Expert," all bets are off. We've seen this story before, but done better.
Dark Skies has some truly creepy moments and occasionally effective SFX, despite being a Conspiracy Theorist's wet dream. And while this subject has been explored before in both better (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and worse (The Fourth Kind) films, I still managed to enjoy it, despite it's rather obvious denouement. If you have 97 minutes to kill, there are probably worse things on which you could waste your time. ** (Two out of Four Stars)
Dark Skies is not a terrible genre movie, even if it crosses genre tropes.
SyFy (I still can't get used to that silly name) debuted their latest original series "Helix" on Friday night with a double episode premiere.
Set in an underground bio-lab in the Arctic, "Helix" is ostensibly about a group of CDC doctors led by Dr. Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell), who are sent to investigate a possible viral outbreak at the unregulated facility. Farragut is recruited by his ex-wife ("Supernatural" alum Kyra Zagorsky) primarily because the only surviving victim is his brother Peter (Neil Napier), with whom said ex-wife had an affair which ended their marriage. When Farragut and his team arrive, they are injected with RIFD's in their palms, which supposedly give them full access to the entire facility.
Peter, near death with wildly fluctuating vitals and black blood when his brother's team arrives, somehow manages to escape his quarantined bed and rip his way into the facility's air ducts, using the severed hand of a security officer to access rooms now denied to him and spread the infection to other scientists. Meanwhile, a member of Alan's team learns that rats aren't the only lab animals in the facility when she is attacked by an infected rhesus monkey, after being told that no monkeys were present. It's obvious that something nefarious is going on here, especially after the facility's top scientist, Dr. Hatake (Hiroyuki Sanada), removes his contact lenses to reveal an unusual pair of reflective eyes.
I've been a huge fan of (and must admit to a massive crush on) the very attractive Campbell since first seeing him in The Rocketeer, a movie that should have done better at the box office and should have launched Campbell into an 'A-List' career. Most recently seen on TV as a disreputable politician in AMC's version of "The Killing," Campbell also starred as the leader of the cultish group of alien abduction survivors on USA's "The 4400," a show I loved and miss. He's still massively hot here and I would me remiss if I didn't admit that I'd watch him in almost anything in which he appears. That having been said, he once again holds his own among a cast of mostly unknowns in a series that offers few real surprises (so far).
Despite some dicey CGI effects and a storyline appropriated from several other sources (Stephen King's "The Stand" and John Carpenter's The Thing among them), I found myself thoroughly involved in and intrigued by "Helix" and am looking forward to seeing where it will go. And the upcoming appearance by "Star Trek" and "Body of Proof" alum Jeri Ryan will certainly appeal to both the str8 boys watching, as well as her many gay fans. Darker and decidedly creepier than my other SyFy favorite "Warehouse 13" (which is about to enter it's fifth and sadly final season), "Helix" has lots of potential. I just hope it lives up to that potential.
Started my new film year with a short film from 2013 called Proximity, an 11 minute thriller from director Ryan Connolly and co-writer Seth Worley that is well worth the watching. My last stage boyfriend, Chino Cougar Devine (yes, he spells it that way), a hot little Latino with an adorable fiancee, shared it on Facebook and after watching it, I knew I had to share it with you.
Intriguing from the outset, Proximity starts as two men unload a truckload of bound and hooded men in a remote area. They cut their bonds, remove their hoods and wait to see what happens. What follows is a smart, intense Sci-Fi take on The Defiant Ones that's loaded with action and surprises. If this is what Connolly and company can do in 11 minutes (and reportedly shot in only 10 days), just imagine the feature they could make, given the budget. You can watch the film below, along with the trailer for 1958's The Defiant Ones, starring Tony Curtis and Sydney Poitier.
Now that I have Netflix, I plan on seeing and reviewing more films than I had last year. I still haven't gotten to the movies since Gravity, I think, and that makes me sad, especially with holiday gift cards in my wallet. Dear D owes me at least two... Anyway, enjoy Proximity and look for more from Connolly on his YouTube channel.
Yes, that's right. I had a perfectly wonderful post that I loved all ready to go about this very topic and then my clumsy sausage fingers grazed the wrong keys and it was gone... So I am working on an even better version of it. Hang tight.
Okay, I just have to start by saying "Holy Crap!" Believe everything everyone has written or said about this movie. No, seriously. The critics are not being being hyperbolic in the least. Director Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), using a script he co-authored with his son Jonas, has crafted an exceptionally intense thriller which zooms along for 90 minutes of truly exceptional and groundbreaking film making.
Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is the seasoned veteran astronaut on his last mission and Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is the still nauseated newbie on her first. They are adding an improvement to the Hubble telescope when word comes from Mission Control (voiced by Ed Harris) that the Russians have blasted one of their old satellites, the debris from which causes a chain reaction, hurtling debris from all sorts of other satellites their way. With almost no time to react, Stone is sent hurtling away from the shuttle and the race is on to get her and Clooney to safety. I won't go into any more detail, because I don't want to spoil a second of it but it is squirm-in-your-seat intense. Clooney is at his charming best, ably maintaining his cool under the worst possible circumstances while Bullock gives another amazing performance as a woman dealing with almost incomprehensible terror. Gravity, indeed.
All of that is all well and good, but when a terrific script with terrific performances is enhanced by technical wizardry that seems so effortlessly real (K and I turned to each others several times to ask "How the hell did they do that?") it's... truly unlike any other movie you've ever seen. And for the first time ever, I am going to insist that you see a movie in 3D. In fact, I feel sorry for the people who don't, because they can't possibly have the experience that I and four of my six companions had (the fifth thought it was "okay" and the sixth, poor thing, was bored - though I don't see how that was possible). Q, Dale, Mike, K and I all loved Gravity and were in awe of its FX; stunning visuals and cinematography (so many amazing shots and moments, including an exceptionally gorgeous homage to Kubrick's space masterpiece); intense script and fine performances. Even Steven Price's magnificent score -- punctuated by long silences -- is perfect. GO SEE THIS MOVIE! NOW! IN 3D! ON THE LARGEST SCREEN POSSIBLE!
**** (Four Out of Four Stars). Not only the best movie I've seen this year, it may very well be the best I've seen in many. Cuaron has set the bar higher than ever with this one.
Well, what are you waiting for? Go! I'll be talking about this movie for weeks, to anyone who will listen.
Like any art lover, I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting artists and their works and I like to share them with you (assuming you actually read my nonsense).
Anyway, I was perusing the often amusing Neatorama and came across this fascinating Sci-Fi CG short film R'ha from German film student Kaleb Lechowski. There is, according to Neatorama, much buzz about turning this short into a feature, though we know buzz doesn't always mean very much. Personally, I really would love to see R'ha expanded to feature length. Lechowsky certainly has some interesting ideas and creates rather stunning futuristic city-scapes. And I love that there are no human characters, a true rarity in the genre (at least on film and TV).
See for yourself. I recommend watching full screen, especially if you have an HD monitor.
I've posted before about shorts with potential to become features, which never seem to pan out. R'ha is different, if only because of it's lack of humans. The four-armed organic protagonist reminded me of the stop-motion demon in Stephen Dorf's 1987 film debut, The Gate and the hydra-like A.I. character was nothing we haven't seen before. Machines rising against their organic creators is hardly a new Sci-Fi theme nor are bands of determined rebels fighting for their (usually) humanity. And while the plot and dialog are hardly groundbreaking, Lechowski's visual (especially those astounding alien skylines) acumen cannot be denied. I honestly want to see what happened before this scene and what happens after. And I have to wonder, can machines lose their "minds?"
What do you think? Is R'ha something you'd want to spend 90 - 140 minutes watching? I'm pretty sure I would.
Sorry, no Ghost Movies tonight. That's because I've seen an extraordinary film and need to talk about it. As I update this review, I'm still digesting Cloud Atlas, the new film from Tom Twyker (Run Lola Run & Perfume) and the Wachowskis (The Matrix trilogy). Based on the novel by David Mitchell and adapted by the directors, Cloud Atlas is unlike any other film you've ever seen, mixing genres and periods to tell six interconnected stories over several centuries.
The plot(s) are so complex, I can only describe it/them in the most basic of ways. In 1849, a young man journeys from the Pacific Islands to San Francisco to close a slave trading deal, while slowly being poisoned for the gold he carries; a young composer in the 1930's writes letters to his lover about his services as an amanuensis to another aging composer; a reporter finds herself caught up in a dangerous game in 1970's San Francisco; in 2012, an elderly ne'er-do-well publisher falls into a comedic trap after his ship finally comes in; a cloned waitress in 2155 'Neo-Seoul' finds herself the unlikely center of a revolution and a frightened tribesman in post-apocalyptic Hawaii aids a stranger in her attempts to save humanity from a radiation poisoned Earth, while trying to survive against cannibalistic raiders.
The truly International cast includes Tom Hanks; Halle Berry; Hugh Grant; Jim Broadbent; Hugo Weaving; Doona Bae; Jim Sturgess; Ben Wishaw; James D'Arcy; Keith David and Susan Sarandon, all of whom play at least three (and up to six) different characters; switching races, ages and genders throughout. In fact, part of the fun in watching Cloud Atlas is trying to figure who is who under some often remarkable (and occasionally terrible) makeups. Grant's old-age makeup in the contemporary story is particularly bad, though Berry's transformation into a white woman is quite startling. Personally, I was (unlike some) never offended by the racial transformations (even the less successful ones) because they made complete sense in the context of the stories and how they they related to one another. That's probably because the concepts presented actually transcend race, gender and sexuality.
Most of the performances are truly terrific here, though Hanks has some problems with a convincing Cockney accent in the contemporary story. Sturgess and Bae are quite effective in the 2155 story, while Broadbent is absolutely hilarious in the 2012 tale, though Weaving and Grant seem to be having the most fun. Weaving is best as 'Old Georgie,' the embodiment of Hanks' fears in the post-apocalyptic story, though his voice as sadistic Nurse Noakes in the 2012 story borders on Pythonesque. Grant is a very effective villain as both the operator of a nuclear power plant in the 70's and a cannibal tribal chief in the very distant future. And I dare you to figure out which male character Sarandon plays, at least until the end credits roll.
Visually, Cloud Atlas is nothing less than astounding. The directing jobs were split evenly between Twyker and the Wachowskis, with the siblings taking on the more fantastical stories (and rightly so) and Twyker dealing with the more historical ones. The scenes in 'Neo-Seoul' are staggering and the location shots in Hawaii just gorgeous. While it does take a good 20 minutes or so to get used to the way the film jumps between stories, the apparent randomness of the editing soon starts to make complete sense and the connections between the six stories becomes clearer and clearer as the film unfolds, not unlike an onion revealing its layers as it is peeled. The brilliant score by Twyker, Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek serves perfectly to tie
the six stories of the movie together and you can be sure that I'll be adding it to my
collection. While I may not personally agree with the philosophies of Mitchell's novel, I could still appreciate what he and the filmmakers had to say, here even though I found it philosophical twaddle. As much as I would like to think we're connected in the ways the novel and movie espouse, I'm much more of an "It's all pretty random" kind of guy, so I took its central message with a grain of salt, as it were. That doesn't mean I didn't have a fine time at the movies.
My companions and I all agreed that we loved this movie and need to see it again, though I understand how some critics just hated it (personally, I think those who hated it, just didn't get it).Never boring, often hilarious and always fascinating, Cloud Atlas is the kind of movie that stays with you long after you've seen it. I know I'll be thinking about it for quite some time. Truth be told, it's the best movie I've seen so far this year. Of course, there are plenty of other films yet to come this Fall. **** (Four Out of Four Stars).
Before I start tonight's post, I just want to go on record and say that I hate Blogger's new posting format.
Anyway, I visit Gizmodo's SciFi, Fantasy and Horror blog i09 fairly regularly. They're a good source of movie and TV news and occasionally offer up some rather exciting content. I also subscribe to their email updates and received a link from them the other day that I just now got around to checking out. It was titled "A downright gorgeous short film about doomed astronauts after a spaceship crash."
I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I finally got around to watching Kevin Margo's 8 minute film Grounded, I was left... confused. Watch it and then we'll discuss:
So... I imagine I'm not the only confused viewer, yes?
First, the cinematography; the effects and Ken Andrews' gorgeous score are all amazing. And yes, I get all the themes about life, death, aging and desperate loneliness. But I didn't understand why the 'Traveler' (Derron Ross) was so desperate for a new helmet at the beginning. There were clouds and there was fire, which mean atmosphere and oxygen. He should have been able to breathe with no problem. And he obviously did so, eventually becoming (I must assume) the old 'Tender' (Brent Meeker). And speaking of the 'Tender,' where did he get those seeds? Did he bring them with him? Were they there all along, just waiting to be cultivated? And just how many incarnations of the 'Traveler' fell to the same planet over the years? It looked to me as though at least three astronauts ejected from the craft in the very beginning. What happened to the other two? Was the 'Traveler' in purgatory? Or maybe even hell? Was he actually assumed into heaven, or transported by unseen aliens? I have no idea.
The filmmaker's own description on Vimeo says: "Grounded is a metaphorical account of the experience, inviting unique
interpretation and reflection by the viewer. Themes of aging,
inheritance, paternal approval, cyclic trajectories, and behaviors
passed on through generations are explored against an ethereal backdrop."
Okay... That's an awful lot of territory to cover in just 8 minutes. Kubrick spent 141 minutes exploring many of the same themes in 2001: A Space Odyssey, with similarly confusing results. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking both films. I'd like to think that I'm smart enough to understand complex films with multiple meanings. And while I do enjoy a good puzzle, it's still nice to have some definitive answers on occasion.
Don't get me wrong - I really liked Grounded. I thought it was beautiful, enigmatic and just weird enough to keep me intrigued and I look forward to seeing other films by Kevin Margo. I'd like to know what he can do with a feature-length movie.
What do you think Grounded was about or had to say? You know I love your comments.
It won't come to any of you as a surprise that my top three favorite TV shows are all genre shows. And while I'm very excited to see them returning soon, I'm actually sad that my favorite show (possibly of all time), will be returning for its final season.
J.J. Abrams' "Fringe" took a season to really find its footing but once it did, it turned into one of the smartest; most complex and most compelling shows ever (Sorry "Lost" - you were good, but not this good).
Set 20 years in the future, the final season of "Fringe" is about the fight against the mysterious 'Observers' and their bid to take over the planet after destroying it in their own present (our far future). Encased in the amber developed by the alternate Earth's own Fringe team for 20 years, Olivia; Peter; Walter and Astrid are released to help Olivia's and Peter's daughter fight the invaders that have suppressed humanity for so long. We got a glimpse of this future in last season's penultimate episode and I can't wait to see what the writers have in store for this final season. Terrific writing and the single best cast on TV make "Fringe" must-see-TV in my house. And shame on the Television Academy for never even nominating the astounding Anna Torv, John Noble and the rest of the cast for their consistently remarkable performances. The true heart of "Fringe" has always been the very real characters we have come to know and love. I hope they get the send-off they deserve.
The final season of "Fringe" starts Friday, September 28th on FOX.
Of course, last season, FX, along with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk literally redefined TV horror with their sexy, creepy and oh-so-watchable "American Horror Story." Set in a very haunted Hollywood mansion inhabited by a very dysfunctional family and their over-the-top neighbor, "AHS" was the kind of show people either loved or hated. I loved it. The new season brings us a new story, with a new set of characters, many of whom are played by returning members of the first season's ensemble. Set in an East Coast insane asylum in the 1960's, "American Horror Story Asylum" stars Jessica Lange; Zachary Quinto; James Cromwell; Chloe Sevigny; Joseph Fiennes; Sarah Paulson; Evan Peters; Clea Duvall and Adam Levine. The promos have been super creepy, making me desperate to know what's in store:
"American Horror Story Asylum" premiers October 17th on FX.
Finally, AMC set a new bar for TV horror with their amazing Zombie Apocalypse series "The Walking Dead," based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman. The show is so good, Uncle P's mother, who usually hates genre movies and TV, loves it! While some fans complained that season 2 took too long to get going, I knew the pay-off would be worth the wait. And boy, was it ever! Season three promises to be even better. Rick and his fellow survivors set themselves up in an abandoned prison, while fan-favorite characters Michonne and The Governor are introduced. The producers are promising both tons more 'walkers' and even more human conflict. This season's tagline: "Fight the dead. Fear the living."
"The Walking Dead" returns on Sunday, October 14th on AMC. Hopefully, Carl will learn to stay put when he's told to.
You may have seen the video from Google about their newest in-development hardware/software combo package called "Project Glass," which is basically computerized eye-wear that allows it's user to interface with everyday reality and their personal Google accounts.
As someone who has worn eyeglasses and/or contact lenses from a very young age, I find the concept both intriguing and frightening at the same time. It's bad enough that we have so many distractions on a fairly regularly basis as it is. Now imagine that everything you see is connected to the web. Everyone you know; everything you read; everything you eat; everything you do... shared with everyone you know and everyone they know. Sort of a live-feed Facebook (or in this case, Google+). In case you missed it earlier this spring, here's Google's video about the project:
Yikes! As much as I love the Internet and the connectivity it gives me to people literally all over the world, there's something decidedly Orwellian about Project Glass. I don't share everything I do online with everyone to whom I'm connected. Like most of you, I share only things of common interest with selected friends and family members. Just imagine sharing everything with everyone. No thanks.
Young filmmakers Erin May-raz and Daniel Lazo take it a step further and imagine a not-too-distant future in which everyone is connected by an implanted device called 'Sight' in their short film of the same name (via):
Of all the possible futures Science Fiction can imagine, this may be one of the worst. Of course, using technology for personal gain is nothing new. But we have to draw the line, some where. And please don't lie to yourself - everyone has a secret they wouldn't want to share with anyone, let alone online, for all the world to see. The alternative? Unplug yourself.
It astounds me that there are still people out there who think the July 20th, 1969 Moon Landing was faked. These are probably the same people who think our President faked his birth certificate; women can will their bodies to prevent pregnancy from rape; all gay men are pedophiles; AIDS came from a man having sex with a monkey and Jesus rode a velociraptor around Jerusalem.
Two days after my eighth birthday (yeah, do the math), Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on Earth's moon. Armstrong, along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, traveled over 220,000 miles, risking their lives to make history. I sat up late to watch the event with my parents. I don't really remember my parents' reaction to it, though I know I was excited and entranced as Armstrong stepped down from the Apollo 11 lander and uttered those iconic words.
Personally, I would have been terrified to make that trip. Sure, everything had been tested and retested and tested again but there was no guarantee that they would actually make it to the moon. And even less of a guarantee that they would make it home again. Still, the rush of setting foot on an extraterrestrial body for the very first time must have been nothing less than astounding. As Collins orbited above, Armstrong and Aldrin planted a US flag; played golf and bounded about in the reduced gravity. They must have felt like Superman. I can't even imagine what it was like for them to look back on Earth from that barren landscape. Talk about breathtaking views!
At the very respectable age of 82, Armstrong joined the Great Majority today, leaving behind him a legacy even greater than those of Columbus, Magellan or Vespucci. In the future annals of Human History, Armstrong will be remembered as the man who led the way in exploring the places we will be forced to go, once our rapacious appetites have depleted Earth's resources. And while I am personally unlikely to have antecedents, I do take some comfort in knowing that the human race may actually have a chance for survival after we have finally, utterly and inevitably destroyed our home planet.
Armstrong's passing also serves as a reminder that we all share the same fate. Rich or poor; famous or anonymous; successes or failures; we all will eventually pass from this life. What lies beyond is anyone's guess (though I'm guessing it's nothing). Of course, Armstrong's feat might have been just a little more exciting had it gone like this:
Personally, I'm looking forward to the day when space travel is more like this:
And, hopefully, not like this:
Rest in Peace, Commander Armstrong. The entire world owes you a debt of gratitude. In a year in which so many pioneers have passed, yours is among the saddest.
Sometimes an independent film I really want to see plays in such limited release, I never get to see it here in the wilds of suburbia. Thankfully, cable is changing that for me. Such is the case with writer/director Gareth Edwards' 2010 Monsters. a film I've read a lot about, but didn't get to see until tonight.
Monsters takes up six years after a space probe crash-lands in Mexico, bringing back an alien life form which takes over most of the country, turning it into an "Infected Zone." Each year sees a dangerous alien migration which prompts airstrikes by both the U.S. and Mexican Airforces and has caused the U.S. to erect a gigantic wall along the Mexican border.
When Sam (Whitney Able) is injured in an attack in El Salvador, her wealthy publisher father sends Andrew (Scoot McNairy), one of his photographers, to escort her home. The night before Sam is scheduled to leave on the last ferry of the season, Andrew gets very drunk and loses Sam's passport and the $5,000.00 ferry ticket to a woman whose face we never see. With no other choice but to travel through the Infected Zone, the pair make their way back to America via riverboat and on foot.
What follows is not a typical alien monster movie, but rather an often frightening character study of two very different people who, forced by often horrific circumstances, end up bonding in a surprising way. Sam, apparently engaged to a man she doesn't love, wants only to get home. Andrew, who desperately wants to capture a living alien on film, has a young son who doesn't know he's his father. McNairy (probably best known as Noel on TV's "Bones") and the gorgeous Able (the as-yet-to-be-released-in-the-U.S. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) give lovely, subtle performances as two strangers who bond under extraordinary circumstances. Edwards, on tap to direct the upcoming Godzilla reboot, has crafted a very likeable film, eschewing massive effects work for rather intimate story-telling, albeit in some exotic locales. The effects, also by Edwards, are both creepy and beautiful, especially in the movie's final scene. Edwards' script, which comments on loads of topics (including the current debate on illegal immigration) is smart and poignant, with enough creepy scares to keep it interesting.
The monsters in Monsters, best described as electric scorpion/octopus combinations, are actually few and far-between. When we do see them, it is usually from a distance or at night, where we merely catch glimpses of gigantic legs and tentacles. But this movie is much more about two people on a journey, rather than giant, destructive beasties on a rampage. If you're looking for giant, destructive beasties on the rampage, then Monsters is probably not for you. If you want interesting characters thrown together by extraordinary circumstances, you should see Monsters. *** (Three Stars out of Four). Monsters is currently playing on Showtime Extreme.
I'm glad I finally got to see this movie and am now very interested to see Edwards' take on the most famous kaiju monster of all.
When Uncle P was in the 8th grade (When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth), I had an amazing and inspiring English teacher named Jack Fogarty, whom I have mentioned more than once here on Caliban's Revenge. Jack encouraged me to write and to act and to express myself and to be myself. He also taught me how to analyze a novel and the novel he used to do so was Ray Bradbury's dark fantasy "Something Wicked This Way Comes." A semi-autobiographical tale of an evil carnival populated by people who live off fear and steal souls. I was riveted and couldn't wait to see how it ended. And of course, I devoured everything I could find by Bradbury, afterwards. "The Martian Chronicle;" "The Illustrated Man;" "Dandelion Wine;" "Fahrenheit 451:" "The October Country;" "The Halloween Tree;" "I Sing the Body Electric;" the list goes on and on. Bradbury was a major influence on me and countless other writers. Even Steven Spielberg recently talked about how much Bradbury influenced his early films.
The prolific Mr. Bradbury wrote for TV and film and his works have been adapted into loads of movies and TV shows, including the Canadian anthology series "The Ray Bradbury Theater," which ran from 1985 to 1992 and was syndicated here in the U.S. He was good friends with movie effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen and presented Harryhausen with the Gordon E. Sawyer award at the 1992 Academy Awards.
A life-long conservative, Bradbury was less than happy when documentarian Michael Moore named his 9/11 conspiracy film Fahrenheit 911, though he allowed the title to be used. When "Fahrenheit 451" was released as an eBook in 2011, Bradbury said "We have too many cellphones. We've got too many internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now." Interestingly, Bradbury also said "Fahrenheit..." was the only Science Fiction he ever wrote. He claimed the rest of works were fantasies, because they "...could never happen."
His short story "All Summer in a Day" is probably my favorite. It's about a group of schoolchildren living on Venus where it constantly rains and the sun is only visible for two hours every seven years. Margot, who once lived on Earth and remembers the sun, is locked in a closet by her cruel classmates, who don't believe her accounts of what the sun looks like. She misses the two hour event and her classmates later feel remorse for what they've done. It's everything I felt as a gay kid, without the remorseful classmates (though I doubt Bradbury intended any gay undertones when he wrote the story in 1954). "Something Wicked..." remains my favorite Bradbury novel and I revisit it often. As I've mentioned several times, the 1983 Disney film adaptation starring Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce is less than satisfactory.
Other screen adaptations of his works include:
Fahrenheit 451
It Came from Outer Space
The Illustrated Man
The Electric Grandmother
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
and the lamentable A Sound of Thunder
Bradbury passed away on Monday at the age of 91. Like many of his fans and admirerers, I am mourning the loss of one of our smartest and most prolific fantasy authors. The world is better for having had him in it, and a little worse for having lost him.
