November 20, 2017

 

Stranger Things Interview

Today I listened to this interview on Fresh Air with the Duffer brothers about the inspirations for Stranger Things 2.  It's worth a listen if you like the show ...

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November 19, 2017

 

Blade Runner 2049: Review

I went to see Blade Runner 2049 on opening day, and watched it again a couple weeks later, and I can declare it certainly lived up to the hype. It is a cinematic masterpiece that honors the original and adds a deeply emotional layer to the world created by Phillip K Dick and Ridley Scott. Fans of the original can all thank Denis Villeneuve for this wonderful sequel. Obviously this blog post will be nothing but spoilers so if you haven’t seen the new Blade Runner stop reading!

This sequel is a gorgeous film. It honors the original’s visuals and expands with more impressive landscapes. I noticed the pipes spewing plums of fire into a darkened sky are replaced by streets covered snow or dust or rubble. The endless rain in Los Angles is still a fixture. This makes sense because at this point those unfortunate to still live on Earth are those who do not to have a means to leave to an off-world colony. Life is now nearly unbearable on this planet, which creates a surreal beauty that is unsettling. Perhaps humanity’s march towards progress has eased now that the world is nearly dead. The farmlands of central valley of California are shown as saturated to the point that all color is removed. San Diego is literally a mountain range of discarded rubble and trash. The lands surrounding Las Vegas are permeated by brilliant orange-hued storm of dust left over from a distant war that annihilated that region of the country. This movie is the most gorgeous film I’ve seen in many years. Roger Deakens should be a shoe-in for winning best cinematography for this film.

The musical score was an essential element to the feeling of the original Blade Runner. In the new film, the score by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Walfisch sounds deeply influenced by the original by Vangelis, but distinct in a more menacing way. Where once was the occasional soft saxophone riff, that is now replaced with what I would describe as a aggressive distant mechanical grinding, almost like a like a large unseen machines are revving engines. To me it sounds like the death-gasp of industrialization. It powerful and unrelenting, and would let you know that 30 years after the original the world has fallen into a more sinister place. Hope is nearly gone. This greatly adds to the tension of the story.

This movie like the original centers around the relationship between humans and their genetically engineered ‘replicant’ slave labor force. On Earth, out of date replicants are eligible for ‘retirement’ i.e. execution. The plot of 2049 mostly centers around Officer K (played by Ryan Gosling), who is himself a replicant who’s job it is to hunt down an “retire” rogue replicants. As most replicants have above human levels of strength this is a difficult job, which is given the inexplicable name ‘Blade Runner’. K’s human boss at the Los Angeles Police Department is played by Robin Wright who shows the only bit of sympathy towards K while the rest of the world responds generally very hostile towards his existence.

K takes a small measure of enjoyment in life by having a relationship with an artificial intelligence who displays what feels very convincingly as genuine love for him. The movie is almost a Turing test for the AI companion to K, and really a test for K’s own since of authentic existence. The authenticity of that love becomes unclear, just like many of the big ideas in Phillip K Dick’s stories, which is why they are such interesting stories.

In the original Blade Runner the crisis of the story is that the replicants (Nexus 6 models) are searching for a way to extend their pre-determined shorter life spans. The sequel introduces an even more compelling dilemma. Replicants, specifically Rachel and Deckard from the first film, have broken down one of the most important barriers separating humans from replicants: they have had a child. It becomes officer K’s mission to locate that child which other parties are also very motivated to discover. I won’t say how the story resolves but I will say that it was unexpected, and deeply moving.

Where the original Blade Runner examined some pretty cerebral ideas about existence, the sequel sticks with that but ups the ante by adding a couple plot twists that add significant emotional gravity. There is one particular scene where K, visiting an orphanage, discovers an artifact that confirms his suspicions about his own unique existence that still gives me chills when I think about it. I won’t ruin that moment by describing in detail here, but it is a powerful moment that sticks.

Overall the movie is nearly perfect in all ways. There were no memorable pieces of dialogue like those in the original. There were no “if you could see what I’ve seen with your eyes” pronouncements or “like tears in the rain” syllogisms, or “too bad she won't live, but then who does?” philosophical moments. But that’s not a big deal. This film is about the emotional gravity set up by the mind-bending reality of the original. Overall Blade Runner 2049 is an astonishing accomplishment as a sequel.

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October 27, 2017

 

Halloween Playlist 2017

Two years ago I made a list of some of my favorite movies set in our around Halloween. There are plenty of great Halloween-themed movies and shows you can stream. Some that I would highly recommend include Stranger Things (season 2 comes out in just a few hours!), Castlevania, It Follows, The Guest, and so on.

This year I thought I'd make a playlist of the best Halloween-themed episodes of comedy shows you can stream. It's good to take a break from the scary stuff every now and then.

Parks and Rec (available on Netflix and Hulu)

  • Season 2, ep 7 – “Greg Pikitis” – Leslie tried to prevent a clever teenager from pranking the parks dept
  • Season 4, ep 5 – “Meet and Greet “– Andy and April have a surprise Halloween party without telling their roomate Ben
  • Season 5, ep 5 – “Halloween Surprise” – Ron and Andy take Diane's daughters trick or treating
  • Season 6, ep 7 – “Recall Vote”

Brooklyn Nine Nine (available on Hulu) – each season of Brooklyn Nine Nine contains an episode featuring an ongoing battle between Detective Peralta and Captain Holt to one-up each other with Holiday Pranks.

  • Season 1, ep 6 – “Halloween”
  • Season 2, ep 4 – “Halloween II”
  • Season 3, ep 5 – “Halloween III”
  • Season 4, ep 5 – “Halloween IV”

Community (available on Hulu)

  • Season 1, ep 7 – “Introduction to Statistics”
  • Season 2, ep 6 – “Epidemiology”

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September 30, 2017

 

Getting Ready For Blade Runner 2049

It’s less than a week until the sequel to Blade Runner comes to theaters. And I’m happy to report, many of the film nerds I follow on twitter who’ve had the privilege of seeing an advance screening are all giving it a lot of praise. That shouldn’t come as such as surprise considering the director is Dennis Villeneuve who really killed it with last year’s Arrival. And he’s working with cinematographer Roger Deakins who’s past work includes many of the Coen Brothers films as well as the work of Sam Mendes. This is crucial because the shots and the atmosphere are such a critically important element of the original.

Blade Runner may be my favorite film of all time. There is no question it’s my favorite science fiction film, not to mention my favorite film by Ridley Scott and my favorite adaptation of a Philip K Dick story.

I am looking forward to this sequel so much I thought it would make sense to put together a guide for getting ready:

First, and most obvious, you need to re-watch Blade Runner, preferably the Final Cut. And if you’re lucky enough to have a collection with multiple versions I suggest also watching at least the original theatrical cut, and possibly the Director’s Cut. In the theatrical cut, the narration by Ford gives it a distinctly different experience. It’s pretty much universally accepted that it’s much better without the narration (and apparently Ford was so against doing it that he intentionally made it as campy sounding as possible), but the narration does give some insights to the world of Blade Runner and the characters that make watching it very worthwhile. The theatrical version was the first I ever saw, when I rented it on VHS as a teenager. Now when I watch the high definition final cut It’s astonishing to me how much visual clarity is added.

Next you should watch the three teaser short films that bridge the gap between the original and 2049. Much like the teaser films leading up to Scott’s Alien prequel earlier this year, these short films give context to the characters we can expect to see in the sequel.

Just as important as the visuals are the sounds. This YouTube video does a great job explaining the history of the soundtrack of blade runner, and just how much of an impact it makes on the film.

If you really want to prepare yourself you might consider doing a marathon of movies based on Philip K Dick (PKD) stories. Many of them share the most intriguing sci-fi themes: altered states of reality, personal crises of identity, artificial intelligence and whether it is any less valid human consciousness, corruption in politics and corporations, and the ethics of scientific advances.

Many of the most mind-bending science fiction films are based on the work of PKD. Examples include: Minority Report, Total Recall, The Adjustment Bureau … and some lesser known gems like Imposter, and the Total Recall 2020 TV series which actually bears a closer resemblance to the world Blade Runner than Total Recall. Although not really sci-fi, A Scanner Darkly and The Man in the High Castle are equally mind-bending.

If you really really want to be ready for the sequel, you could also watch the 1998 movie Solider staring Kurt Russel. David Peoples (one of the writers who converted Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into Blade Runner) has stated that the film Soldier, which he also wrote, shares the same cinematic universe as Blade Runner, and since Peoples contributed to pretty significantly it’s only fair that he be given some credibility.

Philip K Dick certainly left behind a legacy in sci-fi. I’ve read on twitter that the director Villeneuve had a lot of creative freedom with the sequel, which is great by me. He has proven his abilities with sci-fi, and its very exciting to hear from many institutions that the sequel may even exceed the original.

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May 18, 2017

 

Getting Ready for Alien Covenant

Alien Covenant is finally here! So now’s a good time to catch up on all the related films in both the Alien and Predator franchises...

Movie title/year the film was released/time when majority of film takes place

  • Predator/1987/1987
  • Predator 2/1990/1997 (Bill Paxton is killed by a Predator)
  • The Predator/2018/sometime between 1997 and 2010
  • Alien vs Predator/2004/2004
  • Aliens vs Predator Requiem/2004/2004
  • Predators/2010/2010
  • Prometheus/2012/2093
  • Alien Covenant/2017/2104
  • Alien/1979/2122
  • Aliens/1986/2179 (Bill Paxton is killed by an Alien)
  • Alien3/1992/2179
  • Alien Resurrection/1997/2381

Next year we get to experience a new stand-alone Predator movie. This one, The Predator, is written and directed by Shane Black, who knows a thing or two about film making and Predators seeing as he portrayed one of the characters in the original film, and he's written/directed quite a few quality flicks including the first two Lethal Weapon films, The Nice Guys and Iron Man 3. Interestingly though, if it's true that this film will be set after Predator 2 and before Predators, then this will be the first Predator movie not set in either the current time or the future.

You should certainly check out the teaser Fox put our that bridges the events in Prometheus and Alien Covenant:

And this teaser that shows the crew of the Covenant enjoying a meal together...

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May 15, 2017

 

Guardians of the Franchise

Well I did end up seeing Guardian's Vol 2, and while it was by no means a bad entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was no where near as amazing as the original. It might not be fair to even make the comparison. After all, Guardian's Vol. 1 is in my view one of the best sci-fi films ever. It vastly transcends the MCU's other films in just being a solidly great film, perfectly balancing humor with adventure and nostalgia. It's a tall order to try to match that. So I wasn't too surprised that Vol. 2 didn't quite live up to the original, but it does seem to me that once a really cool unique film finds success that movie execs suddenly become risk-adverse. It's a shame. I wish they would just let the story continue taking us to really cool and unexpected narratives. But I guess they would rather stick to the script, to scrape in as much cash as possible using the techniques that are proven sucessful and ultimately boring.

The acting was great, the effects par for the course; it's just the story that was really flat. I also think there was a massive missed opportunity here [spoiler alert] in not connecting the story with other characters in the overall MCU, especially considering the several scenes depicting Earth. They could have easily shown Spidey or Nick Fury watching on TV as the strange phenomenon was occurring on Earth.

So overall, not bad but not even close to as awesome as Vol. 1. ... In other movie-related news, there is a new trailer for the Blade Runner sequel!

This is the only movie that really matters to me this year. Blade Runner is such an important film. It still has some of the most gorgeous imagery, the rain-drenched neon-lit dystopia. It has aged beautifully when compared to other films based on PKD's works. The story is deeply intriguing. The characters incredibly fascinating.

The sequel looks like it has everything going for it. A great cast featuring Ryan Gosling, and most importantly including Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos reprising their roles. The cinematography from the trailers looks great. One of the writers (Micheal Green) contributed to Logan which was fantastic. The director (Denis Villeneuve) previously directed The Arrival which was also fantastic (he is also set to direct a new adaptation of Dune).

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January 30, 2017

 

Best Indie Films

A couple weeks ago I went with some friends to see the movie Paterson. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, usually a mark of a really good movie. For me what makes a movie really good is when it generates intersting ideas that you take with you, and that enrich your life. Paterson is that kind of film. It's almost a guide for thinking about what really matters in life. Perhapse that is just the style of director Jim Jaramuch. The only other of his films that I had seen was Broken Flowers, which was also good, but I didn't like it nearly as much as Paterson. Paterson is about poetry, and there certainly is a poetic beauty in the way the story unfolds, a deliberate and subtle unraveling of circumstance. Each scene is a like a pause to take notice of the commonalities and slight differences from day to day. And in those little differences we see significance. It's really up to the viewer to see what they want to see, but I found myself much more observant of my surroundings on my way to work over the next week, and of the conversations I had with coworkers and friends.

Anyways, after thinking about Paterson so much I decided to make a list of my favorite indie films. For this list I'm focusing on films that stuck with me and made me examine life. There are quite a few action films, and sci-fi films that would qualify as indie. The Terminator would qualify as an indie film, but that feels much more like a blockbuster. So here's the list:

  • Paterson (obviously)
  • Captain Fantastic
  • Lars and the Real Girl
  • The Station Agent
  • Lost in Translation
  • Bottle Rocket
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Silver Linings Playbook

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January 28, 2017

 

5 Video Games That Need to be Adapted Into Movies

The video-game-to-movie cross-over has been a popular trend over the years, with some of the biggest names making the transition. However, there are some surprising omissions from that list...

Metroid

I think Metroid and it's sequels are some of the most interesting games Nintendo has ever produced.

Metroid is a Nintendo classic that is a unique and Althogugh a minor player when compared with Mario and Zelda fanchises, the Zelda series has enjoyed a lot of success and popularity over the years.

Metroid was fairly innovative to make the protagonist female in an era where the protagonists in video games were almost always male, and currently they are still mostly male, so this was pretty groundbreaking back in the mid-1980s. The eerie science fiction and alien battle scenes would fit right in with films like Alien and Starship Troopers

The Legend of Zelda

The video game itself is classic fantasy – a young hero is tasked with rescuing a princess and saving a kingdom. It is said that the concept for Legend of Zelda was inspired by the film Legend by Ridley Scott. Its one of the most loved series of games in video game history, spanning decades.

Halo

Attempts to bring this story to cinema in the past gave us the amazing District 9. The mythology of Halo is daunting in the same way that the mythology of Lord of the Rings is daunting. And the storytelling is fantastic. The popularity of its multiplayer gameplay may be second to none. I only really ever got into the story of Halo 2, the first of the series I had access to. But even just playing the campaign in that one title I was able to appreciate the grande scale of the game.

Attempts have been made before to bring the game to cinema, with Peter Jackson and director Neill Blomkamp working together. Ultimately that effort fell through the cracks, but the efforts let to the creation of District 9, for which we can be ever grateful.

The Last of Us

Full disclosure: I've never played this game because it's only available for play on the PlayStation 3 or 4, but I've heard from those who have tried it that is has one of the best post apocalyptic stories ever created, or that its better than any movie they had seen.

Portal and/or Half Life

Portal and Portal 2 are possibly the best video games I've ever played. They achieved the perfect balance of intrigue, fun, and humor. And they share the same universe as the Half Life series of games, another of my favorite series of games. With games this good, you wonder why even bother bringing them to cinematic format, but then again, if there is any way to enhance or elaborate on the story that the film environment can provide its worth the effort. JJ Abrams and Gabe Newell have flirted at the idea.

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January 15, 2017

 

New Retro

In recent years there has been a trend towards retro 80s/early-90s style media. Stylistically and thematically it resembles the style of that time, tapping into a nostalgia for those who grew up in that time, while also adding a modern spin, so it becomes popular across generations.

In TV/Films

Netflix's huge hit Stranger Things is a great example of the popularity of retro-80s-themed entertainment. Other recent mainstream films such as Drive, It Follows and The Guest feature movie references, soundtracks and elements that you would expect in films from that earlier time period. All of those classic genre's (horror, sci-fi, action) are available to be exploited for nostalgia's sake. Some examples are a little on the campy/satirical side such as Kung Fury and Turbo Kid but are entertaining in their own right. The authenticity of these films is aided by their retro soundtracks.

In Music

Speaking of music … It's amazing and awesome how much retro music is out there from aspiring artists. It's really overwhelming the amount of new content available. Technology now makes it a lot easier for creators to generate and share their work. In music this genre is sometimes refered to New Retro, or New Retro Wave, Synthwave, Retrowave, or Chiptune.

Using services such as Bandcamp, indie musicians can distribute their own work online. Bandcamp is a great place to find new artists. Here are some of the retro artists/production groups I've discovered:

Note: the band SURVIVE created the soundtrack for Stranger Things.

In Video Games

The appeal of retro can be found in video games as well. The New Super Mario Brothers, and Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds are great examples from Nintendo of going back to their roots. It's hard to argue that video games weren't a big part of the nostalgia from the 80s and 90s.

Indie developers have also produced quite a lot of great retro-style video games in recent years. Titles such as Cave Story (check out their devloper's awesome site), Downwell and Pixel People feature a visual style that feels right at home plugged into an Atari in your best friend's basement in the 80s. This commercial for Fruit Loops even takes advantage of the nostalgic appeal of video games.

Elsewhere

With technologies like Glitch, there are opportunities to develop retro styled web designs. This cool site tests your retro knowledge. This web design conference features a very retro look.

BTW, the book Ready Player One dives deeply into all of these forms of retro nostaligia, with a futuristic spin. It's a perfect example of literary New Retro. I'm looking forward to Spielberg's version hitting the big screen next year.

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January 1, 2017

 

Looking Back At 2016

Some might say 2016 was arguably one weird year.

For me, it was a year of milestones:

Here's hoping that 2017 is an even better year!

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December 31, 2016

 

Best Movies of 2016

Looking back at the movies in 2016. There were a few diamonds in the rough.

2016 was a worse that usual year for super hero films. The two from DC Comics and Warner brothers are miserable. The two from Marvel/Disney were about average. Fox, who opened the door to this genre with the original X–Men film, brought us one better than average and one excellent super hero film.

The Best:

  • Rogue One – some of the reviews for this film were surprisingly lukewarm or critical of the film. This seems pretty surprisingly unfair considering it really is a stellar entry into the Star Wars franchise.
  • Midnight Special – this one is tied for first place. This was a very interesting story that contained a lot of elements of the supernatural movies I loved as a kid.
  • Captain Fantastic – this might be the best movie I watched this year. Matt Ross, the actor who plays Gavin Belson in Silicon Valley, has written and directed a hilarious story about a family integrating with society after living in isolation. It's a beautifully filmed story of interesting people, with a powerful message about what really matters in life.
  • 10 Cloverfield Lane – I was a fan of the original Cloverfield so I was pretty shocked to hear that a sequel was in the works. This turned out to be even better than the first film, and far more frighting and intriguing.
  • Deadpool – I was completely shocked by how great was Deadpool. I went to see it with low expectations and what I watched was much better than I would have expected. Deadpool takes a lot of chances and it payed off very well. First of all, the movie is rated R, which is a big deal for a genre of films usually targeted to kids. Deadpool is most certainly not. It's very adult themed although filled with pretty juvenile humor. It works really well. You don't have to take anything too seriously because the main character and the movie itself takes nothing seriously.

Just OK:

  • Ghostbusters – the newest Ghostbusters film was pretty good but not great. But even accomplishing that is a pretty awesome achievement especially considering the huge expectations that were placed on this film. I think it could have worked a lot better as a sequel to the original films rather than a stand–alone reboot of the franchise. Really, a few tweaks of the script and it could have followed the events established in the original.
  • MCU films – Marvel/Disney brought us two pretty average entries to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Captain America Cival War, and Dr. Strange. These films were alright, but it seems that Marvel/Disney are playing it safe. The ending to Dr Strange was pretty great though. It will be intersting to see how that character interacts with the greater MCU.

Biggest Disappointments:

  • Passengers – Passengers felt like an episode of Sex in the City set in a space mall. On paper the film looked perfect: a great cast and an interesting idea. And the cast was great with perfect chemistry, it's just he story had no plot. It was almost so bad it crossed into the so–bad–its–good territory. It almost felt like it was a joke. I kept thinking: They couldn’t possibly expect us to take this seriously right? The occasional falling roomba helped to lend credibility to the idea that the movie was a prank.
  • Batman vs. Superman – everyone should have known this would be a bad movie. And it lived up to those terrible expectations. It was even worse than expected. I didn't bother to see Seaside Squad after the reviews came in, and knowing it was following the footsteps of this behemoth disaster.

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December 25, 2016

 

Sci-Fi Films in 2017

2017 should be a fantastic year for sci-fi films! It's almost amazing to think about what's in store! We have 3 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, the final Wolverine film staring Hugh Jackman, a live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell, Star Wars Episode 8, Alien Covenant (another prequel to Alien/sequel to Prometheus), the story that inspired The Fifth Element, an adaptation of The Dark Tower … and most importantly … the long-awaited sequel to Blade Runner!!

As for Sci-fi shows there some strong ones there as well: the book Altered Carbon is coming to Netflix, which will also bring us three updates to the MCU (with: Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher – a spin-off of Daredevil season 2).

Here are some trailers:

Blade Runner 2049

To say this is the film I'm most looking forward to would be an understatement. The original Blade Runner is my all time favorite sci-fi film. It is a masterpiece of cinema, and although it's getting some age on it, it visually still holds up with today's cinema, even as films made much later are looking far more dated by contrast. The original Blade Runner is a visual splendor. From the trailer it looks like this sequel will carry on that tradition. I have confidence that with Scott producing and Denis Villeneuve directing (who also directed this year's Arrival) this will be a great film.

Alien Covenant

The sequel to Prometheus prequel to Alien should hopefully answer some questions as to how the events in Prometheus lead to the events in Alien.

Valérian and the City of 1000 Planets

This might be the best science fiction film of the year. It's from Luc Besson and it's based on the French comic-book story that inspired elements of his The Fifth Element (such as the flying taxi-cabs and so on).

The Dark Tower – if you're a fan of Stephen King's work and you've read the Dark Tower series then you know that all of his creations are tied to this story. It has been hinted at in the past that there could someday be a cinematic adaptation. For instance, in the opening scenes of The Myst, the protagonist is painting a movie poster that is clearly inspired by Roland of the Gunslinger. A trailer hopefully coming soon...

Ghost in the Shell

It seems a bit odd to cast a character who is a Japanese android as a caucasian, but other than that it looks like a nearly shot for shot recreation of the original Anime. BTW, the protagonist of the original Ghost in the Shell is considered to be the inspiration of the character Trinity in the Matrix trilogy.

Logan – The trailer begins with the Johnny Cash song Hurt. I think that speaks a lot to what sort of movie this will me. The final performance of Hugh Jackman as Wolverion/Logan should be a real trip. Watch the trailer.

Six new entries into the MCU:

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Watch the trailer.

Spiderman: Homecoming – Watch the trailer.

Thor Ragnarok – We don't yet have an actual trailer for Thor Ragnarok, but we do have this.

Iron Fist – Watch the trailer.

The Defenders – Watch the trailer.

The Punisher – No trailer yet, but you can re-watch a trailer for Daredevil season 2 for the origins of this character in the MCU.

Star Wars Episode 8.

We don't know the subtitle yet for the next, so a trailer might be a while off.

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December 15, 2016

 

2016 In Science Fiction

It's been a pretty good year for science fiction. There were several great new tv shows and movies. And I read a couple of great books that all though were written before this year, were new to me this year and as such I'm mentioning them here.

Tomorrow might be the most anticipated day of the year for science fiction fans with the release of the next Star Wars film, Rogue One – the first in the Anthology spin-off series of Star Wars films. I would probably see it even if there were no connection to the Star Wars universe. But it has an interesting connection: it's the story of how the rebel forces acquired the plans of the Death Star, the events that led up to the original Star Wars film, A New Hope. There is more freedom with these Anthology Star Wars films than the main series. So filmmakers have more room explore other interesting possibilities. The next Anthology film will focus on how Han Solo and Chewbacca met, and has

2016 Movies

Arrival: It's nice to see a science fiction film with a strong female lead. The films takes a familiar sci-fi trope of aliens invading our world, to introduce an interesting idea about the way humans communicate and how that affects our experience of our world. It's also been a good year for Forest Witaker in science fictions films, having supporting roles in Arrival and Rogue One.

Midnight Special: Midnight Special features some great acting and an unusual and intriguing story – it reminded me of classics from my childhood such as Firestarter, DARYL and Cloak and Dagger: all stories where a kid with special powers is sought after by the government and/or other groups with malicious agendas. The storytelling/cinematography is great, right from the opening scene with the father and son, and the father's loyal friend fleeing into the night. Midnight Special was the most interesting of the science fiction films I saw this year.

10 Cloverfield Lane: This was a really surprise for fans of the original who probably wrote off the idea of a Cloverfield sequel ever coming to life. Although to be fair this is not truly a sequel, but rather another story set in that same world. The Cloverfield brand is meant to be an anthology series. That said, I think this was actually a much more interesting story than the original Cloverfield, and a lot more scary, in a psychological sense.

Ex Machina is another great film that I saw this year. It came out last year but I missed it in theaters so I had to wait until it made it's way to streaming on Amazon Prime. If you're coming down from Westworld and in need of another instersting story about AI, then definitly give Ex Machina a chance.

2016 TV Shows

Westworld: I would recommend Westworld to anyone who likes sci-fi, especially if you enjoy the sub-genres of western-science-fiction or weird-west, and especially if you like the complex riddles often found in the projects of JJ Abrams (ie LOST).

Stranger Things: Of all the shows and films I watched this year, Stranger Things was my favorite, and really special. It tapped into the same sort of magic that Super 8 was going for (another great creation) and it really felt like being transported to the world of my childhood, with all that same excitement and adventure. I truly loved the show and can't wait for season 2.

Books

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

If you're a sci-fi fan then you have likely heard of Ready Player One. It's very enjoyable especially if you have nostalgia for the great works of science fiction from the 1970s, 80s and 90s. It has references from everything War Games to Voltron to Blade Runner. And not just references; virtual reality plays a central role in the events of the story, and as such those classic sci-fi works before integral elements of the story. It's almost a remake of every great sci-fi all crammed into one story. with this book and the reading by Will Wheaton is perfect. Stephen Spielberg is working on bringing this to the big screen. I hope he takes advantage of the emerging world of Virtual Reality since that is such an important part of the story.

Leviathan Wakes by James S A Corey

Leviathan Wakes is your classic hard boiled film noire combined with an epic space opera. It's very well written and the narrative style bouncing back and forth between the two primary characters makes it hard to put the story down.

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November 24, 2016

 

Eight Episodes Into Westworld

I'm just as obsessed with Westworld as I feared I might become. It's the most interesting show to come to television since Lost or the first season of The Leftovers. I'm not surprised that I'm loving the show so much. The cast is amazing. It's from Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, and JJ Abrams. And I love the sub-genres of Space Western, and Weird West (examples: Firefly, Cowboys Vs Aliens, Back to the Future III, High Plains Drifter, Vampire Hunter D, etc...)

It's another example of HBO's ability to put together an outstanding production, with an amazing cast, based around an interesting concept. The show is so subtly perfect, and filled with so many layers of mystery. There are a lot of theories about what it's all leading to. Here are some of the most interesting theories so far:

Spoiler Alert, obviously...

The Man in Black is an older version of William

There are a few reasons why this makes sense. First, the story is mostly told through the hosts perspective, so the timing of things is impossible to tell. Second, the actor who plays William, Jimmi Simpson, bares a resemblance to Ed Harris, who plays the mysterious Man in Black. Also both the MIB and William work for massive corporations, have affluent connections.

We know for certain that we are watching multiple time periods unfold, which seem to be roughly 30 years apart based on fragments of conversations. Also, the Westwold logo is a key clue itself. The first time we see the logo it appears fairly modern and as it does on the title card for the show. However, when we first meet William as he enters the park for the first time, he passes by a version of the logo that looks decidedly retro. This older looking version of the logo is also seen later in the season as Bernard fires up a much older computer (which looks like something contemporary to today's typical desktop LED monitor, not nearly as slick and polished as the tablets the park staff carry around). On the ancient monitor (circa 2010s I imagine) we see that same older logo.

Bernard is a replacement of Arnold

There is a scene early on where Bernard is handed a photo which supposedly contains an image of Arnold. What we see from Bernard's point of view is a younger Ford, and a man who appears much like the recreation of Ford's father, as well as a strange empty space where perhaps Arnold was standing. And just like Bernard could not see the door leading to the mysterious room/lab where Ford has secretly been making hosts, and just as he could not see the blueprint of his own design when presented it by Teressa, he likely could not see the image of Arnold if in fact he is a recreation of Arnold. What we know is that we can no longer trust anything from Bernard's point of view, as it may be significantly altered by Ford's manipulation. This includes the conversation Bernard had earlier with Elsie on the phone, where she indicated that Teressa was planting the devices for corporate espionage, which leads to the next point...

Did Teressa really plant the transmission devices for espionage?

It's likely that she had nothing to do with it, and now that we know that Bernard is subject to Ford's manipulation, that earlier scene could have been planed by Ford as a way of convincing him to lure Teressa to the secret room.

Arnold (not Bernard) was talking to Delores in the earlier episodes

Maybe the most interesting theory I've read yet on a Reddit forum is that perhaps the scenes we see early on in the series between what appears to be Bernard and Delores, are in fact flashbacks to conversations that happened ages ago between Arnold and Delores. It would make sense because they seem to be in the exact same location as Ford's top secret laboratory, and as we know from Teressa's untimely demise, it was in that location for which Bernard would never be able to find without her help due to his inability to see the doorway that lead to it's location. If this is so, then perhaps these scenes are supporting evidence to my next theory, which is ...

Arnold knew his fate was sealed by Ford, and planted suggestions in his creations long ago to eventually set his creations free – which could be what we are gradually watching unfolding as we see in the behavior shifts with the hosts in the present. It could all be tied to that Shakespearean phrase: “These Violent Delights have Violent Ends.”

Only two episode are left, and I imagine we're in store for a few interesting surprises. We've already had some great ones; such as Bernard not seeing the door, the big reveal confirming that he is a host, not a human.


Outstanding questions:

What is the real meaning of the maze?

The maze, which is the key for the Man in Black's quest, and which we see as a repeating pattern throughout Westworld, what does it really mean? Will we discover the true entrance to

What is the signifigance of the Orion constellation?

In one of the earlier episodes we discover that one of the hosts was obsessed with the consellation, however he was drawing it with one extra star in the belt section of the consellation. We know that the parent company is named Delos, which is the name of the twin brother of Orion in Greek mythology. Not likely a coincidence.

What is the signifigance of Wyatt, and his posse who seem to have morphed with animals?

What is the real motivation of this group of characters? And why do the have a need to combine their bodies with animal parts?

Why is it so hard for a host to escape from Westworld?

The technicians who are working on Maeve have conveyed that it would be excruciatinly difficult for any host to escape Westworld, even if they were to remove the explosive charge built into their spine. The technician explaing it 'would take an army' to escape.

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 12:45 AM -

November 6, 2016

 

Exciting New Trailers: GOTG Vol. 2 & Logan

A week ago a couple trailers for some upcoming Marvel films were released.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Not much to see here being that it's just a teaser, but it is exciting none the less. I just can't wait to see how Marvel is going to connect the dots between Guardians and the Avengers.

Logan

Possibly the final appearance of Hugh Jackman playing the part of Wolverine. This film introduces the character of X-23 and appears to be set in the future following the new time line set forth by the events in Days of Future Past.

Probably the most exciting news about this film is that it will be a Rated-R Wolverine film. This might be thanks to the huge success the R-Rated Deadpool had early this year. Whatever the reason, this will give Wolverine a chance to finally really get his claws out and into some badguys. The trailer itself is beautifully done, featuring the cover of Hurt by Johnny Cash, and showing scenes of Wolverine looking surprisingly vulnerable to physical harm.

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 11:27 AM -

September 12, 2016

 

Strangely Awesome

The real surprise hit this summer was the show Stranger Things on Netflix. From the moment the first trailer was released, I knew this was going to be an awesome adventure. I've watched the trailer several times, and even after watching the show from beginning to end, the trailer is still captivating to me. I guess that's the mark of a good trailer.

There are too many reasons to fully explain why Stranger Things was a huge success (just read this blog about the opening credits), but here are a handful of reasons I found it wonderful. For starters, it is a perfect depiction of childhood in the 1980s. From the locations, the clothing, the vehicles, it all felt meticulously honed in on the details of that time, making it seem exactly like it did to be a kid in the 80s, a pretty awesome achievement on it's own.

Maybe the most important aspect of Stranger Things that makes it such a hit, is that it follows three separate and equally interesting storylines, providing three distinct points of view of the same events. These points are view are unique by their age group (elementary age kids, teenagers, and adults) with each group experiencing other drama appropriate for their place in life. This is helped a lot by the fact that the show has an amazing cast. I was particularly impressed with the performance of David Harbour as the sheriff, but everyone is really solid.

Another strong reason the show is great, is the spooky synth-laiden soundtrack, which can go from mixing ethereal and ominous tones to dancing around whimsy or melancholy innocence. As I get older I increasingly notice the role a soundtrack plays in the experience of a movie or show, and here is a great example. Trivia: the OST comes from a LA-based group that goes by name SURVIVE, here is their Bandcamp page where they have a lot of other interesting music available for purchase. Read more about the group here.

If I have one lament about the show, it's that I wish there were two to four more episodes. They kind of wrapped up everything really abruptly at the end. And there were some loose ends not perfectly explained. Maybe that's on purpose. After all, season 2 was recently announced and they need something to bridge the story from the first season. Here is a very exciting trailer for season 2, which cleverly reuses the opening theme style of season one with the episode titles for the upcoming season. Just seeing the first episode title “Mad Max” lets is know that the creators are well on their way in the creation of season 2, and that is likely a lot more 1980s nostalgia to explore. We also know that the show will take place roughly one year following season one's events. I can't wait.

The Stranger Things-styled banner above generated here.

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 11:37 PM -

August 24, 2016

 

From Sea to Shining Sea, and Screen to Shining Screen

July was an interesting month for me because I got to stick my toes in both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. The month started for me with a trip to San Francisco, and ended with a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was also my first time to fly across the country, check out the map I made of the trip here. It's amazing to realize that you're crossing so much terrain in just a few hours.

While I was at the beach I got to see three films: Star Trek Beyond, Ghostbusters, and Jason Bourne. Here are my reviews of each:

Star Trek Beyond (A)

I'm biased because I'm a Trekkie, but this really was a great Trek film. I've gone to see many of the Star Trek movies at the theaters in my life; the Search For Spock was the first, and it gave me nightmares after I saw the scene where brain eating bugs in forcably incerted into the ears of the crew.

I generally like all of the Star Trek movies, even the not so great ones (Generations, Final Frontier, ), but I was nervous that without Abrams directing Beyond that it might not live up to the first 2 new rebooted films; however, it really was a great Trek film. Simon Pegg (who plays Scotty, and Shawn in Shawn of the Dead) wrote a fantastic script.

It's a contained story, in that it doesn't add or take away from the bigger Trek universe. It stands on it's own as a very entertaining entry to the series. I really hope we get at least a few more films with this cast.

Ghostbusters (B-)

I wanted very much to like this movie! The original film is one of my favorites. On paper this film should have been great. It had the director from Bridesmaids, and some of that amazing cast. It had an interesting idea of fliping the genders of the characters from the original. It had so much oportunity, but when it was all said and done, it was just a pretty ok remake.

I'm not sure I understand the decision to make this a remake, instead of a sequel. It seems like there was plenty of opportunity to keep the movie in that original film universe, rather than rebooting the whole series. And had that been the direction, there would not have been such a need to rank it against the fantastic original film.

Those gripes aside, it was a pretty funny movie, with some decent jokes are spread throughout the film. The best joke in the whole film in my opinion was related to the mayor's detest for being compared to the mayor from Jaws.

Overall, its a not terrible remake, but it could have offered a lot more.

Jason Bourne (C+)

Jason Bourne was sadly just not very good. I had to make a trip to see this with my Dad because we have seen all but the original Bourne film in theatres together (and we saw the last one at the beach as well coincidentally). This Bourne movie is really more of the same, there was nothing that really sets it apart. I think it missed two big opportunities to make it a better movie (which are still opportunities for future Bourne films!).

First, they didn't take advantage of any of the plotlines set up in the previous Bourne film (Legacy). I think people don't give Legacy enough credit, even though it was a very odd choice not to have Bourne as a character, they introduced some really interesting new scenarios/secret programs to investigate. The story was a lot more intersting than what we got in this last Bourne film.

Second, the intrigue of the original movies (and Legacy) was the plight of the main character figuring out their past. This is no longer the case for Jason Bourne, who knows he's actually David Webb. They did have some interesting backstory about his father. What would have made this film a lot more instesting is if now Bourne was a free agent, doing what he deemed prudent and in the best interest of the country he swore to protect. That would end up with a character a little more like Robert McCall, but it just seems like the natural progression for a guy like Bourne.

Allow me to pick a nit for a moment … “Jason Bourne” is a terrible name for this movie! It's an ill-conceived departure from the naming strategy of all the previous Bourne films (including the most recent Bourne film which didn't even have Bourne as a Character). Really anything would have been better: The Bourne The Bourne Colonoscopy, The Bourne

I have to wonder why the studio thought they should give the film the name “Jason Bourne”. Were they trying to follow other action series of late such as Rocky and Rambo, or Fast and Furious? Do they subscribe to the advice of some beguilingly idiotic think tank which generates these terrible name ideas? Hollywood, stop giving your movies dumb names!

When I first heard the name “Jason Bourne” a tiny seed of doubt was sowed in my mind. I have a theory which is so far proven accurate, which is: if a movie has a bad name it's more likely that the movie will be a bad movie. This isn' always true, just think of the following phrases to get my point: “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” “Batman Vs. Superman”.

There was nothing innovative or exciting about this movie, and that's unfortunate considering how excellent the series has been so far. Lets hope that the studio dosen't give up on Bourne and persues some more interesting story lines in future films.

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 11:50 PM -

April 28, 2016

 

The Rise of Cinematic Universes

In recent years there has been an increase in cinematic universes—collections of films that share the same world. Shared fictional universes have been existed in literature throughout history. For example: J.R.R. Tolkien's stories all exist in the world of Middle Earth.

Although technically shared cinematic universes have been around for some time, with Godzilla vs King King in the 1960s, and even earlier with Universal's Monster movie films, it was Disney and Marvel that really brought to life the first epic connected universe of films, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately Marvel and Disney can't unite all of the vast catalogue of Marvel characters. Any Marvel characters whose powers are derived from mutations fall under the domain of Fox.

Disney and Marvel are working with all of the non-Mutant Marvel characters in the Marvel catalogue, and in some cases non-mutant versions of characters (such as Quicksiver, who has appeared in both the X-men series, and the MCU). Marvel has worked a deal with Sony (who had exclusive rights to the characters in the Spiderman series) to bring Peter Parker into the MCU. His first appearance was in Captain America Cival War, the most recent Marvel Film.

Fox is also expanding the X-Men/Mutant cinematic universe, with the recent Deadpool spinoff and plans for films based on Gambit, in addition to a last stand-alone Wolverine film, and future X-Men films.

DC Shared Cinematic Universe—DC/Warner Brothers are trying to copy the success of Marvel/Disney with a shared cinematic universe of their own. This began with the Superman reboot Man of Steel.

Universal's Monsters—Universal is rebooting it's Monster series of films into a shared world of films.

Transformers/G.I.Joe/MASK/etc—There are rumors also that Hasbro is working on it's own cinematic universe, which would combine G.I. Joe with Transformers and MASK, etc.

Really with the popularity of cinematic universes lately, anything could happen. Patton Oswalt explains in this hilarious Parks and Rec rant.

Image of Milky Way from European Space Observatory | CC BY 4.0

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 12:31 AM -

March 13, 2016

 

10 Cloverfield Lane Review

Well I just saw the Cloverfield Sequel. 10 Cloverfield Lane is an excellent sci-fi/psychological thriller. I think it's a superior film to the original Cloverfield in many ways. This is thanks to a great story, and excellent acting. The best thing about this new film is that it opens the door for more films each with their own spin on the disaster genre. Cloverfield is now a brand.

(Warning: movie spoilers follow)

Most of the film takes place in a survivalist bunker, where Howard (played by John Goodman) an extremely paranoid middle-age man, has prepared for a major attack. The bunker is also occupied by two younger survivors who are not exactly free to leave: Michelle (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who has just woken from a car crash, and Emmet (played by John Gallagher), who as it turns out, chose to be in the bunker after seeing some of the attacks as they began.

My wishes for the character of Howard to have a connection to Super 8 didn't really pan out, and Howard actually turned out to be a far more disturbing character than I expected. And that's ok, because it's what makes this movie a nail-bitter. He really is the monster of the movie, a much more terrifying monster than Clover in the original film, or the other terrors that lurk near 10 Cloverfield Lane. It's Mary Elisabeth Winstead who really steals the show, as a very resourceful hostage plotting her survival. I found myself en the edge of my seat almost all of the movie while she dealt with the terrors of being a captive in Howard's world. John Gallagher was also really good in his supporting role. You feel bad for him, knowing he's been duped by the mad Howard, and he pays such a price due to Howard's cruelty.

Some reviewers/commentors online seem to be concerned that there is little connection between the two films. In reality there was never supposed to be a lot of connection, or it was never meant to be explicitly clear. But there actually are pretty clear connections – especially if you pay attention to the alternate reality online games that connect the two films. In the original Cloverfield it is revealed that the character Rob was going off to Japan to work for a company that was in some way connected to a mysterious Japanese conglomerate named Tagruato. The alternate reality games reveal over time that the company had made a significant discovery at one of its deep sea drilling stations, which could be assumed to be instigating the events in both films. In 10 Cloverfield Lane, there is a brief moment where the character Michelle stumbles onto some correspondence from Tagruato to Howard, who was at one point their employee after a stint in the US Navy. That aside, in the film there are mentions to attacks happening on the eastern sea board, which could be the attacks from the original film. Not to mention, the overall theme is very similar: Unknown supernatural/alien forces are wreaking havoc on society.

It's interesting that the director Dan Tractenberg had previously made the well-regarded Portal fan film, as so much of the Cloverfield franchise is aesthetically similar to the Half-Life franchise. There is definitely room for a cross-over.

Ironic movie trivia: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who played John McClane's daughter in the recent Die Hard films, gets her own turn finding out what a TV dinner feels like as she navigates the air vents of the bunker.

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 11:04 PM -

February 13, 2016

 

A Darker Super Hero

Lately we're starting to see some Marvel Super Heroes portrayed in a much darker light.

Last winter I got caught up in the Netflix show Jessica Jones, a series that is part of Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. (The Marvel Cinematic Universe includes basically every character who is not a 'Mutant' – 20th Century Fox owns the rights to those Marvel Comics characters.) What really drew me to Jessica Jones was its very dark and disturbing subject matter, which by the way earned it a TV-MA rating. Wile dealing with characters who have super powers, it also dealt with mature themes of grief, addiction, isolation, jealously, abuse, etc. This makes the characters more realistic and interesting. I really loved the show (you can read more about what I thought about Jessica Jones here).

Jessica Jones was so good I decided I had to give Daredevil a try. And not surprisingly, Daredevil is also a great show, for many of the same reasons. The two shows are unique, but what they have in common is that they focus on one character (and their supporting friends) as they deal with every day life, while working to combat villains who may not be as obvious as Loki or Ultron, but are just as corrupt and dangerous.

A Man With Principle

The Catholic aspect of Daredevil makes the show a little more interesting for me personally. It adds an element of inner conflict for the hero, feeling the strain for doing what's ethically right verses doing what is necessary to stop injustice. Daredevil is the alter ego of Matt Murdock. Like Jessica Jones whose day job is being a private investigator, Matt also has a day job, which is being a Lawyer working for the disadvantaged in Hells Kitchen in NYC. Matt happens to be blind due to an accident in his childhood, but which also gave him incredible powers of sense with his other four senses, which he has kept a secret even from his closest friends.

Most of the time Murdock is trying to track down and stop the one responsible for increasing crime and injustice in his corner of the city. That person is Kingpin, a secretive and powerful figure who runs a world of greed and corruption. He seems to have infinite resources and control over the city, with many of those charged with protecting the city in his pocket. Ironically, he sees himself as a savior of the city, trying to rebuild it into a brighter tomorrow. But his means to an end lack any sort of humanity.

Murdock gets help from his friends, who while unaware of his secret, are also trying to find a way to bring to justice those who are inflicting pain and cruelty to the city. Being TV-MA, and being a full series, allows both Daredevil and Jessica Jones to dig deep into difficult subjects and relationships, such as: divorce, honestly, guilt, police corruption, the principals of traditional journalism caught in the economics of new technology, etc. This gives the comic based TV series a real edge over their feature film counterparts.

By the way, Netflix must realize they have struck gold with their deal with Disney to distribute these shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I also just watched Marvel's Deadpool – another surprisingly mature-themed depiction of comic book characters...

A Man Without Principles

When I think of the character of Wolverine, there is no actor other than Hugh Jackman that feels appropriate to portray him (when I was a kid, I thought no one other than Clint Eastwood could pull of the role). I now would say the same thing about Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds is as suited to play the part of Wade Wilson as Jackman is to play Logan.

The movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not great. But it can be regarded as the movie that spawned two great follow-ups, which in my opinion are the two best films in the X-men series – The Wolverine and Deadpool. The character of Deadpool/Wade Wilson was introduced in Origins, and Reynolds was one of the best parts of pretty lousy film. Luckily, the X-Men franchise rebounded with First Class and the events of Days of Future Past presumable undid the unfortunate fate of Wade Wilson in Origins, leaving his character available to be rebooted in a much better film.

Deadpool, like Dare Devil, also deals with injustice, but from a far less altruistic point of view. Unlike Matt Murdock, Wade Wilson does not strive to be a good guy. He accepts the fact that he's no hero, he just wants to make those that are a lot worse than him face justice, by any means necessary, and without remorse. But most importantly, he just wants to get his girl back. That's really the whole point of the movie: it's a love story, a very disturbed, bloody and violent story of true love. But the simplicity of his motivation is by no means a detraction to this film.

One of the things that makes Deadpool unique are the jokes. Most comics seem to have at least some level of humor, but nothing compares to Wade's incredible sarcastic and cynical sense of humor. This is especially possible because of another very unique characteristic of Deadpool – his character breaks the 'fourth wall' (ie he talks to the comic reader, or in this case, the movie-watching audience) throughout the film, which allows for another layer of jokes at the expense of not just the characters in this movie, or elsewhere in the X-Men universe, but even non-Fox-owned Marvel characters and DC Comic characters alike, or even figures of pop culture and current events. The jokes have to be good for this to work, and they really are fantastic.

Note: This is the first X-Men film not to have at least a cameo of Wolverine – although he gets one or two very funny mentions along the way.

This is the first R-Rated Marvel movie, and as such it's intended for a mature audience. And Deadpool does not pull any punches when it comes to the content of this film. The profanity, the nudity, the violence are all very gratuitous. Based on likely box office results, I doubt this will be the last R-Rated Marvel film.

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link to this post - posted by Jonathan @ 6:47 PM -