Tag: Sci-Fi

For a director to go from the highly praised insightful drama “Beginners” to the medium rated action film “The Maze Runner” is notable in a career. Wes Ball is one to take note of. In the second film of the franchise, “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” he has crafted a film much more busy than the first but lacking any visible moral stance. This is surprising given the strong pro homosexual stance in “Beginners.” It’s a proud film that promoted acceptance of gays and the dreams of others. But back to Maze Runner: I found myself at the end of the first film in the franchise excited to see the next one. It was like the end of a black and white superhero serial tv show. ie; “Don’t miss next week when Buck Rodgers tackles an octopus to save the day!” After watching that, you were more than excited to see what happens! Unfortunately, the second film Scorch Trials didn’t live up to the hype for me.

The characters were underdeveloped and the story rolled out with a very typical and overused technique. The method is “I know the ending, you don’t. So I will reveal a little more for you each scene but never the whole thing until the end.” A non-example of this technique of storytelling is the Columbo method. In Columbo episodes, we see the killer long before the end. Columbo is the one who discovers clues and we enjoy watching him figure out what we already know. I like his method a lot better. I suppose the “Maze Runner” method only can work when the things revealed are interesting. In the interest of avoiding spoilers I will only say the secrets are contemporary twists and themes. In particular, one of them is currently saturated and overused in film and television. I was surprised to see it used in the storyline. If you prefer to avoid the spoiler, don’t read any further. Spoiler sentence below:

Kids, there are zombies (yes, it’s true) that bite humans and then the bitten “turn.”

“Stop using curse words!” This is a recurrent statement in the Avengers. I wonder who this theme of struggling with four letter words is appealing to? Perhaps the fountain of youth is in cursing? Are the youth who this movie is written for the most happy? I have to say, I appreciate a more seasoned focus in a movie that can be enjoyed by 46 year olds as well as those around 8. They still exist do they not? I hardly ever curse and when I do, I don’t feel I have to join a 12 step program. The Avengers is fun and it has amazing effects but you might to a four letter word review in the way its focus is scattered and plot long,

If a movie is going to be long, let it have killer special effects I say. This film dragged on at times, over developing things that were obvious. Beyond that, the side dramas meant to show the humanity of the Avengers were predictable and out of place. For example, why do Nat and Banner have to get into romantic jabber? If I had to take a pee it would have been during those scenes. Those items aside, there are some amazing effects and it’s cool to watch the Avengers once again bring down the hammer.

It seems these days that these Marvel movies are wont to pour millions into movies that lack the simple ingredients of good movies. They make money on 3D goers primarily who have low expectations for a story. I’m afraid there was a bit of this here. The movie had several settings and several plots. I would have given a higher score if it had chosen one. Tony Stark had way too much screen time. I don’t know if kids these days know Robert Downey Jr. is 5’5″ and has spent time in jail. He’s a B rate actor that gets too much screen time on the Avengers. The suit is cooler than him yet you’ll get lots of him in Ultron. It was too long but I did have fun with my family. I don’t think I’ll see the next one but many others will, I respect that. I won’t call you a four letter word. There is indeed a fountain of youth and I like to think I live in it. It’s the place where you have your own mind on things and t’s never too far away. I guess in a weird way, this product-placement/formulaic film made me remember that. It comes streaming on Netflix next month.

This post is partly in response to Stream of Consciousness Sunday.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Forever Young.”

Bioengineered humans never looked so good in 35 years. 6/10

R | 2h 43min | Sci-Fi, Thriller | 6 October 2017 (USA)

A young blade runner’s discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who’s been missing for thirty years.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writers: Hampton Fancher (screenplay by), Michael Green (screenplay by) | 2 more credits »
Stars: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas | See full cast & crew

The director of Arrival made this film and I can’t help but ask myself why he was selected. For me, that pseudo space film was really just a memory and tme travel rehash mix if several other films. He definitely did a satisfactory job with the “Blade Runner” sequel but his convoluted plot became a bit of an uninteresting guessing game. The original film was much more simple and straight ahead action. Maybe I’m just nostalgic.

This has a gang of actors that grace the screen. I think the casting was pretty good. When you consider Rutger Hauer’s powerful performance in the original, you know they had big shoes to fill. Harrison Ford is here. He’s not all that remarkabke and it take him near forever to show up in the plot. Ryan Gosling is “K” a cop/replicant who retires older models. Gosling is by far the best performance. There is one scene with LUV and Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright) where a glass is squeezed and shattered that I found especally good on both their parts.

I could describe the plot in detail, I do on my podcast the DRP. Still, I find it veering hither and to. It’s way too complicated I think. I sort of wish they would have got a more straight ahead storyteller for a director and kept the story simpler. It involves a baby made through the relations of Sean Young’s character Rachel and Harrison Ford’s Deckard character. They call it a miracle. Factions want the baby so they fight to get to it her him. See waht I mean? A little out there.

My favorite scenes were the naked women statues in the Las Vegas Ruins. It was like Rome trying to look like Rome and falling like Rome. After the shootings last week, it’s almost chilling to think about. How fragile we are.

It was alright. I won’t be recommending it. Still, I know the fan base (like myself) will go so I don’t feel bad. I’ll be on Talking Stars next week discussing the fim on a panel. Not sure how much I may warm up to the film, though it has happened before. This is a long movie that only the very curious will be able to tolerate. Fortunately for the “franchise” (2 movies 35 years apart) Andriods do dream of electric sheep.

6/10

So much has been written about this film. It brought science fiction to mainstream consciousness like no other film before it. When I saw in the theater in 1977, I was 8 years old and immediately a fan.

Star Wars Episode IV “A New Hope” (1977)

Cast

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford

Directed by

George Lucas

Written by

George Lucas

Other Info

Rated PG
sci fi, action, adventure
83 min

The film takes us along the path of a young Luke Skywalker. Luke has humble beginnings but once destiny meets him in the form of Obi Wan Kenobi, his fate to fight against the Empire is sealed. I liken Luke’s path to that of anyone venturing forth in her/his life. There are obstacles and dangers that threaten to take him out  of the game: Sandpeople, Stormtroopers, even Darth Vader himself. By the way, I don’t Elise that director George Lucas had pre planned to make Vader Luke’s father. There is no evidence of this until the second movie. I think the film did highly well so Lucas wrote a second one, and so on. 

Once Luke’s journey is laid out for him, he meets up with a set of misfits like himself: Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Chewbacca (a creature), and of course, his mentor in the ways of a religion called “The Force,” Obi Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness). They are all reckless and endearing characters. This film was released in the late 70’s when movies and tv shows about “real people” we’re ring released. Lucas makes his characters real and so we feel like we are on this adventure with them. That’s a major reason this film is embraced by so man people worldwide.

I must say a word about the music. Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg enlist the magic of composer John Williams in their movies. This is vital to their success. Williams has the ability to create hypnotic and dynamic music to support the storytelling of Star Wars. It is possible, if you know the film well, to listen to the orchestral soundtrack and know without video or dialog what part of the movie it’s from. The music is as integral as the script.

There have been many movies made since 1977 that are part of the “bigger story” Lucas says. None, I might argue, recreates the 79’s Everyman tone of Star Wars. I have seen “Star Wars IV A New Hope” 50 times or more and would happily watch it again. I don’t have the same hunger to see “The Empire Strikes Back” or “Return of the Jedi.” Everything is deruvative and nothing can touch the genius of the first movie. “Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope” is in my top 5 favorite films of all time.

Captain America appears once again in a movie with his name as the banner. Strangely however, a legion of other stories and superheroes weave through this film and it watches more like the next Avengers film. Cap has a backseat purpose.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Cast

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
Robert Downey Jr., Tony Stark/Iron Man
Scarlett Johanssen as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow

Directed by

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Written by

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeeley (Screenplay writers)

Other Info

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rated PG-13
2h 27min

Comic books are fun, but they’re hard to get and I mean that on two levels. A good comic book tells a story in 2 dimensions. A good movie made from a comic book, transfers that “good stuff,” for example the story and superheroes, and translates that into a movie experience. 

Because I read a lot of reviews, I can see there is an either/or in comic book movies: some say they stayed true to the comic and the movie excelled as a result. The other one is when a comic book connosieur slashes and trashes the director for taking too much license in the making o the movie. I  don’t know comic books well, which might explain why I didn’t like this film as much as the critics as large. Maybe I should read more comics?

My first question was: “Why so many superheroes when this is a movie called “Captain America?””

I binge watched the two prequels to Civil War before seeing it at the cinema, as did my wife. I can tell you the first two really held my attention and Cap (as he is called in all of them) is the focal hero of the movies. That made it a lot easier to follow and get on board with. Civil War has too many superheroes exhibiting their individual strengths and weaknesses.

All the while there is a ploy by politicians to gain control of the Avengers due to their reckless modus operandi. Cap’s reins from the other two movies is named “Bucky” and I don’t want to give any spoilers but there is so much back story and attention given to him you might as well have named it “Bucky: Civil War.” Still, he has some interesting abilities and his interplay with Cap is somewhat interesting. I’d call that part of the story “just above a snore.”

We do get to see some action. There is an almost unforgivable about of people having dialog and no action. This to me was a crime. All I can imagine is that it would make more sense if I only read the comics. Because I felt the movie did not live up to its name “Captain America” and should have been named “Avengers,” and because of some laboriously long dialog with no action, it lost two stars with me. I have to say, enough comic book aficionados will go see this no matter what I say but to all the others I cannot recommend this film. I have high hopes for the next one though.

“Midnight Special” combines million dollar effects with a really low budget backdrop. It’s an odd combination that works on a sci fi level with mixed results.

 

“Midnight Special is a 2016 American science fiction-drama film written and directed by Jeff Nichols, and produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. The film stars Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Jaeden Lieberher.[ The film is Nichols’ fourth full-length film and his first studio production.[ It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.[6]

The film revolves around Roy and his biological son, Alton Meyer, escaping federal and local officers, after discovering that Alton has special powers.

The film began a theatrical release on March 18, 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures, expanding wider in subsequent weeks. It has garnered positive reviews from film critics.” (Wikipedia)

If you recall the Heaven’s Gate cult, you’ll think you’re there in the beginning. A cult, though never identified as religious, is always annoying to me in movies. The exception of this was “Big Love” on HBO a while back. I liked the humor of a polygamist living as a Mormon with his bitchy wives. That worked on a comic level.

This film unfortunately kept me hanging and didn’t deliver. I expect sci fi to be sort of in inner adventure. The thrill of creativity and invention is always there, beckoning me to the screen with popcorn in my mouth.

From this point, there may be minor spoilers.

In this film, it’s a chase that is only barely a thrill. There’s nothing thoughtful or new.

I also like sci fi that presents another world. That is damn interesting when done right. I’m reminded of Lucas’ THX. We get to see what these magical dopplegangers of us do on a higher plane. We get allusions to that world but it is never shown. Having said that, there is light, a lot of light. The way it bleeds like milk reminded me of “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.”

A LOT is left unexplained. I kept hoping it would make sense. As a married man, I had to keep reassuring my wife it would make sense. She pretty much hoped for the same thing I did. I am shocked so many critics are lauding this film. As usual when I dislike a movie, I will go and read a few of them. It’s averaging in the high 80’s on Rotten Tomatoes and elsewhere. S, you maybe should see it on that basis until I get my head together.

Until then, Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst have me stumped on this one. They are 2 of my favorite actors but I honestly did not find much joy in them delivering their roles. I’m sorry to say this one did not do it for me. Because I could watch Michael Shannon read food labels and be entertained (check out “Take Shelter”) it only lost 2 stars.

Tatiana Maslany opens this series as a prolific, talented, and practiced actress. The pilot does what a pilot should do: it hooks you in! She plays multiple roles deftly. This is the place I bought in as a fan, and I think for good reason. It is streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Orphan Black
TV-MA | 44min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi | TV Series (2013–2017)

A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.
Creators: Kim Coghill, Andrew De Angelis, Jeff Detsky | 8 more credits »
Stars: Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris

You have a story here crafted into a 5 season show. You don’t get that when the show is low rated. This is a great tv series. Besides that it won several prominent awards. MY point is that people have heralded this one as great from far and nearby, worldwide in fact. I enjoyed just about every episode. The Pilot is where the main character becomes aware she has clones in the world. WE find out later why they are there and what they can do when they band together. You see Maslany playing multiple roles in a single scene and it is pulled off like clockwork. I simplyoffer you this preview with my highest recommendation. Tatiana Maslany is one to watch!

10/10