Chillin' with a xenomorph

Hector and the Search for Happiness

An exceptionally good movie. I hope it's a true story. One man's search for meaning and happiness, only to find that the only thing in his way is his inner child and fear.

Watch it.

Ex Machina

A truly great movie. 

Who's mind is getting more screwed with? The AI? The human Turing tester? Or the creator?

Brilliant, haunting, and beautiful.

Imitation Game

Very good movie based on the troubled life of the brilliant Allan Turing. 

What he might have accomplished had he not been driven to suicide...

Jupiter Ascending

Avoid. Very uneven movie with a totally stupid plot.

No amount of fx or stars could save this one. Disappointing. 

The Machine

A decent stab at being an intellectual thriller. Follows a pretty standard trope of man creating AI as an innocent, childlike figure... and then corrupting it for our own ends.

Worth a watch.

John Carter

This movie is good. Very very good adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs work. Don't know why people aren't seeing it.

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Took the boys to go and see SW: The Phantom Menace in 3-d this weekend.

I didn't like the movie much when it first came out, but sure enjoyed watching it with my boys. I discovered something: it was made for an eight year old boy. Once I decided it was more like Shrek than A New Hope, I had a great time.

The 3d transfer wasn't very good, but it was fun to watch on a big screen.

In Time

A really great premise spoiled by weak acting and plot. Essentially time has literally replaced money, and if you are rich you can literally live forever.

The plot rapidly degrades into a Bonnie and Clyde story, and it tries to be too many movies at once.

Tron Legacy

Awesome movie and a faithful sequel to Tron. Saw this opening weekend with Gabe who loved it too. Amazing special effects in a completely different way than most movies -- it wasn't supposed to be realistic. Thoughtful storyline that doesn't get in the way. Lots of inside jokes and references to the original. Well worth seeing!

Star Trek (2009)

 

I consider this a reboot, not of the Star Trek series as a whole franchise, but of the Original Series. Same campy feel, humour, and rolicking fun. 

They've changed everything down to blowing up vulcan, Spock getting down with Uhura, and Kirk as a punk. But they left Pike in the wheelchair, Kirk sleeping with Orion Slave Girls, and nasty bad guys out for revenge. 

Very, very good move. And it's great to put the downright geriatric next-gen cast to bed.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/

Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers

 

 

Very, very funny book adaptation of season 1 of Red Dwarf.

http://www.amazon.com/Dwarf-Infinity-Welcomes-Careful-Drivers/dp/B0010XE43A/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238682556&sr=1-23

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder

 

Must watch if a fan. If you're not, you won't get it.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054487/

Outlander

Very good action/scifi movie. Well worth a watch.

During the reign of the Vikings, Kainan (Caviezel), a man from a far-off world, crash lands on Earth, bringing with him an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Though both man and monster are seeking revenge for violence committed against them, Kainan leads the alliance to kill the Moorwen by fusing his advanced technology with the Viking's Iron Age weaponry.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462465/

Star Trek Movie Memories

Got this book from my Sister & Brother in law... and it was a lot of fun!

Who knew Gene Roddenberry was an asshole and recluse? Who knew that Scotty and Kirk didn't get along? Lots of fun stuff for a trekkie to be found here -- especially the first chapter on the long and drawn out concept piece that was Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Movie-Memories-William-Shatner/dp/0061093297/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234461242&sr=8-1

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

 

 

A very rough adaptation of the stunningly brilliant 1951 movie . The first half is OK -- gives a decent vision of a post-singularity alien species that is essentially beyond material want through the use of nanotechnology.

But, I'm sorry. Keanu does a terrible job as Klatuu. And the government/military response is simply unbelievable. Why was Klatuu shot? How did Spaceguard find and track an object moving at 1/10 the speed of light? Why were the scientists called together hovering in helicopters around what they thought would be a devastating meteoric impact? Etc, etc...

Does have a good line though... "Your planet?"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970416/

Joy Division

 

 

I've been watching this great documentary on Joy Division (simply called "Joy Division") on the PVR.

My intro to Joy Division was of course New Order, the band that the remaining members formed after Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980. I have most of their music and always thought they were perhaps the most interesting post-punk sound to come out of the UK in the late '70s. What I'm most fascinated by now is how their kind of post-industrial sound and striking minimalistic design and writing style have held up.

To the centre of the city where all roads
meet looking for you
To the depths of the ocean
where all hopes sank searching for you
Moving through the silence without motion
waiting for you
In a room with no window in the corner,
I found truth

The band helped form the melancholy of The Cure, The Smiths, The Sisters of Mercy and went on to create a niche for the "intelligent electronica" bands like Depeche Mode.

And their design ethic still inspires. Check out the cover to "Unknown Pleasures" released in 1979:

 

 

And the later precursur to the seminal New Order's "Substance":

 

 

You can see this ethos reflected in the writing style and cover art of bands like Coldplay even today, 30 years later.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_division

New Trek Movie Trailer

The new Star Trek movie trailer is here. I have to say that I'm very disappointed.

They made Star Trek into a teen action movie. Complete with an angsty teen whiny Kirk. I'm trying very, very hard to keep an open mind on this one but given the shoddy job they've done on the Enterprise I have my doubts.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Is hollywood redeeming itself for my generation? First we get Transformers, which rocked. Then we get Iron Man which is out-and-out the best superhero/comic book movie ever made.

Then we get the new Indiana Jones. This movie, well, kicked ass.

True to form. Shows it's age. And just works.

Visually matches the first movie. Set in the 50's to allow Harrison Ford to actualy play a guy his age. Still kicking ass and taking names, but tiring out. The story line is compelling -- almost as compelling as Raiders but for sure better than Temple of Doom or Last Crusade. Even the ending which a lot of people didn't like, was true to form and in my opinion fit very well.

And it's freakin' entertaining. Did hollywood finally get the memo?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367882/

Iron Man

Iron Man is a good movie. For a comic book movie, it's a great movie. A breath of fresh air, really.

It's a grown up movie with grown up ideas and a kid's sense of perspective and possibilities, and that's why it works. There's no goody-goody heroes here or truly evil villains. Robert Downey jr is perfect in the role, playing billionaire military industrialist Tony Stark. Gwenneth Paltrow does a good job but the role doesn't really suit her, nor does her redhead wig.

The effects are gritty and realistic for the most part if you discount Iron Monger at the end. IM's suit looks real, and takes damage when hit. And surprisingly, the movies humor works.

It also helped me realize one major thing -- every guy needs his own private jet with a stripper pole.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/