Movie: Dr. Strange

I haven't done a movie review in a while...simply because I just haven't been to the theater.  Fall was too beautiful to waste indoors.

The Husband and I caught an early showing of Dr. Strange last Saturday.  I LOVE that I can catch a 915am movie!!  Grab some lunch afterwards, run an errand, and I can still enjoy my afternoons. 

Dr. Strange is set in the Marvel Comic universe, of which I only have a passing knowledge.  I've seen the first two Ironman movies and that's about it. The great thing is, you don't need to really understand the Marvel world or comics to enjoy this movie. 

Premise of the movie is Dr. Strange is a brilliant and egotistical surgeon.  He's callous, self-centered, and, from hints dropped in the movie, spending money hand over fist.  On his way to a speaking engagement, he fires his car off the side of a hill (texting and driving!) and crushes his hands.  Without his hands, he becomes nothing.  After a last ditch surgery fails, he spends the last of his money on a trip to Nepal to seek the help of the mystics. He gets more than he bargained for when the Ancient One shows him a world he doesn't believe exists - it's outside the realm of science.

The Ancient One has a student who went rogue and has stolen a spell from one of the sacred books. This spell is to bring to power the Eater of Worlds.  Dr. Strange, his understanding of his powers not yet manifest or understood, is forced to take on a the Ancient One's adversary and a God. 

Fun, fun movie!  The plot was engaging.  The special effects were AWESOME.  The acting was good - we are dealing with a lot of CGI Green Screen here - and the humor was, humorous.  I thought the movie was a balanced blending of action, character development, humor, special effects all while advancing the plot.

This can be watched as a stand-alone movie.  That being said, the observant movie goer will have observed how they set up a sequel.  Dr. Strange was engaging enough that I would go see the next one.   Recommended. 

Star Wars Wisdom...

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII)

I am a HUGE Star Wars fan.  Loved the original series (now known as Episode IV, V, VI).  I did not care for Episodes I, II, III.  In fact, I don't think I ever saw Episode III, and I wanted to walk out of II when I saw it in the theater.  Note to self, don't sit away from an aisle in a crowded theater.

Then word got out in 2015 that the new installment was going to be released in Dec.  I had plans to go to opening day...until I found out tickets were sold out.  I really don't like crowded theaters.  So I waited a month, grabbed the Husband on a chilly Saturday morning and caught a 9a show.

I can safely admit, I'm glad I waited and that I didn't pay full price to see this.  It was well made, visually fantastic (loved the desert world Jakka and the broken ships), and ultimately, disappointing.   Yes.  Disappointing.  The Force Awakens was basically Episode IV (the very first movie) all over again.  The following may contain spoilers, but really, I doubt it.  How can I spoil something you've already seen?  But, you've been duly warned...  stop here if you have any qualms about spoilers.  

Luke grows up on desert planet under the care of aunt and uncle.
Ray grows up on desert planet as a scavenger for a slaver.

Han Solo flys the Millennium Falcon through a few tight spots.
Ray flys the Millennium Falcon through a few tight spots.  

R2D2 is our only hope.
BB3 is our only hope.

Han is wanted for debts (Boba Fet).
Han is still wanted for debts (two bounty hunters board his ship this time!).

Millennium Falcon flees large thing with teeth.
Millennium Falcon flees large thing with teeth. 

Bar on Tattoie to find a way off planet (lo! we met Han Solo).
Bar on some green planet to find Luke.   Music was better in the Cantina...

Yoda squints at Luke and speaks prophecy.
Little woman creature at bar squints at Ray and speaks prophecy.

A Death Star.
A very BIG Death Star that has the same structural flaw as the first Death Star. 

Darth Vadar chops off Luke's hand, Luke recovers on spaceship.
Ren slices up Fin (FN), Fin recovers on spaceship.

Han Solo served with the Imperial Navy.
Fin served with Imperial 1st Order.

Epic battle between Darth and Luke.
Not quite so epic battle between Ren and Han Solo.

Sword fight between Obi Wan and Darth Vadar.
Sword fight between Ren and Ray.

Have to blow up Death Star.   "Just like shooting womprats back home!"
Have to blow up Death Star.   "Wahooo!!!"   No womprats tho....

How does Ren, newly awakened to The Force, suddenly seem to know what to do and how to do it when it took everyone else years to master?   A couple of deep breaths and she's got it down pat.  Maybe girls do learn faster. 

Observation - doesn't anybody change their clothes in space?  Conceivable that wash machines and water are hard to come by, but one would think that would make it all that more important to change clothes every once in a while. 

And can we get any cornier with the Nazi reference to Nuremburg?  I thought we were done with Nazi's in Indiana Jones.

I'm sure I'm missing more than a few comparison similarities, but you get the idea.  Thankfully, it's only a 2 hour movie.  I admit, I got extremely fidgety at the 1.5 hour mark.

But all of this begs the question, why is so much the same?  To what purpose will all of this serve as the next two installments come out?  Wait, we must.  

I mentioned up top that I liked the movie visually.  Yes, some damn impressive scenery in this one - Jakka was just cool.  The x-wing fighters zipping across the lake was just cool.  The tentacled monsters on Han's salvage ship awesome.   So, yes, some very good CGI effects.   And I have to admit, JJ Abrams knows when and how to end a movie.   I liked the ending a lot. 

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (part 3)

The last installment of the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Franchise was released yesterday, and as has been tradition going on for 6 years (not consecutively), I went opening day.   For the Lord of the Rings series, my friend and I actually stood in line!  Yes!  But movie times, availability, and being able to purchase tickets ahead of time has taken away that necessity.  Now we can show up for a noon show, walk in, and be one of 8 people in the theater. 

But I digress.  This is about the movie.  Which we saw in 3D because on-line movie times didn't match real-world movie times and I didn't want to wait 45 minutes for the next 2D show.

Ultimately, I was underwhelmed.  It was and hour and a half battle scene bracketed by 30 minutes of getting the armies of Man, Elves, Dwarves, Orks, and Orks into place.  Then it was 30 minutes of tears.  I found the battle scenes to be overly large, improbable, and, well, boring.  We have our main characters dancing around, swinging swords and rocks and knives and wielding bows and arrows against impossible odds.   We have a shield wall that wasn't used properly.  We have ranks and ranks of archers that weren't used at all - even with a shield wall right in front of them! 

I sat in my seat, fidgeting, wishing I had my knitting. I sat there lamenting that if Peter Jackson was going to do his interpretation of the Hobbit, why couldn't the dragon have lived and smote all the armies and put everyone out of their misery right off the bat.  Poor dragon.  Always get the short stick right in the chest cavity.

I will maintain, Jackson took a fantastic adventure story and turned it into an action film. 

I don't need to say more, because if you've read the Hobbit, and seen the first two installments, you'll know what's coming.  

Recommended with reservations. 

Well, boys, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into...

Movie: The Hobbit - the Desolation of Smaug

Friday the Hobbit part 2 was released.  And while I am no longer standing in line at 8am for the opening movie, which is now at Midnight rather than 11am, I still like to go opening day.

My review:  a moderately entertaining three hour movie that is nothing like the book.

Why?  The Hobbit book is an adventure. It's about a Hobbit who decides to leave his Shire and go on perhaps the grandest adventure of all.  He meets fantastical peoples in the elves and the shape shifter, saves the dwarves from more than one mishap and somewhere along the way find his courage.  It's lighthearted, whimsical, and the prose brings to life a wonderful world.

The Hobbit movie is about a vendetta between the deposed King of the Dwarves, the Necromancer and his White Orc, and one very ill tempered dragon.  We have"RUN! You Fools!", grandiose chase scenes, kung-fu like fight scenes, Gandalf holding off the necromancer on a tiny bridge while holding his staff aloft, and a love interest.  It's like watching a Dungeons and Dragons video game.  It's dark, fast paced and creepy (you can't watch this and not think the spiders are creepy...).

The movie is nothing like the book.  Except for the ill-tempered dragon, who I don't blame for being so cranky at such a deviation from adventure to action.  

Indeed, Mr. Peter Jackson, what have you done?

Recommended with reservations.  

Movie: Ender's Game

Ender's Game opened in theaters Friday and I made sure I was going to make the early afternoon showing.  I've read the book several times - actually I've read most of the series by Orson Scott Card (I think I'm missing the last two books).  So yeah, it was a given I would be at opening day.

Movie blurb:  A brilliant young strategist rises to the top of his class in Battle School while training to defend Earth against hostile aliens intent on exterminating the entire human race in this sci-fi epic based on the celebrated novel. In the not-too-distant future, our planet has come under attack from a malevolent race of aliens known as the Formics. Incredibly, fearless International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley) sent them fleeing back into the stars, becoming a living legend in the process. But decorated Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) knows that the Formics will soon return even stronger than they were before, and he's determined to find a new hero who can meet them head on. Enter Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a modest young man with vast untapped potential. Upon being recruited into Battle School, Ender partakes in a grueling series of simulations, effortlessly mastering every challenge presented to him. Celebrated by his peers and respected by his superiors, Ender is quickly promoted to Command School, where the one and only Mazer Rackham provides him with the knowledge and tools needed to save mankind from certain extinction. As the final battle approaches, Ender prepares to embrace his destiny as one of the greatest heroes in the history of planet Earth. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi


Overall, this was well executed. The visuals were awesome - from the shuttle that takes the trainees to the space station, the gravity-free "War Room", the hand controlled monitors, the shots of deep space and even the Formic planets were very well conceptualized.  The one time the audience gets to see the Formic's up close, we find out just how beautiful a "bug" can look.  The director nailed it.  

Now to nitpick and this is where I think having read the books was an advantage:  the plot was a bit choppy, coming off almost as rushed chapters rather than a smooth segway about Ender Wiggin's progression through his training.  The explanation of the Major Gwen Anderson's roll in Wiggin's constant psych evaluation came later than it should have in a movie setting.  The instant affection between Petra and Wiggin felt out of place rather than the natural bonding of two trainees to cope with a difficult platoon leader.   Mazer Rackham came across as stiff and wooden, as if Ben Kingsley wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do.  What doesn't come across very well is Ender's physical and emotional decline leading up to the big reveal at the end.  The subsequent mental breakdown fell short of the impact it should/could have had. 

While not without it's faults, it's a movie that I (and my Dad) thoroughly enjoyed.  Book and movie recommended. 

Star Trek: Into Darkness

After months of counting down, torturing everyone with updates on how many weeks/days/hours I was till the opening of Into Darkness, I finally got to plunk my tush in a seat, kick back, and enjoy the show.

Plot summary from Paramount Pictures: When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. 

And enjoy it I did!  The movie starts fast, moves fast, with fast action and even faster ships.  We have a BIG ship facing off against the suddenly little Enterprise, which was very cool.  We had ships popping out of oceans, crashing into oceans, and fighting in warp drive.

Lots of homage to the original Trek movies - which I won't spoil here - and could almost have been the detraction to the movie.  On one hand, it's new to anyone under oh, 30, and for anyone over about 40, a nice way to tip the hat so to speak to the franchise.  But perhaps a bit overdone?

I LOVED the antagonist, John Harrison and how the movie actually made you wonder if he really was the bad guy.  Dark, brooding, and sexy, I was rooting for him anyway.   

Less romantic crap in this installment which I highly approve of. Not wild about romance in my scifi. On the other hand, we did have our crew connecting in more meaningful ways as they try and understand each others motivations. 

It was well done, it had it's "ahh....ummm's", and I enjoyed every minute, even when they managed to jerk those tears out and I knew damn well what was actually going to happen. 

If you like Trek, if you like scifi, and if you like action, you'll like Into Darkness.  

Movie: Oblivion

What a plethora of scifi movies coming out this year!  Oblivion, Star Trek, Superman, Enders Game, and a couple more whose names escape me.

Saturday was proving to be cold, overcast, and rainy so it was perfect for a trip into town to run neglected errands and catch a movie.  I talked the Husband into Oblivion as a precursor to Star Trek in two weeks.

Right off the bat, I don't have strong feelings one way or another about Tom Cruise.  It seems people either like him or loathe him, but ultimately it must be admitted, the guy can make a good movie.

Plot summary:  Jack and Bika are the last two technicians assigned to watch the hydroplants converting a devastated Earth's water resource to fuel before making the move to Titans's moon to join the rest of humanity.  Five years of constantly fighting the "Scav's ", who keep taking out the drones protecting the hydroplants, has left Jack wondering if he really wants to leave.  But a downed NASA ship causes him to question everything he has ever known and throws him into a conundrum of epic proportions.

We both enjoyed the movie.  The pacing was good, the premise was interesting, the visual effects weren't too over the top, the backdrop was very cool, and I enjoyed the plot even though it pulled from about five other science fiction flicks.  I will also say that *I* found Oblivion a bit predictable and made more than a couple muttered "didn't see that coming..." under my breath.  With only 6 people in the theater I wasn't worried about being overheard. 

The movie isn't without a few faults, such as the rescued Julia having ready access to a skin-tight pilots suit when a moment before she's in a tank top.  And it seems you can't have Tom Cruise in a movie without putting him on a motorcycle.  There are more, but I am reluctant to go complaining too much when I was happily entertained on a rainy afternoon and would watch it again. 

Go see it.  Recommended. 

Sherlock by PBS Masterpiece Mystery!

This was a three part series released in 2010 by PBS Mystery.  I had to laugh when I saw the first episode - I had actually caught the first 5-10  minutes of this, but not knowing what the heck I had just tuned into, I stopped watching.  Alas, just now did I realized what I had missed!

I have seen just about every version of Sherlock out there;  I confess I have not watched the Basil Rathborne series; but I've seen the Jeremy Brett version several times, in addition to the new Sherlock movie with Robert Downey Jr.  I've read the stories, I've taken classes on them, Sherlock to me is something everyone should read at least once.  Those of us with a leaning toward mysteries, tend to read them several times.

The new series has been modernized, which to some purists may be grounds to hunt down the producers with pitchforks.  Not being a purist, I have to say this was one of the best Sherlock variations I have seen to date (sorry, Mr Downey).   Up till now my standard was Jeremy Brett with Robert Downey Jr a close second.  Sorry gentlemen,  you have to stand aside, Benedict Cumberbatch has surpassed you both.  The producers did an outstanding job in my opinion, blending the traditional with the modern.  Absolutely outstanding.  

Season 1 of Sherlock by PBS Masterpiece Mystery!

In the first episode, we are introduced to our new John Watson, a medical doctor who has been wounded in Afghanistan.  If you are familiar with the books, you will know that Dr. John Watson was indeed a medical doctor who was wounded in Afghanistan.   By happen stance, he is introduced to Sherlock Holmes and they become flatmates at 221b Baker St.  Watson is then dragged into topsy-turvy world of Sherlock's investigations with the Case of the Study in Pink - three bodies have shown up as suicides, when nothing indicates that these people were suicidal.  The one liners, the photography, the delivery of the lines was a delight - we watched it twice in fact.

The second episode was a bit darker, but still retained all the quirkiness from number one.  Sherlock has an idea, and runs after it.  Holmes is in charge of damage control, which may even mean he's left holding the bag.  Literally.  The Blind Banker begins with a trip to a bank.  One of their managers has gone missing.  A room has been spray painted, in a security tight building, in a locked room.  The bank hires Sherlock to figure out how the person got in and out without the camera's catching him.  All this leads to illegal imports from China and the secret organization behind it. 

The third episode.  Ahh, loved this one.  Again, watched it twice.  Opening sequence is great, Sherlock is firing Dr. Watson's pistol at a wall while muttering, "Bored! Bored! Bored!"  In The Great Game someone is threatening to blow up people if Holmes doesn't figure out these little mysteries in a given time.   I felt that in this episode, Dr. Watson's role as Holmes conscious was solidified.  Holmes begins by treating this as a game, but realizes at the end the perhaps Dr. Watson was more correct than he realized. 


Now, if you haven't seen these yet - GO WATCH THEM!    'Nuff said. 

Movie Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The Husband and I finally had an opportunity to check out the newer indie theater that opened in Duluth well over a year ago. Since we don’t live in town, and only I work in town, in addition to two nights of yoga classes a week, getting to a movie is problematic. I either have to stay in town from 730a till late, or I have to make the 25 mile round trip twice - suddenly I’m driving 100 miles in one day! I don’t think so… and we have the pups to keep in mind.

Anyway, we were in town this weekend for a “staycation” that included two nights at the Historic Fitger’s Inn, a UMD Bulldogs game, some great dining out, and! A movie at the Zinema Theater. When I found out Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was there I pretty much declared we were going.

Based off of the book by John le Carre, this is set in England in the 1970’s during the Cold War. This is a classic spy thriller about spies spying on spies within the ranks of England’s MI6 department. The Controller and Mr. Smiley have been sacked after an agent in Budapest is shot. Later, Mr. Smiley is contacted by a government official to look into the rumor of a rogue agent - now missing - regarding a mole in the upper echelon of MI6. From here Smiley follows twists and turns that all lead back to the dead agent in Hungary.

I thought this was a very cool movie. I loved the watching the tangled web being slowly unraveled with methodical intelligence gathering - not a car chase, gun fight or bomb explosion to be seen anywhere. Smiley would tug at one thread and see what happens, then pursue another thread that didn’t seem to make any sense until later. Absolutely delightful how everything comes apart. But I love movies like this - thinking movies. I’m looking forward to watching it again just to see what I pick up that I missed in the first go.

PS - I will also admit I have not read the book. Yet.  Not entirely sure I want too now that I've seen the movie and enjoyed it as much as I did.  

A Different Scifi Review...

Saturday found the Husband, myself and the Parents at the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra for an evening with the music of John Williams.  Now, this doesn't seem very scifi'ish, but given that this very prolific composer did the musical score for Star Wars, ET, Jaws, Superman, Close Encounters, Indian Jones, and Jurassic Park (just to name a very select few) I figured it rated a review.

The concert opened with Star Wars.  Classic.   Simply classic.  However, as I sat there in an orchestra hall that was about a bazillion degrees, I felt something was missing (other than air movement and air conditioning).  I decided the orchestra just wasn't big enough for this particular piece - there just wasn't the resounding overtones that make this song "Star Wars".  

The conductor was a hoot for this performance - engaging the audience and providing some great commentary on each selection and interjecting a lot of humor into the evening, which I think was great given the number of kids and young adults in the audience.  The second selection was Jaws, and the tuba kept doing the da dum and the conductor would wave his hands and say not yet! not yet!  While I have never seen Jaws, I could appreciate the chilly undertones this music conveyed. 

We then moved on to Empire of the Sun - a supposed fusion of oriental and English tones to denote both cultures.  I felt the oriental tones were significantly lacking and we were left with mostly a variation of Handel.  The Duluth Symphony Choir however, was outstanding. 

This segwayed into Schindler's List, with its haunting violin melodies.  The principal violinist did an outstanding performance.  I think this was my favorite selection of the evening. 

The conductor talked a little bit about Saving Private Ryan, and how Mr. Williams did not watch significant parts of the movie for this due to some of the gruesome war scenes.  Yet he was still able to match mood to movie and did a resplendent job.  The Choir accompanied on this piece as well.

The next selection was Amistad, accompanied by the Duluth East Women's Chorale and the Duluth Symphony Choir.  Now this really reflected the fusion of English classical and African tribal more so than Empire of the Sun.  

The last selection before intermission was Superman, and the brass section got to stand up and pull off their shirts to show the Superman T-shirt underneath.  Cute. 

Intermission provided an opportunity for a costume contest in three categories - little tykes, teens and adults.  Three winners were selected from each and they got their picture taken with the guest conductor.   There were some well thought out costumes - several Indiana Jones, several Princess Leia and Padme's, a couple Harry Potter characters, C3PO, Anikan's, well, you get the idea. 


With break over (an the hall no less cool) the orchestra did a rendition of the Harry Potter theme song and then a selection from one of the other movies.  A good illustration of William's style - grandiose sweeping themes.   

And how can we have an evening without ET?  I could have skipped this one in favor of, well, anything else but I'm in the minority here.  Didn't like ET.  No fault of the orchestra or conductor.

The audience was informed that for Jurassic Park William's didn't want to make music for another "monster movie" and instead wanted to acknowledge the nobility of the dinosaur.  I felt you could really feel the vast open spaces with the tropical plants and the almost Eden atmosphere at the start of the movie when they take a fly-over of the island.  Well done.

Star Wars Phantom Menace.  I think that's what it was.  By this point I was getting very fidgety - I was hot, my feet were hot, it was super stuffy, I just wanted to go.  However, the conductor must have had some espresso at intermission because he was still in fine form and in fact, encouraged the audience to wave around their light sabers (yes, they were selling light sabers in the hallway that changed lights was you shook them).  Kinda cool.  

Encores.  Like extra innings in a baseball game, I despise encores.  However, you couldn't do An Evening with John Williams and NOT do Indiana Jones.  Conductor ran off, we all applauded, he ran back on with his fedora and bullwhip, and away we went into a rousing rendition of Indian Jones.  However, I wondered if this wasn't a last minute add-on because there were a couple of noticeable "oops!" from the brass section.

My main criticisms with the evening were actually centered around the hall itself - besides the atrocious heat, they had these lights set up to beam pretty patterns onto the ceiling and walls, but folks on the main floor wouldn't be able to see them and all they did for the folks in the balcony was make it hard to see the orchestra.  It was like having 6 flashlights pointed at you from the sides of the stage.  And due to the angle of the ceiling, the patterns weren't all the noticeable.

However, lest you think me cranky, it was overall a delightful evening and I am very glad I went. 

Movie Review: Julie and Julia

I've read both books this movie is based off of: My Life in France by Julia Child and Paul Prudhomme and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell so when I heard there was going to be a movie I was intrigued, and when I heard that Meryl Streep was going to be Julia, I knew I had to see it.


It was a nicely done movie, Meryl Streep did a spot on Julia Child, if not just a tich over done. The Husband noted right off the bat, as Paul and Julia are assigned to Paris right after the war, that it wasn't reflected how battered Paris was. I also thought Julia's ignorance of food and cooking could have been emphasized a bit more at the beginning as that was what really launched her 'food affair'. There were other small nuances that needed to be overlooked as well from both books, but I have to remind myself, they were condensing two books into one movie.


The segways between Julia Child's life and Julie's world were also very smooth and the parallels nicely emphasized; the 'mid-life crisis's, the inexperience of the cooks, the tribulations of daily life. But it is there that the similarities end. As in the book, Julie P. comes across as a bit of a whiner. Downtrodden government employee by day, frantic cook by night, neglecting husband and social life in her quest to cook 524 recipes in 365 days in one tiny apartment.


Julia C., as an ex-government employee with nothing to do in post-war Paris, she takes cooking lessons. A passion is ignited within her and she hooks up with Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck to produce a French cookbook for the "American cook who has no servants to cook for her..." Julia comes across as bold, unconventional, and daring.


I enjoyed the movie even though I knew how it was all going to come together at the end simply because Meryl Streep was a delight to watch - it was as if she was channeling Julia herself. I did find myself becoming fidgety as I didn't realize (and should have) that this was a 2 1/2 hour movie. Fortunately my knitting was nearby.


Recommended if you like Julia Child and have a lazy afternoon or evening to commit to it.

Movie Review: Forbidden Planet

Made in 1956, this science fiction movie starring Leslie Nielson as Commander Abrams was quite fascinating to watch from a 2010 viewpoint. With pretty decent special effects and in some cases pretty impressive special effects considering it was 1956, this was part speculative space exploration and part psychological thriller.

From IMDb: When an Earth mission arrives on Altair IV, they find that Dr. Edward Morbius and his beautiful daughter Altaira are the only survivors from the original expedition that had arrived some 20 years before. Morbius isn't exactly pleased to see them and would have preferred that they not even land their spaceship. He does his best to get them on their way but Commander Abrams and his men soon face an invisible force leading them to believe that Morbius and the girl are in danger. Morbius claims to know nothing of other life on the planet but does reveal there once existed a far superior race, now extinct, that left a huge subterranean industrial and scientific complex.

The drawbacks of the movie do include portraying Altaira as a weak and naive girl who falls in love with the first men she has seen outside of her father. Her main job is to pose seductively and bat her big blue eyes in a beguiling manner. The movie also portrays a starship to be much like a regular seafaring ship on earth, where even the lowliest cook seems to have way to much liberties. Discipline was very lax. Tsk.

But even with the societal norms of the times portrayed in the movie, I still felt it was fairly well executed visually and I enjoyed it for what it was: an entertaining science fiction movie. Recommended.

Movie Review: Moon

Moon is a independent science fiction film produced in 2009 and proceeded to win a slew of awards. A couple of folks from the book group attempted to go see it at our local indie theater just after it opened, but due to misinformation, missed it. Therein lies the wonders of Netflix!

The premise of the movie is Astronaut Sam Bell is an employee contracted by the company Lunar Industries to oversee the extraction helium-3 from lunar soil for exportation back to Earth. Sam is near the end of his three year solo stint and is looking forward to going back home to his wife and child. His only companion has been the robot GERTY (think Hal here folks).

Two weeks out from the end of his contract, Sam begins to see visions and on a run out to one of the excavators he crashes himself under one of the tracts. Sam wakes up in the sick bay weak and agitated. GERTY won't let him leave the confines to go fix the extractor, noting that Lunar Industries has someone on the way to facilitate repairs. Sam, ever resourceful, tricks GERTY into opening the locks, and he heads out across the Lunar landscape.

What he finds is himself.

I thought this was an excellent film on several levels. It starts out feeling rather like a horror film, very suspenseful, and indeed it had me looking at the envelope to make sure I hadn't picked a horror film. But then it grades gradually into a psychological thriller, a what is happening and how did it come about. We see Sam struggling with a physical breakdown and the mental realizations that all is not as it seems with Lunar Industries.

I shan't tell you any more because it is really a movie that should just be watched. Recommended.

District 9

I missed this one when it was in the theaters (actually, with the exception of Avatar, I miss most of them) and it finally made its way to the top of my Neflix list.

If you are a scifi fan, this is worth watching. First half of the movie blurs the lines between feeling like a documentary covering the eviction of the aliens from a containment camp called "District 9" and a movie. The shift to a movie is subtly done and unless you are paying attention, you won't really notice it. We follow Wikus, assigned the impossible and stupid task of gathering the "prawns" signatures to allow the "legal" deportation of the aliens to an alternative camp away from Johannesburg.

From the beginning, things go terribly wrong and Wikus finds himself unexpectedly mutating into one of the Prawns. Wikus goes from being a somewhat respected bureaucrat to a man on the run. The military and the scientists want nothing more than to get a hold of his DNA, for it is only a living Prawn that can operate the alien technology. And Wikus is now both man and alien offering the military a huge advantage in the fight against the aliens.

Through Wikus's plight and flight we get a look at the Prawns themselves and find that they are no more happy to be stuck in the horrid conditions than the population of Johannesburg is to have them there. Encounters between humans and aliens invariably ends up being bloody.

This is not a movie for the squeamish. Significant dismemberment, exploding bodies, rendering of limbs and blood splatting everywhere. Not to overlook one man turning into a alien. Oddly it didn't bother me (unlike Gladiator or Braveheart - ugh). The CGI effects enhanced the difference between aliens and humans without being overblown.

Again, if you like science fiction or action style films, I recommend this film.

Movie Reviews!

Being in a mind for a movie this past week rather than the usual PBS Mystery selection, I had Earthsea in my Netflix que. It wasn't the scifi movie I wanted, but it was next best thing.

Somehow, though, I had initially overlooked that this movie was 3 hours long. Yikes! That would mean having to set aside a bit of extra time, make sure the dogs were exercised (otherwise we make multiple trips to the door because Ben wants out, Ben wants in, Kia wants out, Ben wants out, Kia wants in...you get the idea.)

Earthsea is a trilogy by Ursula LeGuin, which I've read ages and ages ago. This description from Amazon.com works pretty well for the movie:

Originally broadcast as Legend of Earthsea in December 2004, the Sci-Fi Channel's four-hour miniseries of Earthsea rides the coattails of the Lord of the Rings trilogy with its quest-driven story of humble blacksmith Ged (Shawn Ashmore), a wizard-to-be who is mentored by the magical Ogion (Danny Glover) as he seeks to preserve the realm of Earthsea from the evil King Tygath (Sebastian Roché). Ged's adventures lead him to the priestess Tenar (Kristen Kreuk, from Smallville) and with secrets shared by High Priestess Thar (Isabella Rossellini), they gain the power to prevail over Tygath. [This] skeletal rendering of Earthsea boasts a wealth of digital effects and semi-lavish set design, but Ashmore's lack of charisma hampers a production already fraught with problems. It provoked the wrath of fantasy fans and a firm rejection by author Ursula K. Le Guin, who had watched helplessly (she wasn't involved or consulted) as her classic novels A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan were racially "whitewashed" (in Le Guin's words) nearly beyond recognition. As TV fantasy goes, Earthsea is admirably ambitious, but best enjoyed by those with no awareness of the classic books it is very loosely based on.

I certainly don't know about the "wrath of fantasy fans", but was more dismayed when I realized I had already seen the movie!! I must have borrowed it from someone in my book group. Oh well, it was in and playing, might as well finish it.

As with any fantasy book that is made into a movie, there are going to be notable differences between book and film. No exception. I treated this just like I treated LOTR, it's meant to be enjoyed. So if your a purist, then don't watch the movies. If you like to see a different artists interpretation of a book (like a different artists interpretation of a song) then sit back and enjoy the movie. Just don't get to worked up about some of the mediocre acting.

Movie Reviews!

Much to my great surprise I've watched two movies this week and because my usual book reviews have been a bit slow, I thought I would talk about something different.

Star Trek (the prequel)
I am a closet Star Trek fan...let me clarify...I am an original series Star Trek fan. Yes, <> A Trekkie. On Saturdays my local station used to air the original series and I would plan my afternoon so I could be done by five with my chores so I could sit and watch Capt Kirk and the gang. Until Sept...now some "Chopper" motorcycle show is on, blast them!

Anyway, this summer I wasn't able to see the new movie in the theaters and my friends tormented me with how awesome of a movie it was and when was I going to see it, and why hadn't I seen it yet, etc. So this Fall I broke down and got a Netflix subscription and carefully arranged my que so Star Trek the prequel would arrive in my mailbox the week it was released on DVD.

OMG! This was soooo cool! I e-mail this response to my tormentors:

There were cool aliens...but not too many.
There was a love interest...but not to much.
There were cool space scenes...can never have too many of those.
There was great special effects...and you can have too many of those**.

I loved how the 'crew' was assembled as they went along. Except Bones seemed older than he should be. And Ohura's pony tail bugged the heck out of me. And FINALLY! An engine room that actually LOOKS like what I imagine an engine should! With tubes and pipes and water and things that go hiss and plink and steam and barrels - kinda looked like the Budweiser or Miller breweries actually.

Criticism's - the red matter. I have to say that was, mmm, not quite right. But I can overlook that. And Scotty's little green man. Phuleze. Over the top cuteness. And I wonder if they got the bug out of Capt Pike (had to close my eyes during that scene...) or if he's still wandering around telling the truth.

I give this 5 stars and may have to go buy the DVD. Can't have too many scifi DVD's in my opinion.


Planet 51 (animated)
I saw a trailer for this while at Worldcon in Montreal and it had me laughing pretty good. It was actually rather accidental that I saw it was going to be released this week and when the parents suggested some Jazz at the 'Toga and dinner, I counter suggested with an animated movie and dinner.

Premise of the movie is an 'alien' lands on Planet 51, where young Lem's life is going pretty good....until he finds himself trying to hide Chuck the astronaut from the Military. The movie is full of misunderstandings, fun special effects, a wheeled robot "Rover" who likes rocks, and all the cute things that make animated movies, well, fun.

I can't say this was the best animated movie I've ever seen (that still might be the first Shrek movie or Spirited Away), but it was a fun way to spend an afternoon. Good for kids older than 5. I think younger than that there isn't much to keep their attention.