“In Thy Future” Challenge: 5 Things That Need To Be Done

Share 5 Things About My Future. Well, Had No Idea Last Week That This Was Going To Happen…

“Look, I am not stupid you know. They cannot make things like that yet… Are you saying it’s from the future?” – Sarah Connor. 

Having studied/worked as a historian, the past seemed – somehow, comfortingly – more certain, less daunting, yet always reassuring. Reviving my passion for sci-fi through this blog has helped confront that unfathomable and intangible “future”; now comes this challenge (gleefully accepted): 

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Rules for the In Thy Future Challenge:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you.
• Link back to the challenge creator to track progress.
• Share 5 things about your future.  Then one day you can look back and find out how psychic you really are.
• Tag 5 bloggers and put them up to the challenge.

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Danica Piche @ Leading a Beautiful Life – nominated me for this Challenge.  Thank you, Danica!

5 Things About My Future:

“You should see what he can do” – Rogue.  

1. Get that novel finished. Obviously. And then write some more fiction. 

Yes, yes! This well-meaning intention has been announced/noted several times in this household – during this past year alone – to the point that Mrs. B no longer believes it. But hey, the ideas, enthusiasm and typing sessions generated over these past few weeks through my latest Brother Brad creation, have been fantastic.

Beforehand, there was a SF mega-opus coming along, but far too slowly. This project, on the other hand, is a different, more satisfying prospect – have not felt so good about writing fiction in a long time. Actually, working via WordPress rather than Word Document has actually sparked a more encouraging creative process.

If you are interested in Following this project as it comes to fruition, you can check out this site. Moreover, there are plenty of awesome ideas to stretch this concept into a series.

ETA: Volume 1 in the stores by Christmas!

“I’ve seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark. Rome is the light” – Maximus Decimus Meridius. 

2. Visit Rome.

“Yet you have never been there!” as Marcus Aurelius constantly – irritatingly – reminds me. Ciao! Talk about a radical departure from what usually appears on these Posts, this remains a long-standing Thing To Do. 

Finally got the chance to study Ancient Roman History at university. However, having no physical connection to the metropolis once considered the centre of the world, it was not easy to get to grips with my studies. After the degree came a great travel option: Europe or Southeast Asia. The latter was selected; my life advanced to a higher, more enjoyable, level, although one part of me wonders what fortune the former option could have presented…

Mi dispiace, goodness knows when this visit will happen.

Cosi e la vita, bebe…

ETA: Who knows? Summer 2016 perhaps, or 2017? 

“With his fertile imagination, his wit, and his prolific output, Isaac Asimov truly laid the Foundation for all future generations of science fiction writers” – Kevin J. Anderson. 

3. Swot up on some essential science fiction classics.

Compiling my own sci-fi Posts, this would seem like a mandatory pursuit anyway. However, due to the unavailability of such classics – and work commitments, of course – this aim is not as easy as it sounds. 

Honestly, how can you accept me as a sci-fi blogger if some of the greatest literary works in the SF canon have not been thoroughly scrutinised?!

For example, top of the Essential Classics list comes the Foundation series – revered in some quarters as the greatest SF series ever published – created by the grand master himself: Isaac Asimov. Initially a trilogy – Foundation (1951), Foundation And Empire (1952) and Second Foundation (1953) – it now consists of six books; confusingly, Prelude to Foundation – the prequel – was the last book in the series to be published (as late as 1986).

ETA: From this November and on through Christmas (subject to availability). 

“We have sat waiting like this many times before… At night, I can hear the call of my race. They wait for me. Once I join them, we will be forgotten” – Crow.  

4. Resurrect my archery.

Well, it doesn’t get any more ironic than this. There is a future for this ancient noble art in my life. Brad The Bowman: sounds kinda cool, huh? Not such an idle fantasy as it sounds…

Gawping at Crow, the Elvin bowman (the only highlight of ultra-cheap British fantasy flick: Hawk The Slayer) and the early ’80s Robin Hood TV series both proved to be lasting influences. This led me to sign up for an Archery Group at a fab holiday camp during junior school. Wow, talk about being a natural bowman – it was as if this mild-mannered moppet had been a Merry Man in a former life…

Unfortunately, there’s never been another chance to strap a quiver on me back ever since. My bow-draw-muscles are getting a tad flabby; yet my goatee is ripe and my Green Arrow costume gathers dust in the spare wardrobe.

So, put my name down for the next Archery Contest before my elvin skills set packs up completely; what say you?! 

ETA: The sooner the better…

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads” – Doc. Emmett Brown.  

Last but not least…

5. Secure a copy of Back To The Future 2 and watch it on October 21 2015.

Aim to have a rollicking laugh at how hopelessly wrong their vision of our future turned out to be! This average sequel should also be regarded as a serious lesson about how futile it is to try and predict such things like the onset of hoverboards. 

It’s best to end on such a relatively simple task, as long as the download technology does not let me down…

ETA: October 21 2015. About teatime.

“Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today” – Phil Connors.  

This may seem like such a daunting challenge, but – trust me – this provides an ideal opp to sort out what you need/want to do. 

So, the delightful nominees are: 

• Box Office Buzz
• Doorway Between Worlds
• Film Grimoire
• The Ninth Life
• Precinct 1313

Hope you are up for the challenge – good luck!

Wouldn’t it be thrilling to visit our future self, look them in the eye and ask: “Well, did you manage it?” 

Cheers!

The Gung-Ho Iguana And Other “Strange Friends”

Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada. 

“Terrific. I’m about to get killed a million miles from nowhere with a gung-ho iguana who tells me to relax” – Alex Rogan.

Aeons ago, when my very first science fiction stories were written, aliens played vitally important roles – some were integral supporting characters; a select few even played the lead. For me, what extraterrestrials said or did usually held vastly greater significance than anything humans got up to.

In that far-flung past, before the www. and even DVDs (and Blu-ray – whatever that is), thrill-seeking goonies like me had to get their SF fix from renting VHS tapes. Some of my all-time favourite movies were originally viewed via this invaluable medium; all the walking, talking, hilarious, fearsome and painful aliens one could wish for whirred and clicked their weird and wonderful way through my weary, long-suffering VCR. These otherworldly characters had more immediate impact than anything uttered by any tedious Terran. 

So, these are the strange “companions” who not only thrilled and entertained me, but compelled me to create my own marvelous menagerie of cosmic characters.

“Science fiction aliens are both metaphors and real possibilities… Aliens may represent hopeful, compensatory images of the strange friends we have been unable to find” – Gary Westfahl.

One of the most important videos ever rented had to be The Last Starfighter (1984), the magical tale of young Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) recruited to fight in a galactic war because he showed all the right skills necessary… by playing a video game in “some flea-speck trailer park in the middle of tumbleweeds and tarantulas.” 

It was supposed to herald a new age in special effects, but its computerized graphics look hopelessly outdated by today’s relentlessly sophisticated standards. Nonetheless, it holds more timeless charm and traditional storytelling methods than most of the CGI-drenched pap we have to contend with nowadays.

This was due, to a certain extent, to the amazing, dependable Grig (Dan O’Herlihy) Alex’s charismatic pilot who helped explain and drive the plot as well as providing a few comic moments. Unlike most reptilians, here was a swell dude who didn’t deserve to get suspended in any xenon mist – one of the best (benevolent) aliens in SF movies:

“…Virginia fights for us! He will fight the Torquas in the south. The Warhoons in the north! And he will be called Dotar Sojat! “My right arms”!” – Tars Tarkas.  

In my earliest days of printed sci-fi (over)consumption, there was no way to resist the bizarre imagery and sheer escapism conjured by Edgar Rice Burroughs, when he chronicled the adventures of John Carter: a Civil War veteran from Virginia, mysteriously transported to the planet of Barsoom (Mars).

In the very first novel: A Princess of Mars (first published in 1917), he would meet what became – quite literally – my favourite Martian: Tars Tarkas, Jeddak (chief) of the Tharks – those doughty, green-skinned, 7-foot tall, 6-limbed warriors of the red planet.

Incidentally, as far as subsequent research has shown, it would appear that Tars Tarkas – imbued with an ironic sense of humour and painful memories of a past romance – could well be the very first individual, talking, thinking extraterrestrial being in (science) fiction!

For ages, a major movie production of John Carter of Mars had been mooted for some time, but it took ages until a sufficient level of sfx to successfully render the Tharks could be attained. Typically, the movie went to all that trouble of getting the movements and mannerisms of the Tharks just right, but failed to animate the human characters…

Who did this fanboy envisage providing the voice for Tars Tarkas?

Why, Willem Defoe, of course! And guess what? The makers shared the same vision – great! 

“He says the sun came out last night. He says it sang to him” – Project Leader.  

The most obvious candidate for best friend from beyond the stars has to be everybody’s favourite mentor: Yoda, but so many blogs have been written about him already.

Instead, on a personal note, honorary mention must go to the spindly-limbed Alien Ambassador from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Although he appeared for the briefest of moments – with his endearing smile and accompanied by John Williams’ cute incidental music – that pint-sized traveller captivated many hearts (of my generation at least). It’s a shame he never spoke – we were all left to speculate what he would/could have said. Even The Special Edition – released three years later – failed to add any precious further insights.

When Spielberg’s E.T. came out in 1982 – (then) becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time – this lil piggy stayed at home – i.e. didn’t want to sit through such an overlong treacly spectacle which featured a “much more ugly muppet.” It was decided then: return my attention to the more malevolent, antagonistic bug-eyed beasties so rampant and commonplace in mainstream sci-fi!

Yet all the time, my mind kept drifting back to that Ambassador – what a cool friend he would have made; at that time, we would have shared the same height… as well as plenty of outlandish stories and all sorts of other cool stuff; explored distant worlds together; and exchanged candy no doubt!

Brad would have gone where no infant-sci-fi-eater had gone before. But alas…

He would never learn that alien’s name. 

“Take up a cause, fall in love, write a book!” – John Carter.

Cheers!

“Give Me Genisys!”: Or Is This A Case Of Ever Decreasing Sequels?

He Said He’d Be Back…

“It’s wild… it’s just amazing what they’ve accomplished with the visual effects and then to see yourself the way you were, it’s really fantastic. They’ve imitated exactly the motions and the fights, the way I walked. All this can now be duplicated exactly the same way…” – Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The hardest thing is deciding what to tell you and what not to.

Should this Post tell you that this sequel turns out to be nothing special, barely more agreeable than the last two misguided efforts? That’s a tough one. Will it change your decision to venture to the cinema… knowing? And to think “they” plan to make two more sequels – as part of an intended trilogy – which may be of rapidly decreasing quality?!

God, you can go crazy thinking about all this…

Sure, you can’t deny it’s fantastic to see Arnold Schwarzenegger, back reprising his most iconic role, but it seems that Terminator Genisys has seriously let him down. Originally undecided as to whether to watch this, in the end, what pulled me in was the prospect of a clash between old (not obsolete) “Pops” versus the T-800 from the original movie.

If there is one golden rule in the torturous world of film criticism, then avoid movies that deliberately misspell any part of the title in some lameass ploy to sound cool. Sure enough, this misfire seems to be no exception…

“It was one of those: ‘Let’s give it a round of applause’ moments. I mean, Arnie said that line to me, in a helicopter… if that’s not career defining, I don’t know what is” – Emilia Clarke.

So, what good points can we take from this movie?

Emilia Clarke puts in a good, gutsy turn as a decidedly different 80’s girl who can balance her checkbook. There is such a charming subplot about how the “Guardian” came to protect the nine-year-old Sarah Connor lurking somewhere in that script; development of this angle would have added such sorely-needed emotional depth to proceedings, but – typical – we got no more than the briefest of hazy flashbacks.

What about this Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney)? Sent back to a 1984 none of us expected, then – before you can say “mimetic polyalloy” – he has to hurl back to the strange and disconcerting “future” of 2017! Jeez, poor boy. A tad too much tampering with the temporals for my liking. How much more of the space-time continuum can they screw up? 

It was intriguing to see J.K. Simmons involved in this; however, after an astonishing (well-deserved) Oscar-winning performance in Whiplash, he is wasted here, with nothing significant to contribute.

And as for John Connor (Jason Clarke), well, how they’ve handled him this time round is just… wrong. Didn’t like it at all. What can one say – what can one do – when the smartest aspect of the whole movie is having both Connors played by two Clarkes? 

Terminator Genisys is watchable – notably less painful than the last two; but it could – certainly should – have offered so much more. Towards the end, one dissatisfied viewer was seen marching for the Exit, presumably seeking to keep intact the timeline he knew and loved. Sarah Connor herself at one point summed up this whole fruitless exercise rather well: “I know it needs work…” 

“They’ve reimagined it. They’ve upgraded it. It’s left me in a state of paralisys. It’s crushing every brain synapsys. This is a personal crisys and I may need analisys… Terminator Genisys is the antythisys of enjoyable” – Peter Bradshaw.

Hey, buddy, did you just see a real bright light?

Riding a wave of nostalgia has done wonders these past two months for other fondly treasured franchises such as Mad Max and Jurassic Park, but does it – should it – work for The Terminator? Reshooting the sequence in which the original T-800 arrives at Griffith Park Observatory in LA, was actually quite a nifty move, and the twist was kinda cool – yet if they’re going to digitally recreate 1984 Arnie, then it’s only fair that 1984 Bill Paxton should reappear as well.

The general consensus of reviews basically dismissed Genisys as “witless,” “artless,” thus a pointless exercise. A major factor in the success of those first two movies was the abundance of cool and quotable lines, but here – and you know how much Brad digs groovy quotes – there are no lines worthy of note. Also, there are a few attempts at humour, but they fail miserably. The whole package does look hastily and shoddily assembled, as if by machines (ha!) – the 600 series, most likely (we spotted them easy.)

…And James Cameron himself personally endorsed this? 

If you need me, you can find me drowning my sorrows down at Tech Noir. (You know it, it’s on Pico.)

Cheese!

Neon Nostalgia: SF Blasts From The 80s

Rorschach’s Journal, October 12, 1985. Tonight, a comedian died in New York.

“Like it or not, the 80s are still what made us who we are today… Could it be that there were some things that the 80s did much better than we do them now?” – Toby Litt. 

Forgive me while hurtling headlong into what could arguably be the most indulgent Post you will ever find on this site. For those of a certain age, the ’80s were a bubbly and exuberant time to live in, especially if you were crazy about SF.

Often cited as “the decade that just won’t die,” amid the big hair, garish leotards, deely-boppers and curly-wurlies, there was a surprisingly good amount of stuff released during these years. The movies were fun, the comics unputdownable and the novels still had a cool and distinctive edge with their (traditionally hand-painted) cover art.

And all these could be enjoyed with the accompaniment of top class ’80s synthesised pop. In order to illustrate this, a relevant vid is in order, but – oh good gravy! – which one should it be? There were so many ace gems that have stood the test of time. After much head-scratching and gnashing of teeth, this is one of my faves with a sci-fi flave: the visuals, the synths, the cyberpunk gear and that ha-ha-ha-hair! After 3:25, the goosebumps always kick in…

“Then tell me, future boy, who’s President of the United States in 1985? …Ronald Reagan?! The actor?! Then who’s Vice President? Jerry Lewis?!” – Doc Emmett Brown. 

In retrospect, 80s sci-fi grew basically from the phenomenon that Star Wars had created. From big movies like Aliens (1986) and Predator (1987) down to the low-budget shockers that overflowed from the local video rental store, came a veritable burst of creativity. They don’t make them like that anymore – so why not?

Although the movies will never be the same again, at least now there are – oh yes! – a few artists active who recreate the sounds of the 80s. Possibly the best of this retro-synthwave crop is Lazerhawk. Fortunately, one of his catchiest tunes has been set to the opening frenetic scene from the cult sci-fi action outing: The Hidden (1987).

This may look like a typical cop thriller prevalent throughout that decade, but trust me, it belongs to our genre – there’s an alien parasite residing within that driver, which explains why “he” can smash into innocent bystanders with reckless abandon (you have been warned!)

Oh goody-gumdrops! Got so much awesomeness here on offer! (If you go to my Facebook page,  you will find a whole lot more assorted goodies!)

It was too darned difficult to decide which of these two astounding vids to use, so – what the heck, with still plenty of MB Space to go – here they both are. 

The following montage of clips hails from not only one of the finest movies that the 80s had to offer, but one of the great SF cinematic masterpieces. Ever. Enjoy!

“Well, erm… Ronald Reagan says he’s going to be running for President in ’88 – we could, er, run a piece on that…” – Seymour. 

“Seymour, we don’t dignify absurdities with coverage. This is still America, damn it! Who wants a cowboy in the White House?!” –  Editor, New Frontiersman. 

One quick and easy reason why the 80s instill such unconditional fondness is that, back in the day, none of us had to fret over work, rent and bills… but then, for me, those worries were still a long way off even during the ’90s; apart from monumental classics such as Terminator II: Judgment Day (1991) or Jurassic Park (1993) the ’90s did not offer any buzz special enough to compel me to embrace that era. Guess it’s a generational thing, right? 

Just recently, an absurd list – no naming and (shaming) of that website here! – featured the Top 10 80s SF movies that deserve(!) the wretched remake treatment. Honestly…

Sure, the decade reeked with an overabundance of cheesy sci-fi duds, but because those much-maligned Mad Max knockoffs were concocted with severely limited budgets and production values, they were more likely to exude a (care-free?) abundance of originality, creativity and energy, qualities noticeably lacking in movies these days.

More than anything else, needlessly humongous budgets now dictate that our cinema choices have become riddled with unadventurous remakes and reboots, not to mention sequels (usually of diminishing quality.) Are you satisfied with the recycled versions of Robocop and Clash of the Titans? No, didn’t think so… 

Major studios are simply not willing to fork out fanciful fortunes to dare offer anything original. Business is business, alas… 

Just to make this Post a tad sweeter, here is a gallery of some of the highlights from that irrepressible decade:

Brad’s Blasts From The Past

“Think of some of the things that only kids who grew up in that era know about. Do you notice how some things seem to be magically reappearing again? That is good – no, it’s great!” – eightiesonline.com

Finally, to all you wonderful 90s kids looking perplexed at all this gushing over big hair and big flair before your time, it would be very interesting to hear about your perspective of 80’s sci-fi!

In another dimension, Brad is stuck in a twist in the fabric of space where the 80s become a loop. That would suit me… just fine, thanks.

And so, as we come to the end of this Post, obviously it’s time to roll the credits, and there’s never been a finer sequence than this:   

Cheers!

The Long Road To Fury Road

How And Why Did It Take 30 Years To Get Another Mad Max Movie?!

“Every time Heath [Ledger] would come through Sydney, we’d chat about Max. The world lost someone great when he went. Tom [Hardy] was the next to walk through the door…” – George Miller. 

As mad as it may seem, there are other, more alarming and frustrating, ways to spoil a promising franchise than giving a starring role to Tina Turner. In those dark Maxless years that followed Beyond Thunderdome (1985), another instalment of everyone’s fave Interceptor-driving, dogfood-guzzling cop seemed highly unlikely. After Mel Gibson’s impressive directorial debut with Braveheart (1996), Australian master of the post-apocalyptic roadkillfest: George Miller felt that the time was right to return to his beloved dystopian franchise.

During the late 1990s, impressive conceptual art for a fourth movie about the Road Warrior started doing the rounds. It is very pleasing to learn that renowned British comics artist (and Mad Max fan): Brendan McCarthy was involved in these preparatory stages (and even gets a co-writer credit on Fury Road!) but then, the film industry – as well as everyone else – could never have foreseen 9/11. That infamous day not only deflated the American dollar but also drastically inflated Max’s proposed budget.

Unfortunately, not long after, Gibson went, well, mad. His much-publicised troubles with the law forced a “heartbroken” Miller to seek another Max. It is said that in 2006, Miller had intended to offer the lead role to Heath Ledger, and there were serious discussions before said actor met his untimely fate. So, by not getting the Joker, Miller opted instead for… Bane?! 

Honestly, how mad does that sound?! But hold on, ‘cos it gets madder…

“As the world fell, each of us in our own way was broken. It was hard to know who was more crazy… me… or everyone else” – Max Rockatansky.  

Amid all this kerfuffle, Miller was able – also in 2006 – to direct Happy Feet, an animated sure-fire sprog-pleaser featuring the voice of Frodo Baggins as a dancing penguin… for pity’s sake! Obviously not the form of madness that Rockatansky-fans the world over had in mind…

One of the more intriguing diversions on the way to realising a fourth Mad Max movie came as recently as 2007 in the amazing – and quite unbelievable – form of an ensemble DC superhero movie(!) which Miller was all-too-ready-and-willing to direct.

However, by all accounts, the provisional script for Justice League:Mortal was poor; with a writers’ strike in full swing, it could never hope to get developed. Moreover, the all-too-familiar blight of an uncontrollable budget, and unfavourable Australian tax incentives doomed it further.

If all had gone to plan, Justice League:Mortal would have featured Megan Gale (who makes an appearance in Mad Max: Fury Road) as Wonder Woman, Armie Hammer as Batman, and…!

Get this – Hugh Keays-Byrne (who plays both Immortan Joe in Fury Road and the Toecutter in the 1979 original) was tipped to play Martian Manhunter! 

Mad? Why, that’s positively insane!!

“When I came in, there was no script, just… storyboards. So I spent the time just writing a ‘bible of tribal’… The stunt guy and I used to say we were making the last real, live stunt-action film” – Colin “Not Mel” Gibson. 

Possibly the only sane news to gain from this delirious state of affairs is that – yes! – there will be more pedal-to-the-metal Mad Max mayhem to come!  

“We’ve got one screenplay and a novella,” Miller reveals about our chances of seeing at least two more movies of Mr. Rockatansky(!) “It happened because with the delays [on Fury Road] and writing all the backstories, they just expanded.” Despite all the troubles that beset Fury Road, Mad Max: The Wasteland is definitely a go.

“Fast and Furious 7 is all CG,” dismissed Colin Gibson, Mad Max: Fury Road’s Production Designer. “The cars are shiny and pretty, but there’s not much physics in there.” Hell no, make cars do things that cars can’t do and suspend all belief in one gear-shift? No thanks. Quite rightly, Gibson realised that live stunts, evoking the movie-making of the original Max movies, was in order: “to make it completely real.”

The Australian Outback served as the perfect setting to evoke that grungy post-apocalyptic look for the original movies, but this time, even that could not be guaranteed; Namibia had to step in.

…Namibia?! 

“Part of the problem was we built for the firm, hard ground of Australia,” Gibson explained. “And then it pissed down with rain for two years running, and you couldn’t shoot the desert for blooming flowers and camels fucking each other and pelicans dancing.” 

Yep, as mad as a doof wagon… 

Cheers!

Ultron Rocks!: The Avengers Shoot To Thrill Yet Again!

No strings attached… No spoilers neither!

“I just pay for everything and design everything, make everyone look cooler…” – Tony Stark. 

Avengers, reassemble! 

You can’t escape it – it’s too big; you can’t deny it – it’s too mega; Avengers: Age of Ultron is the first genuine smash hit of the year. After avoiding some lacklustre releases so far this year, it is a pleasure – and a welcome relief – to reassure you that this sequel is a triumph! This penultimate instalment in Phase 2 of the MCU certainly has everything you could possibly want from a Hollywood juggernaut; thrilling comicbook-style action: check! Groundbreaking effects: check! Fictitious Eastern European countries: …er, check. Dodgy Eastern European accents: ho hum, ‘fraid so… 

Ultron was one of the classic villains from the original comics, and his menacing appearance here is truly unforgettable. Admittedly, there were doubts in this camp at the thought of James Spader providing the voice of what is (here, at least) Tony Stark’s creation. From the very first moment you hear it (trust me, you won’t forget it!) this creepy chrome-mech AI makes for a particularly distinctive villain: sorta like a Terminator exoskeleton with unnerving charisma – a dastardly droid to savour…

With all the premise-setting and character-intros sorted three years ago, this outing commences immediately with a heavy-duty action sequence. Hey, it’s really cool to see the gang again; as well as some welcome additions to the ranks, some old friends pop up along the way.

As for superhero-maestro Joss Whedon, it comes as no surprise that Age of Ultron will be his last Marvel epic. After juggling the stories of about a dozen supes and crafting some of the most extensive delirious and delightful set-pieces, anyone would be left mentally and physically drained!  

“I’m done. I’ve made ensemble movies exclusively. And this one was harder, by far, than all of the others combined.” Okay, did it top the last one? “It’s a different story, it’s not bigger; it is, in fact, one minute shorter. A personal accomplishment.” 

“I am Thor! Son of Odin! As long as I have breath in my breast I… I‘m running out of things to say!” – Thor.

What set The Avengers (2012) apart was its deft handling of fun moments amid the heavy-duty costumed clobbering action, particularly Stark’s cache of wisecracks. Although he has significantly fewer memorable one-liners, this time it’s Thor who gets his fair share of magic comedy moments. Having already enjoyed the instant classic party scene with Thor’s anxious expression – priceless – as Cap America manages to dislodge Mjolnir “a tad,” there are, thankfully, countless other entertaining merry morsels amid the mayhem.

You could argue that this 2015 model is just a copy of the 2012 classic; expect to see plenty other heroes plucked from Marvel’s illustrious vault as this genre expands further over the next few years, but don’t expect to find much character development therein…

The effects have reached such a slick level that the action sequences get so multi-layered and convoluted that they can just wash over you. Such is the modern role of the “actor”: go through the required motions and have some bizarre concepts digitally added/enhanced later. More than ever, Hulk’s actions – even his facial contortions – are more intricate this time and-

hold on: how does Hulk even show up against a green screen?…(!)

“I beg your pardon, I am a synthozoid, not a robot! As such, I am a perfect meld of computer micro-circuitry and living, synthetic flesh. In all ways, I am a fully functional man!” – Vision.  

So, having waited only a measly thirty-five years to see my favourite Avenger on the big screen, did Avengers: Age of Ultron deliver? Well, from his fantastic introductory scene, Paul Bettany is striking as the Vision. It’s odd to see a purple synthezoid, considering how he’s always been depicted in a yellow and green costume. Yet the most curious aspect of this big screen realisation of Vision is the fact that he has… pupils in his eyes. Maybe Bettany is adverse to wearing contacts? Most curious… 

Did we really have to see Black Widow get the hots for Bruce Banner? The only love interest in the Avengers Universe that matters is the bond between Vision and Scarlet Witch. Both appear in this sequel, but their intriguing characters have little opportunity to evolve here – literally, blink and you’ll miss the scene they share together while droids are eliminated and a city crumbles around them…

Seriously, for such an integral member of the team, it’s a travesty that Vision doesn’t get much to say or do! The sheer wonder of this character lies in his ability to lower his density and mass until he is lighter than air. Sure, we see him fly, and fire energy beams through that jewel embedded in his forehead, but where is his trademark trick of flying through walls or disappearing through ceilings with that “almost imperceptible crackle” as so lovingly told in the comics? Opportunity (sorely) missed, methinks…

But the most nagging “problem” with this mighty blockbuster has to be: how can The Avengers: Infinity Wars (Parts 1 and 2 expected in May 2018 and May 2019 respectively) possibly top this?!

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a blast! It’s a humdinger! And – ha ha, yeah – it’s a MARVEL!

“I was designed to save the world. People would look to the sky and see hope… I’ll take that from them first!” – Ultron.  

Groovy, but it’s only fair that the lady should have the last laugh…

“You’d be surprised at how un-macho male actors are. All of us are extremely emotionally delicate, regardless of gender. Once you put men in tights, it’s a great equaliser” – Scarlett Johansson. 

 

Cheers!

Journey Beyond The Stars: When Kubrick Met Clarke

All About The “Ultimate Trip.”

“I think there were two problems with the design of anything [in 2001]. One was, ‘Is there anything about it that would be logically inconsistent with what people felt would actually exist?’ and the other one was, ‘Would it be interesting? Would it look nice?'” – Stanley Kubrick. 

Fresh from the success of Dr. Strangelove in 1964, Stanley Kubrick considered creating the definitive SF movie, drawing on the latest discoveries. At that time, Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) was extraordinarily talented in both fields of science fiction and science. Having set out to use his “imagination to do something about reality,” he achieved this by creating the concept of the communications satellite, so he was the ideal boffin with which Kubrick felt he could collaborate.

The director started the collaboration with the writer in April of that year. They took one of the latter’s short stories: “The Sentinel” (1950: about the discovery of an alien pyramid on the Moon) as the basis for crafting an ambitious science fiction epic. As it lasted only six pages, the pair spent the next two years developing the work into a novel which, in turn, would be converted into a screenplay – the basis for creating the ultimate “visual experience.”

Kubrick contacted Chesley Bonestell, then a highly-sought Hollywood matte painter and illustrator who had worked on Destination Moon (1950) and Conquest of Space (1955) just two of the numerous “space movies” the formidable pair viewed, in order to get the feel of what SF cinema could be like. Bonestell had, in 1952, also illustrated an eight-part series of articles for Collier’s magazine, focussing on the possibilities of space exploration.

They were certainly not impressed with what was already on offer. Clarke noted that the director was “highlly critical of everything,” with particular attention to “the poor quality of the design and special effects and the puerility of the scripts.” They decided that they had to be the instigators of an unprecedented, more respectable, dynamic form of SF cinema…

With all the creative talent at his beck and call, Kubrick opined that there “would not be any room left for my imagination.” Shooting began in December 1965, and with that, “Journey Beyond The Stars” was born.

“[Clarke] mentioned that he was working with director Stanley Kubrick on a film which aimed to be the science fiction, one which would be serious, scientifically plausible and big budget. It would involve other intelligences in space…” – Frederick I. Ordway III. 

In January 1965, the pair met Frederick I. Ordway III (writer) and Harry (Hans-Kurt) Lange (artist), who both worked for the NASA George C Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In the director’s penthouse in New York City they discussed not only rocket science, but ballistic missiles, computers and aliens. In the next few days, Kubrick made a deal to with General Aeronautics to secure their valuable advisory services. Their boss: Werner von Braun did not seem to mind…

The first scene to be shot was the spine-chilling Dawn of Man sequence. The ape costumes and make-up were supplied by Stuart Freeborn (responsible fer all three characters played by Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove). When a tribe of apes awake to discover the Monolith while the terrifying music by Grigory Ligeti plays, still stands as one of cinema’s most fabulous – not to mention frightening – moments of all time. 

When the dominant ape hurls a bone into the sky, so it transmogrifies into a gently descending spacecraft, thus catapulting the viewer millions of years onwards – a truly magical edit. There is a fascinating story connected to how The Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss came to be used for that spaceflight sequence. Apparently, Kubrick just happened to be listening to that piece of classical music while editing that very scene, and realised that it would make a fine musical accompaniment for the images. Whatever the background, this sequence forever remains a sumptuous audio/visual delight.

Technical designs for the space wheel under construction in space (based on one of Bonestell’s original Collier’s illos), the Orion passenger cruiser and the Moon shuttle Aries were all approved by NASA. This work paved the way for all subsequent model-effects work we have watched in subsequent (pre-CGI) extravaganzas. This made up an estimated $6.5 million of the $10 million budget. Then, amid all the post-production mayhem, the title was changed to: 2001: A Space Odyssey… 

“We were interested in starting where Destination Moon finished…” – Arthur C. Clarke. 

For the final act concentrating on the Discovery mission to Jupiter, the model of the Discovery ship itself was the largest constructed for the film, said to have measured 54 feet in length. It is not surprising to learn that it never moved; to create the motion shots, it was the camera that moved.   

The centrifuge was the largest set, at 38 feet high… and it revolved. All “props” had to be bolted to the floor, while the lighting and camera(s) operated non-stop. Kubrick remarked: “The Centrifuge set was made in such a way that that it had the structural integrity to preserve itself while the frame was rotated.”  

Of the climactic hallucinogenic trip which culminates in Bowman hurtling through the timegate, until finding himself in a pristine mansion, yes, there were several cases of people taking strange substances. MGM recognised that particular audience by adding the tagline: “The Ultimate Trip” on posters. There are no reports of what both Kubrick and Clarke made of these individuals…

People have sought to question the movie’s claim to masterpiece status by stating how agonisingly incomprehensible 2001: A Space Odyssey really is. Plenty of critics – professional and amateur alike – set out to offer explanations for baffled cinema-goers to mull over, but “usually they were as verbose and wrong-headed as the film was clear thinking and sleek.”

In 1968, when Arthur C. Clarke was asked by a journalist what the film was about, he replied: “I don’t know. Ask Stanley Kubrick!” On the other side of the world, Kubrick was being asked the same question: “I don’t know,” he replied. “Ask Arthur Clarke!”

200?: With Kubrick, movies were made from different… (ahem) angles

Is Neill Blomkamp The Right Choice To Make Alien 5?

Stop Worrying About These Pet Projects!

“I can’t think of a better director. He’s a real fan. I think he’ll… take it in unexpected directions… It will certainly stand up to the others and probably break a lot of new ground as well” – Sigourney Weaver. 

It has been common knowledge for some time that Sigourney Weaver wants to reprise her most famous role: Ellen Ripley. This week, it was confirmed that Neill Blomkamp (whose latest movie: Chappie has just opened) will direct Alien 5, after some of his impressive concept art for such a movie project recently emerged. Following some encouraging buzz online, Fox execs were quick to give Blomkamp the green light… but really, is this wise? 

Let’s sift through the evidence: Blomkamp’s debut feature: District 9 (2009), was an intriguing anti-apartheid parable set in South Africa, and showed much promise. Yet when the less impressive Elysium received unfavourable reviews in 2013, it looked like the talent had collapsed. Now, instead of reversing the downward trend, Chappie – apparently an expanded remake of Blomkamp’s own 2003 short: Tetra Vaal – has garnered some very discouraging reviews.

On the strength of District 9, Blomkamp would have been good to go, but now, it looks like an ominous – almost regrettable decision. The latest edition of Time Magazine summed it up aptly: “The world needs good sci-fi movies. Unfortunately, Chappie isn’t one of them.” 

“…We’re gonna need immediate evac. I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure” – Cpl. Dwayne Hicks.  

The last time we saw Corporal Dwayne Hicks he’d had his face sprayed with a xenomorph’s acid. This past week, it was confirmed that the actor who played him back in 1986: Michael Biehn, had been approached to possibly reprise that role. Nearly thirty years on, is Biehn ready for active duty once more? “Yes…” he nonchalantly replied. “Looks like it.” 

With this stunning news, we now have to erase Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997) from memory; fine, some fans believe that both these underwhelming sequels deserve to be expunged from existence anyway. Which brings us back to Crappy. Sorry! Chappie…

It was a tough weekend, ruminating on whether to watch this new release. Just consider the paltry goods on offer: it splices elements of Short Circuit, Robocop and other goodness-knows how many ’80s robo-pics together into a disjointed mess; a supposedly “endearing” robot which soon resorts to violence – any chance of a meaningful exposition on artificial intelligence and its ramifications literally blown away; narrative shortcomings aplenty; there appear to be no likeable characters anywhere because it is “too tonally conflicted to engage our sympathies.” 

Die Antwoord are probably the most disconcerting aspect of the whole package. Had never heard of them before; now wishing they had stayed beyond my sensors… And Hugh Jackman sports a mullet… 

Really!

Science fiction should not have to be as painful as this…. surely? Can count avoiding Jupiter Ascending as one of my finest accomplishments during February, but there was no warning about this other misfire lying in wait…

Is Chappie as bad as it looks? Please feel free to Comment. 

“You’ve been in my life so long, I can’t remember anything else” – Ellen Ripley.  

From Alien to Avatar, Sigourney Weaver has shown how to create bold and no-nonsense roles for women in SF. Can’t help thinking that she would have presented an infinitely more suitable casting choice than Jodie Foster in Elysium…

Last week, while publicising Chappie – in which she plays the CEO of a weapons corporation – this charming and versatile actress – recalled how her next project came about: “…You know it’s a pity we didn’t really finish the story. I said: ‘I should probably talk to Jim Cameron about that.’ And he [Blomkamp] said: ‘Don’t talk to Jim about that, talk to me about that.’ So we kept talking about it.”  

From the first day on the set of Chappie, Blomkamp enthused about his admiration for the first two Alien movies to Weaver; and then he “started sending these incredible paintings of this world and some very detailed story ideas…” 

Yes, but as we have seen, unfortunately, time and time again, how so many projects began with the most impressive pre-production designs only for the finished film to flounder so disappointingly. Weaver should tread cautiously; we don’t dispute that Blomkamp is a swell guy – it’s just that his grasp of SF seems to have diminished somewhat of late… 

On the possibility of working on an Alien 5 with Neill Blomkamp, Weaver remarked: “It would be cool… because I’d love to work with him again.” Very diplomatically, she continued: “…If it’s happening, I’d be curious to know how I would not be in it, but I imagine the alien is in it, and they’ll probably make his deal first, and give him more money.” 

Alen 5: Do you think Sigourney’s in safe hands?

Battle Of The Boffins: Theory vs. Imitation

CONGRATULATIONS to EDDIE REDMAYNE: BEST ACTOR 2015

“Both films offer main characters with enormous intelligence and originality… both are worth a watch, especially for a vivid narrative on an otherwise dense historical figure” – interviewmagazine.com

Two movies with so much in common, so might as well devote the same Post to them, especially now as the Academy Awards 2015 wrapped up just last night. Both are critically-acclaimed British movies about British scientific geniuses, played by top British actors who have each been nominated for several different awards. In that case, it will make a nice change to write about a couple of movies which were well-constructed and a pleasure to watch.

Although both movies have been out for over a month internationally already, they have only just been released here on my side of the world. With the 87th Academy Awards fast approaching, some emergency cinema-going had to be implemented, sharpish…

Whether they provide accurate portraits of their very real and learned subjects is open to ongoing debate, yet there is no doubt that both these movies are significant examples of powerful and emotionally-charged film-making; so, without further ado, let’s explore the astounding phenomenon that is: Beneddie Cumbermayne.

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“Oh my god, thank you, thank you… I don’t think I’m capable of articulating quite how I feel right now… I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man. Erm, this Oscar- WOW!” – Eddie Redmayne.

“There should be no boundaries to human endeavour. We are all different. However bad life might seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope” – Stephen Hawking. 

Let’s begin with the movie which held greater personal appeal, and got Eddie his gong. Professor Stephen Hawking is one of this age’s greatest minds and probably the most famous living scientist on Earth. For me, he is an inspirational hero whose work is never far from my study. Primarily, it was intriguing to learn that The Theory of Everything is indeed “a masterful work of heartbreaking artistry and perfection.” 

In a truly amazing performance, Eddie Redmayne portrays a young, able-bodied, zestful atheist/cosmologist at Oxford, before the early onset of motor neuron disease. Of course, this could not be possible without sterling supporting roles, especially Eddie’s “staggering partner-in-crime”: Felicity Jones, who played the scientist’s wife: Jane; and “ferocious yet incredibly kind” direction from James Marsh. 

There was the slight possibility that Redmayne’s chances of winning would be seriously scuppered by his involvement in the staggeringly awful: Jupiter Ascending, but he was clear favourite, and had been for some time. 

Yet is this movie a fair depiction of this degenerative disease and a progressive vehicle to help instigate change in general attitudes towards the disabled? Once again, the same old sentimental cliches have been detected; therefore, some would dismiss this Theory as unconvincing…

Some cynics may scoff that playing the physically-challenged almost always ensures a fistful of gongs, but no one should besmirch Redmayne’s deserved moment of accomplishment. Among the first to congratulate the young star-in-the-making was Stephen Hawking himself. “Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne for winning an Oscar for playing me…” the Professor posted on Facebook. “Well done Eddie, I’m very proud of you.” 

“I couldn’t stop crying, just thinking, my God, he [Alan Turing] went through this. And to get near that understanding because I’d played him for a while by then… God, it was just really upsetting” – Benedict Cumberbatch.

“One day, ladies will be walking their computers in the park and saying: ‘do you know, my little computer said a very funny thing to me this morning…’” – Alan Turing.  

The Imitation Game features the events responsible for turning the tide of the Second World War, concentrating on another real-life genius. Alan Turing was the greatest mathematician of his age, and can be credited as the pioneer of our computer age. Working at the Top Secret facility of Bletchley Park during the war, he built the machine that would crack Germany’s “unbreakable” Enigma Code. Due to the sensitivity of his work, Turing’s achievements were never recognised during his lifetime. Instead of becoming a war hero, he was disgraced; arrested because of his homosexuality in 1952 and ended up taking his own life two years later (receiving a Royal Pardon only in 2013).

From Benedict Cumberbatch there is what could be his career-defining (movie) performance; it is certainly Oscar-worthy. He portrays Turing as socially complex and incorrigibly difficult to work with, and yet manages to make the man watchable. There is a splendidly evocative recreation of 1940s England, and the drama is further enhanced by deft direction by Morten Tyldum and some distinctive supporting performances, especially Keira Knightley in the role of Joan Clarke who, ironically, seems to have been Turing’s longest and closest companion.

Special mention and congrats must go to Graham Moore who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, accepting it with one of the more memorable speeches of the evening. The Imitation Game works because it is very much an old-fashioned biopic. It is an extraordinary movie about an extraordinary man. 

No point in toiling here over the major issues of fact-fudging which inevitably bedevil filmed biographies – not only would it be long-winded and almost as monotonous as sitting through this year’s Oscars show, it would seriously jeopardise the number of Likes/Comments this Post could muster. Rather than fret over which one of these dramas is best, it would be much more sensible to accept both of these fantastic movies on their own superlative merits – a credit to the once floundering British film industry. 

Hang on a mo, tho… 

Interestingly, Cumberbatch actually portrayed Professor Hawking in a 2004 BBC TV movie; this was obviously pre-superstardom and ineligible for the Oscars…!   

Yay! Off-screen they are both the best of friends really. Aah, all’s well that’s fine and dandy, then. And as you can see, even ambitious bunnies get awards these days…

So, no hard feelings, Mr. White Tuxedo? 

Well, almost none… 

“What a lad!” claimed UK’s Daily Mirror. Down the hatch, Cumberbatch!

Cheers!

 

An Obscure Body In The SK System: Why Do Aliens ALWAYS Pick On Us?

Pathetic Earthlings! Who can save you now?

 

“By the toll of a billion deaths, man had earned his immunity, his right to survive among this planet’s infinite organisms. And that right is ours against all challenges. For neither do men live nor die in vain” – Morgan Freeman. 

Ever since H.G. Wells wrote in 1898 that our planet was “being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s yet as mortal as his own,” it is painfully obvious that as long as “intellects vast and cool” persist across the gulf of space, they’ll be looking for a fight!

As the only species on this side of the Oort Cloud which actually instigates warfare on its own kind, we are, quite simply, a laughing stock – and considered fair primitive game for invasion fleets which need to test the latest upgrade of their interstellar weapons technology. Of course, it’s almost always an American metropolis that gets picked on, with Manhattan invariably getting selected again and again… and (ho hum) again…

This should come as no surprise. Supposedly, the standard answer provided is that NY City offers more recognizable landmarks – so, wait, you mean to tell me that the aliens plan their elaborate invasion campaigns using their own Lonely Planet Guide to New York? Aha…

Why should this be? Why do they make the effort? Whenever anyone as adroit (and a little bit crazy) like Dr. Hans Zarkov has the nerve to ask Ming: the Ruler of the Universe: “Why attack us?” abrupt and unexpected comes the stern answer: “Why not?!”

“This is the oddest thing I’ve ever heard of. Let’s hope we don’t catch it. I’d hate to wake up some morning and find out that you weren’t you” – Dr. Miles J. Bennell. 

During the 1950s, constant threat of invasion inspired a crop of alien invasion movies. Of course, the outstanding masterpiece of this era is The Day The Earth Stood Still in which intergalactic ambassador Klaatu arrives in Washington DC to warn of imminent alien invasion if mankind fails to halt the increase in its weapons technology.

Possibly the most effective invasion movie is Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956) which, quite unnervingly, played heavily on the rampant paranoia prevalent at that time (and is it a coincidence that the lead actor just happens to be McCarthy…?)

As a tribute to those invasion films of the 50s, Strange Invaders (1983) showed that stealth and subtlety could be just as decisive as strategically placing giant frisbees over the tallest buildings anyone can name correctly. The “invasion” was so subtle that any traces of this cult movie cannot be found anywhere.

John Carpenter’s 1988 cult fave: They Live! is generally regarded as a satire of Reagan’s America, in which aliens have infiltrated the upper echelons of society. 

Robbie Ferrier: “What is it? Is it terrorists?”

Ray Ferrier: “These came from some place else.” 

Robbie Ferrier: “What do you mean, like, Europe?”

Ray Ferrier: “No, Robbie, not like Europe!”

A very entertaining invasion romp has to be Mars Attacks! (1996): a splendidly wacky ode to the B-movie pulp screen action of the 50s. The alien invasion is thwarted when the young hero discovers that grandma’s record of Indian Love Call by Slim Whitman makes the aliens’ heads explode. Apparently, the Martians’ distinctive speech was created by reversing the quack of a duck, ha! Genius!

Signs (2002) is most notable for being one of M Night. Shyamalamalamalan’s less painful endurance tests, offering the rare opportunity of seeing Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix sporting tin foil hats. On a Pennsylvanian farm, giant geometric symbols appear in the fields while the family follow an alien invasion unfolding on the telly… Close Encounters of the Corny Kind. 

 

In Battle: Los Angeles (2011) what appears to be a meteor storm is actually the arrival of an alien invasion fleet. A squad of US Marines have to defend the LA beach from standard fare gangly gun-toting ETs… and, well, that’s it. Must be based on a computer game as it felt like such a vapid viewing experience.

Even comicbook movies are prone to a bit of third-stone-from-the-sun-storming. The Avengers (2012) had to contend with a Chitauri invasion force which zipped out of a vortex above… yes! Yet another American cityscape… Once its learned that they are neurologically bound to the mothership, Iron Man guides a nuclear missile into it, at which all the remaining ground forces instantaneously collapse.

“Hey, take a look at the Earthlings. Goodbye!” – David Levinson. 

 

But, before you go, there’s something you should know…

As someone who is stirred by the essence of clever ideas, catchy dialogue, some captivating cinematography and stirring characters in quality SF, then let me tell you, my friends, there is one alien invasion movie which really makes my blood boil, and that just has to be Independence Day (1996). None of the above criteria were ever considered, let alone tackled.

One of the worst cinema trips of my life; it was the mind-numbing day that cut off any hope of accepting the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a bonafide movie star. Never has there been so much destruction on such a grand scale yet was left totally deprived of any sense of shock (or awe for that matter) and without any emotional intensity whatsoever. It is said that Brad gasped while everyone else in that theatre gawped. Usually, Jeff Goldblum is cool, but on this occasion he barely got through it. 

The aliens were as useless as a wet towel and looked like nothing more than shoddy (H.R.) Giger-knockoffs, not half as menacing as our cat. As the end credits started running, some excited infant nearer to the screen yelled out: “That’s the best movie I’ve ever seen!”

No prizes for guessing that my seething despondency forced me to cry out the very opposite…

 

Keep watching the skies!