Archive for the ‘sci fi’ category

S.H.I.E.L.D. Likely to Hold..

September 26, 2013

shield– – It’s a smart, slick, and stylish show that parallels the Marvel cinematic universe with elements of the Men In Black movies and echoes of The X-Files thrown in for good measure; I’m speaking of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series which debuted on the ABC network on September 24th. Television has had shows somewhat similar to this before, but the small screen has been devoid of them for some time, so it’s good to see this new and promising entry, especially one with such a rich heritage and ambitious aspirations.

Although set in the Marvel universe after the events of The Avengers movie, Agents is intended to be a stand-alone series, and can be understood and appreciated without having to have seen the blockbuster Avengers movie. Agents is not a superhero series, but rather more of a secret-agent series, and the players while devoid of powers are elite Level 7 agents with uniquely specialized training and capabilities. In each episode, they must coordinate their efforts to investigate bizarre phenomena and fledgling emergent superheroes, one of which is revealed in the pilot. The agents have wonderful, cutting-edge technology toys.   It’s in the action/adventure genre, with science fiction and even comedy-drama elements.

I may be wrong, but I think that this series will fly, just like the vintage Corvette memorably did at the end of the series premiere...gotta get me one of those!

Shatner vs. The Gorn, Redux!

April 2, 2013

gorn-shatner– – Back when special effects were a lot less special in the 1960’s, we were treated to an episode of Star Trek (The Original Series) called Arena where a young William Shatner’s James T. Kirk fought a powerful but ponderous and slow-moving reptilian creature called a Gorn.- –Well, 46 years after their original encounter, Shatner is again rematched with his scaly rival in a commercial for a Star Trek video game debuting this month.  The duo is comfortably seated on a sofa in a cozy living room, each one armed with a video controller and engaged in virtual on-screen combat!

Things get a little heated, and the two arise to their feet to engage in hand-to-hand combat, complete with sofa cushions being thrown, and the legendary Starfleet captain dodging clumsy swings by the reptilian!   When the combatants clinch, Shatner breaks the reptile’s hold by smacking his palms over its ear orifices.  As the Gorn moans in pain, Shatner accuses it of overacting, and out of breath admonishes it that, “We’re both too old for this kind of thing!”- -Wonderful stuff!

The Gorn depicted is true to the original creature, complete with bulky costume and compound eyes.  A computer-generated Gorn as later seen  in an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise was considerably more agile, and moved quickly.  This flashback, however, reminds us of what may be Gorn, but not forgotten…

Absolut Greyhounds…

February 11, 2013

greyhounds – – If Skynet designed greyhounds, they would probably look something like these beauties; starkly striking robotic greyhound creatures who are racing for their lives in a Mad Max styled desert wasteland.  Both a music video and a commercial, the video features the music of electronic dance trio Swedish House Mafia, who appropriately perform their track, Greyhound, while electronically transformed in the video to robotic dogs who chase a floating orb.  Bizarrely costumed guests watch the greyhounds go through their paces while drinking Absolut cocktails served by a  waiter in a mask with animal styling.

It’s kind of a desert masquerade ball that is surreal and futuristic, with stunning detailed visual imagery and intense electro-house music.  Some have objected to the commercial, however, for its depiction of greyhound racing, an activity often described as animal cruelty…

The Island of Unconventionally Proportioned Animals…

February 25, 2012

– – If you’re up to seeing Michael Caine riding a giant wasp in a movie that includes  former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as well as wildlife such as really small elephants, you just might like to view the sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth 3D, awkwardly called,  Journey 2:  The Mysterious Island.  

Advance reviews of the movie appear marvelous in their negativity, with professional film critics noting day-glo vegetation, giant rocks clearly made of styrofoam, and terming the flick, “…everything a twelve-year-old boy could want.”  Jules Verne is probably spinning in his grave over this one…

The Bark Side…

February 1, 2012

  – – Turn to the Bark Side…you know it is your destiny

A teaser for a Volkswagen Super Bowl ad, the new commercial features a number of assorted dogs barking to Darth Vader’s distinctive “Imperial March” theme from Star Wars.  The dogs play different Star Wars characters; there’s even an Ewok and a Wookie dog, and at the end a greyhound or whippet clad as an AT-AT parades across the stage!  Is it Paw Wars?–Or are these not the dogs that you’re looking for?

Apparently none of this teaser will appear in the actual upcoming Super Bowl commercial,  which is to herald the arrival of the redesigned VW Beetle…

Giant Robot Attack!

November 4, 2011

 – – I, for one, have always been concerned about my vulnerability to attacks by giant robots, and therefore am comforted that State Farm has me covered in this contingency. 

Perhaps inspired by rival Allstate’s Mayhem commercials, State Farm in its “State of Chaos” spot depicts some poor devil called Dwayne whose house is getting torn apart by a giant robot which bears a suspicious resemblance to “Atlas” from the video game,  Portal 2.   First his car gets decimated, followed by his house, and then Dwayne himself is plucked up in his Lay-Z-Boy!  His friends stand by and act like the spectacle is the coolest thing that they’ve ever seen.  And fear not, Dwayne is safely deposited in his easy chair atop a neighbor’s SUV…”Nice landing!,” comments one friend.


I’d consider being offed by a giant robot a suitable way to go, if aliens or legendary monsters were not available.  A great sequel to this commercial might match the robotic colossus against Allstate’s Mayhem guy in a death match…I’d buy a ticket to that!


Some “Thing” Familiar…

October 17, 2011

 – – I saw some Thing this weekend that was both some Thing old and some Thing new…namely, the prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter classic film of the same name.  The film was basically true to the mood and feeling of Carpenter’s previous epic, and has been criticized for not striking its own identity.  Heavy on atmospherics and paranoia, the new Thing is a dark movie…as well it should be.  The grandfather of the series, The Thing From Another World (1951),  was a classic film way ahead of its time, drawing in turn from the 1938 John W. Campbell novella, Who Goes There?

While the alien monster in John Carpenter’s film went out of its way to hide its identity and avoid detection, this prequel alien is much more visible, looking like a Lovecraft-inspired horror of claws, jaws, and flailing tentacles.  When we see the full-bodied creature scrabbling about, it appears part cephalopod and part crustacean, morphing as it assimilates and mimics the cellular structure of its victims and then hiding within them until the time for its next power play. 

We are taken inside the massive starcraft of the alien when the few survivors of the decimated Antarctic Norwegian research station decide to limit the contagion by tracking the creature home, and in the closing scenes of the movie the filmmakers provide seamless transition scenes to where the Carpenter film begins.  While some of the prequel’s characters are monster kibble, Mary Elizabeth Winstead turns in a strong performance as paleontologist Kate Lloyd, a woman who like Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley knows her way around a flamethrower…

Rock-‘Em-Sock-‘Em Robots…

October 5, 2011

 – – I like robots, The Twilight Zone, and Hugh Jackman, so I’m likely to be sucker punched by Real Steel, a movie based on robotic boxing.  Inspired by the Richard Matheson short story Steel which was itself previously produced as a Twilight Zone episode, Real Steel is set in a near-future where human boxing has been banned in favor of robotic pugilism, and Jackman plays a former human boxer (Charlie Kenton) turned manager/trainer for robotic combatants. 

Times are tough, however, and Jackman’s character is reduced to managing  Atom, an old generation robot whose remains are discovered in a junkyard.  Through this vehicle Jackman may attempt a comeback denied his human flesh, and gain reconciliation with his estranged son…as you might expect, the actor who’s played Wolverine and Van Helsing has some wild talents up his sleeve. – -Sure, it sounds cheesy and it ain’t Shakespeare, but this Steel is more than scrap metal, and might be fun…