Recently I was asked if it's a good idea to watch the Cloud Atlas movie first, or to read the book. I almost always read the book first, but in this case, I came across the movie before the book. But that's alright, the movie couldn't possibly have spoiled the experience of the book...

I watched Cloud Atlas a couple of years ago, and was thoroughly impressed. I figured this must be an exceptional example of a situation where the movie didn't totally destroy the book. Some months after that I read the book.... Well, as good as the movie is, the rule still applies, the book is infinitely better.

The book is written in quite a unique shape, an amazing structure, with such subtleties that can never be imported into a movie. The relationship between the characters in different timelines are described in such elegant ways. And well, there are major story bits and implied meanings in the book, that make the book much deeper, much more complex and in some parts much darker than the movie.

So yes, the book wins once again.... since you have the choice, read the book first. ;)

Labels: Authors, Books, Entertainment, Motion Picture, Movies, Reading, Sci-Fi

I recently picked up a copy of "The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" from my favourite comic book store [Kabooom, Zurich], and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. [And not just because Dolph Lundgren happens to have a picture with this. =D]

The book is a collection/documentation of, well, just about everything that there ever was to do with the He-Man universe.

The collection of illustrations in there, coming from all eras of He-Man, is just amazing.

All the maps are in there. There's maps of Eternia in various eras, a map of Preternia, a map of Subternia, and a map of their part of the universe.

Now this is really cool, there's a filmation cel in there with He-Man and Skeletor. =D [Yes, the actual cel is in a little pocket inside the book!]

And there's a ton of preliminary art work and sketches in there, including concepts that were never used. There's also a list of all the produced and unproduced toys, ideas for characters that were eventually dismissed [some of whom are actually quite interesting], and every bit of information there is to know about the creation and the evolution of this whole universe.

So yes, I really really love this. If you live in Zurich you can pick up a copy at the KABOOOM Comic Shop. Don't miss out! =)

Labels: Books, Comics, Entertainment, Motion Picture, Sci-Fi

Fair warning: Not the nicest version of me has written this article.

Last week I wrote a blog post about my thoughts on the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Since then I've been receiving preposterous amounts of "feedback" regarding that post. The tone and language of some of this "feedback" in my comments section resulted in flame-wars between readers, and I ended up having to disable comments. But I'm still getting the emails and the Facebook messages and so on. So for some of you who've written me comments and messages that have been a pleasure to read, thank you. And for the rest, I feel the need to write a response.

Sorry I'm not writing back to each of you directly, I'm afraid the post here will just have to do. As it happens I actually have a life, and a really busy one at that. And perhaps due to my line of work and style of life, I'm not nearly as obsessed with fiction as some. Simply put, this whole thing is just not important enough.

First, this is my weblog, and I will write in it as I please. I'm not employed by anyone, I'm not paid by anyone, I'm not under any form of obligation and the only rules I follow here are those of my own values. This weblog is old as hell, and yes, I have readers. Some of them read because they like what I write, some because they hate what I write, and some somewhere in between. And sometimes they share my posts with others, so that they can like or hate it together. And sometimes my posts end up on websites with a lot of readers. I don't ask for that, I don't object to that, and I don't change what I write because of that. I'm generally not concerned about accidentally stepping on anyone's toes, due to _my_ personal_ opinions.

Having said that… putting all the attack literature I've received together, a few very interesting points stand out.

It is quite interesting how in general there's no real mention of precisely "why" I'm wrong. There's a whole bunch of "you're wrong because this is the best movie ever made", but no rational responses to anything I've written. Mind you, once again, what I wrote wasn't to say that this was a "bad" movie, it was to say that it did not, at all, meet the expectations set by the DnA [and the long line before that] comic books. It appears that some 90% of the unhappy comments I've received are from people who've never read those, or haven't paid much attention, and generally do not have any idea what I'm getting at. I did mention that if this is your fist encounter with the whole thing, you're probably fine… didn't I? [Well unless you were looking for intelligent entertainment in which case.. well… hello!]

Even more interesting are the comments from people saying that they find the books not interesting, because they're "needlessly complicated", "don't feel like comic books", "there's too much details" and so on, and that they're happy with the now more entertaining version of things. I must admit, it's taking quite a bit of my energy to not write something really obscene in response to that.

I will however say this, thank you very much, that's very 1984 of you. So how's about we abandon the needlessly complicated English dictionary and just go for Newspeak then? We don't need so many words to communicate do we? I mean after all it's not like we have any need of communicating complex concepts, do we? And while we're at it, let's take every bit of thought provoking, meaningful literature out there and simplify it to death. It doesn't matter that we're already suffocating under the tons of pointless nonsense, let's take the few remaining shreds of good substantial thought-food and convert them into mass-pleasing balderdash too, how about that eh?

Or, you could just stick to whatever pleases you, and leave what pleases me alone. Hmm? How about you enjoy your 90% and leave me to my 10%. You see, if you don't "get it", it doesn't make it "bad"…

Oh, and thanks for calling me an "Elitist", again. I'm starting to feel quite comfortable with that term. In fact I seem to get a warm tingly feeling every time a clueless ninny calls me that. So yes, I enjoy both intelligence and intellect, but even more so, wisdom. And you have no idea how happy it makes me that you don't like that about me.

Forget that it's 2014, it not possible for me to have one such discussion without somebody playing the "but you're just a girl after all, what do you know" card. Honestly that's so old I don't even feel like addressing it anymore. So I say only this: I can build you a functional robot out of the junk in your garage, and I can teach you a fine lesson in humility with a pair of long-swords. Feel free to drop by any day of the week.

Another really big load of text that didn't explain in any rational way why I'm "wrong", went in the direction of explaining why it's "bad" to be a fan of Joss Whedon. Hmm. There was the attempt to make me understand that the only reason I like Joss Whedon is that I'm a feminist, and he has a reputation for writing strong female characters. It was then explained to me how that's only a pretence, and how his female characters are actually weak and needy. 

On one hand, I am as further away from feminism as I can possibly get. On the other hand, yes I do happen to like Joss Whedon's female characters, as well as the male ones, and everything else outside or in between! Why? Because he writes characters I can actually relate to! You say his female characters are actually pathetic because… what exactly? Because they have flaws? Because they have needs? Because they make mistakes? Because they have weaknesses? As opposed to what exactly, what is it that you want to see in your female character, a glorified cyborg??? And do Whedon's male characters not have the same issues in general? Are they not humanized the same way? Are his male and female heroes not equals?

On the third hand, what does this all have to do with Guardians, pray tell? Did you really just try to convince me that I'm wrong to prefer Joss Whedon's direction by launching a "he's a fake" campaign? Dear god people… as I have said before… please, please get a life.

At the end I would like to say this. You see, speaking my mind has a history of putting me in terrible trouble of the real sort. If you think the scorn of some Hollywood fanatics, over a movie review of all things, is going to have an effect, well… that's just adorable.

Labels: Entertainment, Reviews, Thoughts

Let me start by putting out the fires: I'm not about to say that this was a "bad" movie. How could I possibly say such a thing? It wouldn't be fair. The movie is in fact quite marvellous to watch! It was quite entertaining… as a stand-alone movie, a movie that  you would watch without any regard for the decades of Guardians comic-books and story arcs. If you don't know anything about what the story was, what the point of it was, what the philosophy of it was.. If you don't know anything about what Guardians of the Galaxy was supposed to be, then you're fine. Prepare for 1.5 hours of awesome entertainment!

Visually speaking, it's a pretty movie. I really love their visualization of "Nowhere". The make-up and costumes were pretty good. Special effects are great. There's a ton of nice fight scenes and explosions. ;) If you're into that sort of thing.

But then if you're like me, if you've waited forever and a half for a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, and then you go and see this… then you're in something of a trouble.

Guardians and I.. well.. let's just say we have history. ;) For the longest time it was this peculiar set of story arcs out of Marvel's never so popular cosmic side. When you mentioned it to people, the reactions ranged from "What's that? I've never heard of that!" to "Oh right it's something to do with Avengers right?". Guardians of the Galaxy was this more or less ignored concept that every once in a while got picked up by one of Marvel's bolder writers, changed in various ways, published for a while and forgotten again. That is until 2007, when by some miracle, the geniuses of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning [alias DnA] got their hands on it.

When DnA started writing Guardians, it had been a while since anyone had paid any attention to the whole thing. Stalking Adam Warlock as I generally do, I landed on the Annihilation/Annihilation Conquest series and the new DnA Guardians. And hot damn, it took my breath away.

The DnA era was the true age of glory for the Guardians! The best possible characters were put together, and their parallel development was fantastically well done! These were, to me, the best written comics that ever came out of Marvel. DnA's Guardians with the ties to Nova, Silver Surfer and many other interesting characters, concepts and species, managed to bring Marvel cosmic back to life. And with that came attention.

I'm not sure exactly what happened but it looked like all of a sudden someone in Marvel came to the conclusion that some money could be made out of this! Guardians was taken from DnA, and handed to Bendis. A pop-culture writer who was in no way compatible with the mentality behind Guardians' story lines. By the time the production of a movie was announced, it was pretty obvious that there was no hope of DnA having anything to do with it. Heck, they weren't even consulted.

When I was told that the movie is not going to be all that much related to the new Bendis Guardians, I thought perhaps there would be a chance that the producers would follow in the lines of what made DnA's Guardians such a treasure. Trailers looked exciting enough, and I figured perhaps all isn't lost.

Well, no such luck.

The biggest issue with the movie is also the first one that slapped me in the face as the movie started. And that, is over simplification of the characters. You see, the whole fun of Guardians was that the characters were complex, odd, and unpredictable. Oh, and not a single one of them was made for team work.

Gamora doesn't do nice and friendly. She's just far more of a b**ch than has been portrayed here, and no, she would NEVER work for anyone least of all Ronan, that's just not in her character. Peter Quill is well aware of his own origins and heck, the idea of getting back at his own father eventually is one of the biggest factors in him becoming who he is. And he doesn't come from a space-pirate background, he comes from a freaky science background. And since when is Drax  a retard? This is Drax the destroyer, he was made to counteract Thanos in every possible way including intellectually. He's supposed to be cunning as hell. It makes me want to sit down and cry over what they've done to him. Rocket knows he's a Racoon. Heck his full name is ROCKET RACCOON gosh darn it! Oh and he would never in a million years get emotional over some idiot calling him a rodent. And since when is Ronan the Accuser this dishonorable psychopath? Are we talking about the same Ronan here? [Please refer to the last picture below.]

And then there was Groot. Oh, this was probably one of the few truly brilliant points of the movie. =) When I want to think positively about the movie, I generally think that this movie was just about Groot. Here was something really positive. I think Groot's character has never been so well developed, explored and realized as it has been in this movie. I looooved his looks, his movements, his eyes, how he beat people up, and most of all I loved the "We are Groot" scene. So yes, one for the plus.

But I'm afraid a single well developed character doesn't make up for the intellectual slaughter of the rest of them. These brilliant thought-provoking characters have been dumbed down to the point of annihilation! And well, characters that couldn't be dumbed down were simply left out.

The movie is full of dull auxiliary characters, while the brilliant central ones are missing. The few that are still there, are suffering serious cases of lobotomy. It felt like the producers simply couldn't handle anything that wasn't totally pop-culture compatible. The lack of these characters at what is supposed to be the formation of the group, leaves huge plot gaps. Without Mantis this group of anti-social delinquents wouldn't for a million years stick together. Without the influence of Warlock and then Richard Rider [the only Nova that ever really mattered], Gamora would simple not be interested in collaborating with anyone. And if you think she'd consent to go to her death after receiving a 2 minute pep talk from someone she's known for 2 days, think again. Without Martyr [and yes I'm going to keep calling her that 'cause that's her coolest version of her by far ] there is no Moondragon. And of course there's no trace of [any] Quasar anywhere to be seen.

Gamora, Rocket, Starlord, Warlock, Drax, Martyr

The dialogues are weak and shallow. It appears to me that the producers didn't really grasp the type of humour Guardians is supposed to have. The casting left a lot to be desired. Vin Diesel did a brilliant job with Groot. But the rest, as much as they are probably good actors, are just not what they should be for their roles. e.g.: As much as I am a fan of her previous performances, Zoe Saldana is just not right for Gamora, and Chris Pratt is totally not Peter Quill. At the risk of causing more fires, I'd say this movie should have had Joss Whedon and DnA at the helm, and a [mostly] British cast.

Now of course there are rumours going around already about more of the central characters making an appearance in the sequels. Given what I've seen so far, that actually worries me. I mean I'm sorry to say, but James Gunn directing Adam Warlock is looking rather unthinkable right now, and I wonder, who can they even cast for the role? This would require someone in the calibre of Alec Newman, Michael Sheen, or at least Sam Heughan [yes, I realise, Scottish – Welsh – Scottish.. wasn't  on purpose but it's not a surprise]. And something tells me that's not the kind of actor they would be adding to this cast. *sight*….

Ronan, Warlock, Martyr, Starlord. The dream team, Annihilation Conquest. And yes that's Ronan there.

So yes. I can watch the latest Captain America movie and be very happy with it, and write a very positive review of it. Because Captain America never had much of a plot till now. You see, I am all for changing the story, when it's in the direction of adding depth, making a point, creating food for thought. Captain America got smarter, Avengers got smarter, heck X-Men got smarter… But unfortunately Guardians of the Galaxy has been intellectually undermined, and this is simply unacceptable.

On the sarcastically positive side, after watching the movie, I feel that the Bendis comics are not altogether that bad. At least he's paying some respect to the existing plot-lines, and he's not lobotomizing the characters completely…

Labels: Comics, DnA, Entertainment, Marvel, Motion Picture, Reviews, Sci-Fi

I watched the movie a few weeks ago, but I didn't find the time to write anything about it and I constantly get the question of whether I've seen it and what I think of it.

So here it is: I LOVED IT! =D

Yes. you're hearing [well, reading] me right, it's an X-Men movie, and I LOVED it!

I've not been that big of a fan of the X-Men movies [or the X-Men universe in general] in the past. As I've mentioned before, the first 2 X-Men movies were far too shallow for me to even feel entertained. Last stand had something a tad more interesting about it, and then First Class finally thoroughly entertained me. But I must say "Days of Future Past" is really the first X-Men movie that I've enjoyed, really, more than mere entertainment.

For the first time an X-Men movie had a really well constructed, very interesting plot. The movie contained some pretty great sci-fi ideas, and well you have to admit, that cast could have made even complete nonsense look good. ;)

That being said, there were of course some huge logic holes in the plot. I mean I'm pretty sure I saw Charles Xavier get blown to pieces by a very evil Phoenix. And now he seems entirely alive. Of course given the end of Last Stand, the theory is that his consciousness got transferred [somehow?!] to his twin brother's body. Hmmm. So obviously the twin brother was suffering some sort of a physical problem as a result of which he was in a coma. And now Xavier just jumps into that body? And even if I were to accept that, then why is it that he's still in a flying chair? For what reason would the brother's body would have the exact same injury????

And then of course Magneto not only got back his lost powers, but seems to be doing extra-well too. And I could go on… And yet, I prefer to think that the holes in the plot are results of previous movies having problematic plots, not this one. ;)

Oh, and on a side-note, I have to mention that I'm growing quite fond of watching a movie in either Corso or Metropole in Zurich in some obscure hour when there's nobody else, and it's pretty much like private screening. ;)

Labels: Comics, Entertainment, Marvel, Movies, Sci-Fi

Can somebody explain to me the connection between J. J. Abrams and the new CBS series "Intelligence"? Is there one?

I didn't really know much about the series [and apparently neither did anyone else in my circles] until just recently when I watched a few episodes. The series is created by "Michael Seitzman", and I can't find any kind of connection to J. J. Abrams. However when I watch the series, I can't help the feeling that I'm watching a J. J. Abrams series!!

The cast, which by the way is a brilliant assembly, includes actors/actresses who have a history of appearing in Abrams / Bad Robot productions. The plot is very Abrams-ish, and well.. I don't know how else to put it but the series just has the total Abrams feeling to it! It's just way too Abrams not to be an Abrams production! =P

So… what's up with that? Anyone has any theories? =P

Labels: Entertainment, Sci-Fi, TV

Last night [well, basically 'till morning] I finished reading Orson Scot Card's "Ender's Game", the first book of the "Ender's Saga". The series have been on my reading list for basically ever now, but somehow I never got to it. Then the movie showed up which I don't want to see before reading the books. [I'm a much bigger fan of books than movies and I don't want watching the movie to spoil the books!] So a week ago I finally started reading the first book, and well, looks like I pretty much devoured it.

Once I started reading "Ender's Game" I simply couldn't put it down. The book definitely is one of the best sci-fi I've ever read, as was suggested to me by several of my friends. [You were all right! =) ] Now I'm going to start with the 2nd book… I'm of course very happy that there's already 12 books in the series, and the author is writing some more…. I really do want more of this!

Labels: Authors, Books, Entertainment, Literature, Reading, Sci-Fi

Honestly I wasn't in such a hurry to see "Man of Steel". Superman movies and comics have always been mere light entertainment to me, and even though I have occasionally enjoyed watching a movie or reading a comic, I've never been a fan. Through the years I've felt a chronic lack of plot and character development in all things Superman. [Which basically sums up my relationship with 99% of DC's comics.]

So you can imagine my surprise, watching "Man of Steel" last night, and realizing in the middle of the movie that I was actually really enjoying it! Especially seeing the movie's less than great ratings and the plenty of dissatisfied reviews! [Then again I often seem to like what everyone else hates and vice versa!]

Yes, I really really liked this movie! Many important details were changed, characters were much better developed, and most importantly so much nonsense and absurdity has been eliminated! I mean surprise surprise, for once in my life a Superman movie actually makes rational sense!!!!

For once we actually see a proper, well pictured, back story. Which actually explained why everything happened the way it all happened. I really enjoyed the beginning part of the movie where Krypton has been quite nicely illustrated, and we finally get a better idea of what "the parents" were like and what the circumstances were. Or for that matter why Zod acts the way he does. Also the earthly parents of Clark Kent have been much better developed. Supeman's own character finally has some proper development with much less cheese involved. Oh, and for once, finally, someone has decided that Lois Lane should not be the idiotic, clueless, pointless, shame to all women, constantly in need of rescuing, aka the classical character. Thank you very much for that.

It's been said the movie will have a next instalment in 2015. I do look forward to seeing that.

By the way, come to think of it, it's interesting that the latest Batman movie was also the best I've ever seen, for pretty much all the same reasons! Looks like DC might have finally figured some things out… ;)  Maybe it's time I go back and check the comic books…...

Labels: Comics, DC Comics, Entertainment, Movies, Reviews, Sci-Fi

Last week I finished reading [or more like devouring] Dan Brown's latest book, "Inferno". And well, wow! For me this book is now in a tie with "The Da Vinci Code" for Dan Brown's best. As usual he has managed to put a lot of interesting ideas and generally "food for thought" in the book. But then the plot was also amazing this time, and felt like a bit of an evolution. So, I really enjoyed it. Totally recommended.

Labels: Authors, Books, Entertainment, Interesting, Literature, Reading

On Sunday night we went to see the Hobbit [3D]. Yes, the opening week, in fact just after the opening day. =P I was in a pretty big hurry for this one… Couldn't wait! And I'm so not disappointed!

The movie was simply great. As I wrote about the first part, in comparison the LOTR movies, the hobbit movies have the advantage of being truly faithful to the book, which naturally comes with making 3 movies out of the one book. Every important detail is there, with some cute additions, and altogether things just feel right. The visuals are quite stunning, and if you're going to see the movie, make sure to see it in 3D.

I still have a problem with a blonde Orlando Bloom. That really doe NOT work. But I don't think I had enough time to pay attention to that given Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel, and Benedict Cumberbatch's voice on Smaug. =P

All in all it's a lovely movie. The only "issue", is the humongous cliff-hanger at the end. Of course when you divide one single book into 3 movies, every conclusion, every important event, everything that you are waiting for, will be at the end, waiting for the last movie. So now I have to wait a year for… well… everything. Meh. =P

Labels: Entertainment, Fun, Literature, Motion Picture, Movies

Of all the versions of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" that I have seen so far, old and new, classic and modern, my favourite has to be Joss Whedon's! I watched it  some weeks ago for the first time, and a few nights ago again. I never thought I'd enjoy a version more than the digital theatre one with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, but I liked Joss Whedon's even more than that! It's just too cute! =D

Of course Joss Whedon and Jed Whedon also created their own version of "Sigh No More", the famous soundtrack of Much Ado [with Shakespeare's own lyrics!]. It's quite nice, definitely the nicest version of it I've heard. =)

Labels: Entertainment, Joss Whedon, Literature, Movies, Music

I don't know how it happened that I haven't read the book yet, but now I seriously believe that I should. And I will…. once I'm done with my current Dan Brown reading.

I watched the Cloud Atlas movie last week and it blew my mind to so many little pieces. Had not enjoyed a movie this much in a long while. It lacks in absolutely no category. The plot is unbelievably good, the cast is just brilliant, the humour is priceless… And this movie actually has a message, for a change.

Labels: Entertainment, Motion Picture, Movies, Sci-Fi

So during the weekend in between my notebooks and my tablet I managed to see just everything I cared to see from Comic-Con 2013 [and not really get anything else done! =P]. Aaaaaand it's been exciting.

J.J. Abrams' "Almost Human" series is going to be here in a few months, and I really can't wait to see it. The series is about Androids, and seems to have a very Asimov theme and feel to it. Oh, and Karl Urban is the main guy apparently. Enough said.

Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D", created by Joss Whedon, is also right around the corner. It turns out Agent Coulson is alive and kicking, which is an awesome surprise. can't wait for this one either.

As for panels and such, I think I'm now officially a much bigger fan of the Nerd HQ panels than the official Comic-Con ones. Nerd HQ panels are very very different, they're a lot less formal, a lot less directed and formatted and just a lot more fun to watch. This year's Nerd HQ panels were again awesome, and my favourite one was most likely the one with Tom Hiddleston, a.k.a. Loki. =) Here's that:

The Nerd HQ Doctor Who panel was also awesome. Honestly Steven Moffat [now known as Steven Fat] is absolutely hilarious:

And on the same channel you can find the panels with Joss Whedon, Richard Madden, 2 panels with Nathan Fillion and a whole bunch of other really cool one.

Thanks to some good friends I was also able to have a look at several of the official Con panels. I absolutely LOOOOOOOOOOVED Loki's appearance on the Marvel panel, that was just bloody awesome! =D  I also really enjoyed the X-Men panel, and of course the Doctor Who panel hosted by Greg Ferguson was quite entertaining. ;)

But of course I have to do a bit of ranting too. =P For one thing I don't know who gave permission to these people to produce another idiotic 300 movie. Unbelievably disappointing.

But the real disappointment is of course how Marvel seems to have picked up an axe to go after their own Cosmic story arcs altogether. I have been waiting for a "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie to happen for many many years. Now that it's finally going to happen, they have taken the writing from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and handed it to Brian Michael Bendis, who really, really is NOT the writer for this. And of course James Gunn is directing…. right. And basically the same thing has happened to Nova… So now I wonder if this is really the end of Marvel Cosmic, or at least anything that was good about Marvel Cosmic… or will it somehow be rescued, I guess we just have to wait and see.

Labels: Books, Comic-Con, Comics, Entertainment, Motion Picture, Movies, Science, TV

"Star Trek: Into Darkness" : I LUUUUUUUUUUUUUV IT! =D I mean, I really really really love it. We went to watch it on Monday evening, and it's still running in the background of my mind. Fantastic plot, awesome visuals, perfect cast…. This is definitely one of the very best Star Trek movies I've ever seen, and I already have the feeling that unfortunately it is, and it is going to be, underrated.

[Warning, from here on there could be spoilers.]

"Wrath of Khan", and "The Search for Spock", were actually the first 2 Star Trek movies I watched as a child [very little =)], and basically the first time I watched anything Star Trek. Somehow the two movies left quite an impression on me… perhaps the reason why I've always been such a huge fan of the franchise. The scene of Spock's death in "Wrath of Khan" was something that really affected me… the idea, the feelings, the message… So you can imagine, for me it was quite amazing to watch the same scene in the new movie, except with the positions reversed. In fact all the "mirrors" in "Into Darkness" were very exciting for me.

I also think that the choice of Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan, was basically as good as it could possibly get. =D He was completely perfect for the role. The character of Khan was always interesting, but I feel that Benedict Cumberbatch's performance somehow managed to make something new out of the character. A much deeper, much more twisted, and terribly impressive new Khan. I'm also a huge fan of the "old Spock" cameos, and Simon Pegg as Scotty is also a completely brilliant choice.

I really cannot understand all the criticism that the movie is receiving. I just hope that J.J. Abrams keeps doing what he's doing, and I look forward, impatiently, to the next one. =D

Labels: Entertainment, J.J. Abrams, Motion Picture, Movies, Nerdism, Sci-Fi, Star Trek

Few days ago I watched "Robot & Frank". One of the better Robot movies I've seen. I guess I mostly liked the fact that this movie, unlike many sci-fi/futuristic movies I've seen, is not trying to decide or state whether this kind of technological advancement has positive implications or negative ones. Instead, it's simply showing that it can have  pretty serious effects on the most private aspects of our lives, and our relationships, with others and even with ourselves.

Oh, and I loved the soundtrack! =)

Labels: Entertainment, Motion Picture, Movies, Robotics, Sci-Fi, Technology

Labels: Electronics, Entertainment, Fun, Robotics, Technology

About a year after all the buzz, and everyone [and most likely their dogs] having already watched "The Dark Knight Rises", Saturday night I finally managed to watch the movie. =D I had simply not found the time before, especially given that I've [please don't shoot me, please don't shoot me, please don't shoot me….] never really been that big of a fan of the Batman movies. Don't get me wrong, I've always had fun with the movies and the comics and heck, even the old TV series. =) I've just not really been a _fan_. At least, not till now.

The recent Batman movies [Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale] have been quite different from the older versions. There's now actually a plot, a real story, some fantastic character development. And now, with this latest movie, I'm actually a fan! For the first time in my life I've actually watched a Batman movie that I've really truly enjoyed enough to even feel like watching more than once. =D

Of course it also appears [at least so far] that this is going to be the last Nolan/Bale Batman movie, which is quite a shame. This has definitely been the best version of Batman so far, and I really would have liked to see more of it….

Labels: Comics, Entertainment, Motion Picture, Movies, Sci-Fi

This made me laugh, then cry, then laugh, then cry again…. One of "those" movies.

Labels: Entertainment, Fantasy, Motion Picture, Movies

On Saturday night I watched "Donovan's Echo", thanks to the recommendation from a good friend. =) And totally loved it. Here's yet another movie that somehow never became popular, and no one seems to ever have heard of.

Labels: Entertainment, Motion Picture, Movies, Sci-Fi

Warning: Here be spoilers!

So it's been a couple of weeks since Fringe ended, and last night I had a chance to watch the series finale once more. I've been playing with it in my head, and I'm not a 100% certain how I feel about it. I think I enjoyed many aspects of it, but I also think that it wasn't, at all, enough.

I'm a big fan of how J.J. Abrams stories usually grow larger than life. The so many parallel story lines, the plots within plots, the insane developments of characters, I love it all. At the same time I think that there's a bit of a side effect to all this, which is probably more a business/channel policy issue than anything else. Given how the most interesting sci-fi series have one by one disappeared and any new promising series seems to get cancelled before even officially taking off, there's almost always not enough time for J.J. Abrams story lines to be properly brought to a satisfying conclusion.

It seems like J.J. Abrams stories grow so awesomely huge that tying up all the loose ends and answering all the questions alone will require a few seasons. So regardless of how well designed, how exciting and how all in all nice the finale might be, it's just never enough. A really painful example of that was Lost. I actually was one of the few people who did like the concept for the finale, but gosh was that just insufficient!

The Fringe finale was much better. It did offer some closure, and it answer some questions. However there's still way too much that's left to our imagination, and I even see some inconsistencies. For instance, I don't believe that Walter technically could disappear. I also think that the chunk of time that we never "saw", the period of time in which Etta was born and raised, was something that perhaps we were originally intended to see, due to some references in the series itself and also the comics. And I could go on....

Now I can only hope that there will be more comics to fill up all the gaps that the series has left behind, and offer some more explanations.

Labels: Entertainment, Fringe, J.J. Abrams, Sci-Fi, TV