Hell
Boy 2-The Golden Army was released this past summer. I can hardly
believe that I’m saying this past summer already. And for anyone who is a
fan of the comic or a fan of the first movie, then you’ve already seen
it, but for those who have not and who enjoy sci-fi in general I’d
recommend this movie.
You may be a bit taken aback if you don’t
read the comic and be at a slight disadvantage on the learning curve for
watching the movie, but it’s not anything that you can’t
overcome-especially if you enjoy the film and watch it more than once!
The first film Hell Boy that was released the summer of 2004 and while I
was not a fan or reader of the comic I thoroughly enjoyed the first
movie. Ron Perlman plays Hell Boy very well-he portrays him more like a
stereotypical bad attitude cop than a being from an alternate reality.
He’s just your average everyday crime fighting prince of darkness trying
to fit in! He has the same problems that many of us have. Difficulty
with his supervisor, trying to get along with his co-workers and he’s in
love with someone he works with and is trying to make that work too.
So
just ignore that he’s 7 feet tall with red skin and sanded down horns
on his head. Some guys shave their head-he shaves the horns!
The
first installment had us seeing how Hell Boy came into our world, and
then his subsequent work on a specialized government task force to rid
the world of paranormal phenomena. His task was to stop Rasmussen from
taking over the world-and while the Monk was pretty ugly he did have a
hot girlfriend! Why do the bad guys get such hot looking women? You
never see Jedi knights walking around with their arms around gorgeous
babes! [Forget that the Jedi order is celibate, and that it has
nothing to do with this movie!]
The second movie has the king of
the Elves fighting his son for control of the mythical golden army-why
would we call the army mythical? If we can have the royal court of the
Elves why can’t we have a “Golden Army”? But there is the ever present
Hell Boy/Bad Boy image and attitude that continues to exist from the
first movie-and it does continue to provide both excitement and laughs
in the film.
Over all I recommend this film!
Hell Boy 2-the Golden Army
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/
Hell Boy [2004]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167190/
Wikipedia-Hell Boy 2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellboy_II:_The_Golden_Army
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Showing posts with label sci fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sci fi. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Galaxy Quest~!! [1999]
If there was ever a funnier and yet serious spoof of Star Trek and Sci-Fi then I’ve not yet seen it! I had the chance to re-watch this movie over the weekend and it made me laugh and smile with the over-the-top performances of the characters and actors!
From Time Allen’s portrayal of Commander Taggart to Sigourney Weaver’s emotional portrayal of Lt. Tawny Madison-with her gorgeous body center stage! Alan Rickman’s interesting and yet controlled performance of the alien Dr.Lazarus. Tony Shaloub as the tech sergeant responsible for fixing the ship under any circumstances! Reminds me of Mr. Scott on Star Trek, and he falls in love with an alien-who is really very attractive with her pale, white skin and the dark straight hair! Missy Pile plays Laliari the alien emissary to Tim Allen’s character-after her translator is fixed-and the soon to be love interest and first assistant to tech sergeant played by the actor Fred Kwan and in real life Tony Shaloub. There are supporting roles by Enrico Colantoni who plays Mathesar the alien leader and commander who puts all his people’s hopes and dreams into one basket. The one carried by goofball Tim Allen!
From the convention where the cast is upset and angry over their co-stars apparent lack of respect for their craft, or for punctuality, to Tim Allen’s astonished look when he’s about to be transported like some over-sized pneumatic tube across the universe back to earth this film has some very good special effects, decent writing and good acting by all. It presents us with the question of what do you do when you find what you do for a living really does matter to someone-even if you never thought it did and it hadn’t mattered to you before? Even more is what do you do when you find that others are relying on you to help them? Do you turn away from them, run and let them down? Or do you accept the challenge and work hard, get the help of your friends and accomplish your goal?
Maybe this movie is simply meant to be funny, but many people may think of their jobs as not having much impact in the larger picture. Yet if we all didn’t do whatever it is we do for a living wouldn’t there be a large hole? Wouldn’t things end up not getting done? And then perhaps we’d see just how important our role really is both at work, and with those we care about-friends and family.
Galaxy Quest on imdb.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177789/
Monday, December 01, 2008
From Time Allen’s portrayal of Commander Taggart to Sigourney Weaver’s emotional portrayal of Lt. Tawny Madison-with her gorgeous body center stage! Alan Rickman’s interesting and yet controlled performance of the alien Dr.Lazarus. Tony Shaloub as the tech sergeant responsible for fixing the ship under any circumstances! Reminds me of Mr. Scott on Star Trek, and he falls in love with an alien-who is really very attractive with her pale, white skin and the dark straight hair! Missy Pile plays Laliari the alien emissary to Tim Allen’s character-after her translator is fixed-and the soon to be love interest and first assistant to tech sergeant played by the actor Fred Kwan and in real life Tony Shaloub. There are supporting roles by Enrico Colantoni who plays Mathesar the alien leader and commander who puts all his people’s hopes and dreams into one basket. The one carried by goofball Tim Allen!
From the convention where the cast is upset and angry over their co-stars apparent lack of respect for their craft, or for punctuality, to Tim Allen’s astonished look when he’s about to be transported like some over-sized pneumatic tube across the universe back to earth this film has some very good special effects, decent writing and good acting by all. It presents us with the question of what do you do when you find what you do for a living really does matter to someone-even if you never thought it did and it hadn’t mattered to you before? Even more is what do you do when you find that others are relying on you to help them? Do you turn away from them, run and let them down? Or do you accept the challenge and work hard, get the help of your friends and accomplish your goal?
Maybe this movie is simply meant to be funny, but many people may think of their jobs as not having much impact in the larger picture. Yet if we all didn’t do whatever it is we do for a living wouldn’t there be a large hole? Wouldn’t things end up not getting done? And then perhaps we’d see just how important our role really is both at work, and with those we care about-friends and family.
Galaxy Quest on imdb.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177789/
Monday, December 01, 2008
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Surrogates-Willis' Latest Movie [2009]
Surrogates [2009]
A few weeks ago I went and saw the latest Bruce Willis movie entitled Surrogates. Set some time in the future where nearly everyone in the US works, plays and experiences their life through an android body. It’s an interesting plot, and Willis plays an interesting character. He is an FBI agent and his surrogate is 20 years his younger but is based on his physical features. We see a young Willis running around the city after a killer.
The movie presents us with an interesting future. Where no one is homeless, out of work and crime is nearly gone-all because of these surrogates! Everyone has one and everyone can look as handsome or as beautiful as they can afford to look by manufactured means. They look gorgeous and can feel everything that their surrogate does. So they can go out and literally jump out of a plane without a parachute, all because their surrogate will be destroyed but they won’t be!
But we find that there is a problem when a military weapon is stolen that can destroy not only the surrogate but the human connected to it as well. This is where Willis comes in and must find out who it is that is trying to kill the inventor and owner of the company that manufactures the surrogates. Willis finds that he not only must determine who is working against him, but who really is who. As a surrogate can have more than one person who uses it Willis finds that he’s not only in a who-dun-it mystery, but also a who-is-it on that other side of that surrogate!
The ending is not one I had expected and for that I give the writers a thumbs-up in their creativity. The idea of surrogates for everyone is sci-fi to say the least but also a world in which I’d rather not live. Walking around and not having any real interaction with a human being. Where the person I may touch or hug is simply an android and while I might feel the sensation there is still no real physical or human interaction. I’m glad this is sci-fi and not anything that science is actually working to produce.
Surrogates-imdb.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986263/
Surrogates-Official Website
http://www.chooseyoursurrogate.com/
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A few weeks ago I went and saw the latest Bruce Willis movie entitled Surrogates. Set some time in the future where nearly everyone in the US works, plays and experiences their life through an android body. It’s an interesting plot, and Willis plays an interesting character. He is an FBI agent and his surrogate is 20 years his younger but is based on his physical features. We see a young Willis running around the city after a killer.
The movie presents us with an interesting future. Where no one is homeless, out of work and crime is nearly gone-all because of these surrogates! Everyone has one and everyone can look as handsome or as beautiful as they can afford to look by manufactured means. They look gorgeous and can feel everything that their surrogate does. So they can go out and literally jump out of a plane without a parachute, all because their surrogate will be destroyed but they won’t be!
But we find that there is a problem when a military weapon is stolen that can destroy not only the surrogate but the human connected to it as well. This is where Willis comes in and must find out who it is that is trying to kill the inventor and owner of the company that manufactures the surrogates. Willis finds that he not only must determine who is working against him, but who really is who. As a surrogate can have more than one person who uses it Willis finds that he’s not only in a who-dun-it mystery, but also a who-is-it on that other side of that surrogate!
The ending is not one I had expected and for that I give the writers a thumbs-up in their creativity. The idea of surrogates for everyone is sci-fi to say the least but also a world in which I’d rather not live. Walking around and not having any real interaction with a human being. Where the person I may touch or hug is simply an android and while I might feel the sensation there is still no real physical or human interaction. I’m glad this is sci-fi and not anything that science is actually working to produce.
Surrogates-imdb.com
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986263/
Surrogates-Official Website
http://www.chooseyoursurrogate.com/
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
District 9 [2009]
When I first heard of this new film that Peter Jackson was involved in I was interested and excited, then I saw the preview and I was not sure I wanted to view the film. The previews made the film look very depressing. The plot presented was of a group of aliens who became lost and couldn’t get their ship to work and were stranded here on earth.
The trailer made it appear that the aliens lived in squalor and were being held captive by us humans here on earth. So much for ethical behavior among inter-species, but then what should I expect from a species that raises animals simply to kill them and eat them?
Putting the ethics of eating meat aside, the movie itself really was depressing to me. I viewed it last week hoping that I’d be wrong and it presented humans in a very realistic light. We care more about ourselves than anything else. I’m not talking about individual survival or survival of our species. Humans in real life care more about obtaining wealth, material objects and having “the good life” than working towards an ethical dispersal of goods and materials across the planet for the benefit of all of mankind, let alone all of the earth. We worry over global warming and the possibility of losing much of our country’s coastal areas in the next 100 years because of global warming and yet we over produce animals for food in the most disgusting of environments. People across the planet are starving and have no clean water to eat. People in our own country have nowhere to live and not enough food to eat and yet we still worry about getting the new PSP 3 on sale and buying the latest fashions and going to the most elite restaurants.
The film District 9 may be a parody of all of the above. While it may not be the writer and director’s intent to parody modern society they do present humans in a way that appears most revealing and most unflattering. Humans in the not so distant future have to “deal” with the arrival of a group of aliens who have gotten lost. They cannot return home as their ship doesn’t function. As a result of these events the country of South Africa-where the ship has arrived-forcibly removes the aliens from their ship and then makes them live in what amounts to concentration camps. They live in shacks made of cardboard, left over plywood and aluminum. They live in firth and garbage. They are shown scrounging through garbage for food and for whatever they can find to use for survival.
The film shows people being interviewed who have various reactions to the aliens. Some speak as if they are a blight to the world and just want them to leave and “go home” or “go back to where they came from”. Those being interviewed for the film also speak of the aliens as if they are not deserving of any respect and as if they aren’t intelligent and are some form of untouchable, a lower social class and don’t deserve to have a clean place to live or food to eat.
During the film one of the government workers who is been charged with moving the entire group of aliens-some 1+ million-from the current camp to a “newer and better camp” is laughing about the nickname the aliens have and laughing as one of them is scrounging through garbage. They aliens are called “prawns” because they are seen as bottom feeders by humans. We also see the official performing a mass “abortion” on a shack full of young “prawns” incubating. Afterwards he laughs about performing his first abortion.
Later in the movie this same official is exposed to an alien bio-technology which turns out to be fuel for their space ship. The fluid slowly turns the human into an alien and during the course of the human trying to regain his humanity we find that humans have been secretly experimenting on the aliens and trying to use alien technology for profit.
The story line is interesting but it is not a feel good movie with a happy ending, nor is it a scary-horror movie. This film presents humans in a very negative light which appears reminiscent to countless government regimes who exploit those with little power. It’s the story of the human race. I hope that it’s not one that will be repeated forever.
District 9 [2009]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Official Web Site-District 9
http://www.district9movie.com/
Monday, September 28, 2009
The trailer made it appear that the aliens lived in squalor and were being held captive by us humans here on earth. So much for ethical behavior among inter-species, but then what should I expect from a species that raises animals simply to kill them and eat them?
Putting the ethics of eating meat aside, the movie itself really was depressing to me. I viewed it last week hoping that I’d be wrong and it presented humans in a very realistic light. We care more about ourselves than anything else. I’m not talking about individual survival or survival of our species. Humans in real life care more about obtaining wealth, material objects and having “the good life” than working towards an ethical dispersal of goods and materials across the planet for the benefit of all of mankind, let alone all of the earth. We worry over global warming and the possibility of losing much of our country’s coastal areas in the next 100 years because of global warming and yet we over produce animals for food in the most disgusting of environments. People across the planet are starving and have no clean water to eat. People in our own country have nowhere to live and not enough food to eat and yet we still worry about getting the new PSP 3 on sale and buying the latest fashions and going to the most elite restaurants.
The film District 9 may be a parody of all of the above. While it may not be the writer and director’s intent to parody modern society they do present humans in a way that appears most revealing and most unflattering. Humans in the not so distant future have to “deal” with the arrival of a group of aliens who have gotten lost. They cannot return home as their ship doesn’t function. As a result of these events the country of South Africa-where the ship has arrived-forcibly removes the aliens from their ship and then makes them live in what amounts to concentration camps. They live in shacks made of cardboard, left over plywood and aluminum. They live in firth and garbage. They are shown scrounging through garbage for food and for whatever they can find to use for survival.
The film shows people being interviewed who have various reactions to the aliens. Some speak as if they are a blight to the world and just want them to leave and “go home” or “go back to where they came from”. Those being interviewed for the film also speak of the aliens as if they are not deserving of any respect and as if they aren’t intelligent and are some form of untouchable, a lower social class and don’t deserve to have a clean place to live or food to eat.
During the film one of the government workers who is been charged with moving the entire group of aliens-some 1+ million-from the current camp to a “newer and better camp” is laughing about the nickname the aliens have and laughing as one of them is scrounging through garbage. They aliens are called “prawns” because they are seen as bottom feeders by humans. We also see the official performing a mass “abortion” on a shack full of young “prawns” incubating. Afterwards he laughs about performing his first abortion.
Later in the movie this same official is exposed to an alien bio-technology which turns out to be fuel for their space ship. The fluid slowly turns the human into an alien and during the course of the human trying to regain his humanity we find that humans have been secretly experimenting on the aliens and trying to use alien technology for profit.
The story line is interesting but it is not a feel good movie with a happy ending, nor is it a scary-horror movie. This film presents humans in a very negative light which appears reminiscent to countless government regimes who exploit those with little power. It’s the story of the human race. I hope that it’s not one that will be repeated forever.
District 9 [2009]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Official Web Site-District 9
http://www.district9movie.com/
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
ALIEN NATION [1988]
This movie came out many years ago! So long ago in fact that I was in school at the time! And I’m not saying if I was in grade-school, or high-school! But I do remember seeing it on cable a few years after it came out and recently saw it again on cable. It reminded me of how young the big name stars were in the late 80’s-James Caan and Mandy Patinkin-who looked old to me then, don’t appear as old now some 20 years later!
The movie’s plot is simple-aliens land on earth and are lost. They can’t find their way home and so they crash the INS and start living in LA! Mandy Patinkin’s character is an alien named “Sam Francisco” and it’s a joke that makes you groan to say the least! Patinkin plays a police officer who is partnered with Caan. They stumble on to a new drug that is being produced by the aliens and is about to be widely distributed among the “Newcomer” alien members. We’re told that crack and heroin are like pez compared to this drug!
The story moves quickly-which is a necessity in films but not true in real police work-and we see Caan and Pantinkin’s characters investigating several deaths over the course of a few days. The deaths are all related and lead them to the leader of the alien’s drug operation. An alien named William Harcourt-played by Terrence Stamp. The movie has several very good chase scenes and even an interesting side-line into the personal life of Patinkin’s character and the history of the aliens in general.
Overall the movie is very good and has an interesting sci-fi twist on an old cop movie plot. Old cop and rookie working together to solve a problem larger than themselves and they must put aside their differences and dislikes of each other to achieve the greater good.
Alien Nation [1988] imdb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094631/
Monday, September 21, 2009
The movie’s plot is simple-aliens land on earth and are lost. They can’t find their way home and so they crash the INS and start living in LA! Mandy Patinkin’s character is an alien named “Sam Francisco” and it’s a joke that makes you groan to say the least! Patinkin plays a police officer who is partnered with Caan. They stumble on to a new drug that is being produced by the aliens and is about to be widely distributed among the “Newcomer” alien members. We’re told that crack and heroin are like pez compared to this drug!
The story moves quickly-which is a necessity in films but not true in real police work-and we see Caan and Pantinkin’s characters investigating several deaths over the course of a few days. The deaths are all related and lead them to the leader of the alien’s drug operation. An alien named William Harcourt-played by Terrence Stamp. The movie has several very good chase scenes and even an interesting side-line into the personal life of Patinkin’s character and the history of the aliens in general.
Overall the movie is very good and has an interesting sci-fi twist on an old cop movie plot. Old cop and rookie working together to solve a problem larger than themselves and they must put aside their differences and dislikes of each other to achieve the greater good.
Alien Nation [1988] imdb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094631/
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Clone Wars on Cartoon Network and StarWars.com!
Well for all of you who haven’t already read about and watched the new Clone Wars Cartoon on Cartoon Network on Friday nights at 9pm [and no I am not getting a fee for advertising this!] for those of you who do not have cable-and there are some of us who don’t- as well as for those of you who may have missed some of the episodes, it’s now available to view online at starwars.com!
Not having cable made me give up ever watching it, but now that they’re going to be put online so we can watch the older episodes makes me think it may be worth downloading or streaming the video to my computer.
Hope this doesn’t make me too much of a geek!
Clone Wars Online
http://www.starwars.com/video/view/0000/0025
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Not having cable made me give up ever watching it, but now that they’re going to be put online so we can watch the older episodes makes me think it may be worth downloading or streaming the video to my computer.
Hope this doesn’t make me too much of a geek!
Clone Wars Online
http://www.starwars.com/video/view/0000/0025
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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