With pouring rain most of the weekend, and a near car accident, I decided to forget the movie weekend and instead stayed in the comfort and safety of my apartment. I then had grandiose plans of watching a bunch of movies on Netflix, but after about 20 hours of gaming, I couldn't deal with watching a single 2 hour movie. (This makes no sense since I can sit down and watch 4-8 hours of episodic shows that are about 45 mins a piece, but dedicating 2 hours at one time sounds like such a chore.)
So, instead I caught up on Fringe. God I love this show. I hate that Fox moved it to Fridays to accommodate yet MORE American Idol -- is anyone even watching this now that Simon is gone? I am frustrated that our current system of collecting data on TV watching behaviors depends on an antiquated system that doesn't take into account the whole picture of viewing habits and downgrades those that are becoming more and more common (watching online or on DVR is not equal to watching live broadcast according to advertisers).
It's too bad. Fringe has been a consistently good show, with interesting characters, storylines, and some great acting. It's often compared to X-Files, which I see as a plus. I suppose I should be thankful it's made it through 3 seasons so far -- the amazing Firefly didn't even make it through one season on Fox.
If you like science fiction or stories of the strange & unusual and aren't already watching Fringe, check it out before it's gone. And here's to praying for a Season 4.
I've managed to tweak my neck/back (likely after hours on 3 crappy computer set-ups this week), so will likely not be able to game as much as I'd like this weekend. So, I'm thinking about hitting up a movie -- it's been a slow start to the year for movie releases. Maybe that's fine; I'm pretty much a homebody until Daylight Savings takes effect (Sunday!!).
Anyway, here are my options this weekend:
Rango (animated movie with Johnny Depp as voice of lead character):
Red Riding Hood (loosely based on the fairytale story with Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried as Red):
Side comment: While I love the red hood, am I the only one who thinks everyone in the cast looks just a little too clean and coiffed for a medieval village?
and Battle: Los Angeles (sci-fi action thriller with alien invasion of LA starring Aaron Eckhart):
Pretty sure it's going to come down to Rango (liked by Fans & Critics) or Battle: LA (liked by Fans). I'll keep you posted if it is a "feel-good" or a "blow s**t up" kind of weekend here in PDX.
I haven't been quite up to leaving the house yet after surgery earlier in the week. This has translated to a crap-ton of TV and movie watching. And I have to say, I'm so thankful for the extended basic cable I was able to upgrade to earlier this year. It doesn't include all the pay channels, or even SyFy and BBC but it does include ion, USA, Comedy Channel and Cartoon Channel. So that's something.
This afternoon's fare has been a double header on ion. First up is the Ben Affleck/Uma Thurman science fiction flick, Paycheck (2003). It's apparently based on a Philip K. Dick short story of the same name, but clearly Hollywood had its way with yet another PKD story. Sigh. The premise was interesting:
Michael Jennings (Affleck) is a reverse engineer; for lucrative sums of money, he analyzes his clients' competitors' products and designs new versions that excel above and beyond the original's features. When he finishes the job, he undergoes a memory wipe with help from his friend. The memory wipe is achieved by computer technology able to scan one's brain and erase whatever must be erased. This ensures that the new product cannot be tracked back to the reverse engineering effort, thereby protecting his client's intellectual property.
But the movie falls short of the ambitious plot line. Shocking, I know. I feel like I'm saying/thinking this sentiment a lot lately, particularly in the science fiction genre. I'll see if I can dig up the thesaurus to put it a new way at some point.
I'm a sucker for sci-fi movies with a futuristic bent that are now 5+ years old. And I didn't hate the movie; granted, I'm still on post-surgical pain killers, so that's something but Paycheck amused me for a couple hours on the couch this sunny Saturday. Maybe a B-/C+?
Actually, this trailer sums up the entire movie pretty well:
Next up this afternoon is The Fifth Element, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich (1997). I remember this move quite fondly, as it was a house favorite when it came out 10+ years ago now. Luc Besson directed the film, and used not only really great set designs (some of which were designed by legendary artist Moebius), but outrageous costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, and a dash of some good ol' fashioned slap stick humor.
Set during the 23rd century, the film's central plot involves the survival of humanity which becomes the duty of a taxi driver (and former special forces major) named Korben Dallas (Willis) when a young woman (Jovovich) falls into his taxicab. Upon learning of her significance, Korben must join efforts with the girl and a priest to recover four mystical stones which are key to defending Earth from an impending attack of pure evil and destruction. (via Wikipedia)
Gary Oldman is particularly fantastic as the villain Zorg. And this movie was my first introduction to Chris Tucker. Love him as Ruby Rhod. Not sure what happened to him...
The movie runs a little long, but it's so pretty!
Not sure I love this trailer, but you get the idea:
I wish I could find a good clip of the operatic piece that is included about half way through the movie. I don't typically care for such music, but I would love to see that production!
Not sure if it is just nostalgia but I still love this movie, and would give this at least a B+. The costumes get an A+ for sure.
Next up may need to be a re-viewing of Total Recall...
Ray Bradbury is one of the writers who served as a foundation to my love of science fiction. I think I read my first Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, around 7th or 8th grade and thought it was so deep, so thought provoking. I don't recall how old I was when I read The Illustrated Man, just that it was a cool concept. Same is true for The Martian Chronicles (though I'm pretty sure I read that one later). I should probably pull all 3 out and read them again with my adult eyes. Even if they don't stand up, reading such classic science fiction at a formative age really helped to make me the geek I am today.
So, thank you, Ray Bradbury, for your amazing contributions to science fiction! Happy 90th Birthday!!
Published in 1953 during the Cold War and McCarthy Eras, Fahrenheit 451 portrays a frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad. (Amazon)
This classic science fiction anthology by Ray Bradbury brings to life the social and political fears prevalent in post World War II America, when they were first published. The unnamed narrator in the introduction watches the Illustrated Man's tattoos come to life presenting the 19 short stories. (Amazon)
Sandcastles & Succulents: Exploration of research, creativity and contemplations of interesting bits and bobs.
Undercover Geek Girl: This was my effort to channel all those useless thoughts and nerdy interests in one place.
