Category Movies

May 13 2020

Top Ten Sci-Fi Vacation Spots

Sigh, the summer is almost here and we cannot enjoy it, much less think about a vacation. One thing for sure is that after this crisis is over the last thing anyone will want to do with time off from work is have a staycation! While most vacation hotspots are unavailable right now it’s always fun to dream of an ideal place to visit. But nevermind places like Aruba or Disney World or cruises, think big, out-of-this-world big. Let your imaginations and dreams go wild as you consider these sci-fi vacation spots. Sure, they’re not without problems; ahem, like out-of-control androids, malfunctioning cruise ships or rampaging dinosaurs. However, these prime vacation spots will ease tired minds or excite anyone seeking a vigorous adventure.

10. Carillon (Battlestar Galactica “Saga Of A Star World”):

Imagine you’re a weary war refugee and need a resort planet with people to welcome you with open arms, food, drink and great chances to win fortunes. Look no further than Carillon and don’t mind the fact that the indigenous Ovions only want to wine and dine you in order to fatten you up for their children’s menu.

9. The Avenue Five (Avenue Five“): 

Want to book a voyage on an interplanetary cruise ship with five-star amenities and breathtaking views of Jupiter? Be sure to book passage onboard the Avenue Five. Commanded by the famously heroic Ryan Clark, this is the ship for you. It’s posh, elegant and can get you back to Earth after a rugged adventure in just three years…more or less.

8. The Fhloston Paradise (The Fifth Element):

So the Avenue Five with its faulty equipment may not be your thing. How about a magnificent, state-of-the-art space cruise ship that takes leisurely anti-g sails on alien oceans? For entertainment the ship features charismatic blue aliens that sing opera! And hey, you may get a chance to help Korben Dallas save the universe!

7. Naboo (Star Wars Episode I and II):

Forget about that so-called vacation world Canto Bight with its morally ambiguous entertainment. Now, this a planet of royal luxury! Verdant plains, magnificent waterfalls, and majestic Mediterranean-like architecture are just some of the highlights in your trip to Naboo. Just don’t mind those pesky Trade Federation android armies or those underwater Gungans.

6. The Axiom (WALL-E):

Ahh, gluttony, hedonism and instant robotic service at your fingertips are on board the Axiom. Make sure to run a few laps around the giant vessel’s jogging track or you’ll wind up looking like its permanent residents. Otherwise enjoy the advanced resort and spa, take in spectacular galactic sights and lend a hand to a certain beat-up little garbage robot, who’s out to save humanity.

5. Time Safari (A Sound Of Thunder):

Go anywhere in time with the Time Safari. The most popular temporal destination is the prehistoric past where guides on marked above-ground trails help you hunt down a vicious tyrannosaurus rex just before its natural death. Please make sure not to leave anything behind, not even footprints, and don’t step on any butterflies.

4. Westworld (Westworld):

The Delos Corporation’s amusement park also features Medievalworld and Romanworld, but Westworld is the most memorable spot to visit. For a mere $1,000 per day, you can indulge yourself in your most primal desires. Have a shootout (and win!) with gunslingers, do some hard drinking and bar fighting or spend time with a lovely partner. Don’t let those recent glitch with the human-looking androids to keep you from visiting. Cowboys aren’t your thing? There are plenty of other time periods and locales like Shogunworld, WarWorld, Fantasy World, and more.

3. Jurassic World (Jurassic World):

Located on Isla Nublar, this is a must-visit theme park that blows away all the others. For anyone tired of fake-looking audio-animatronics, Jurassic World has actual, living dinosaurs! Resurrected after millions of years of extinction thanks to genetic engineering, these gigantic beasts are a wonder to behold for the young and old. Visitors can view them in their natural habitats from the safety of perimeter fences and rugged jeep vehicles. Back at the park’s facility take a behind-the-scenes tour of how these reptilian giants were recreated. Or indulge yourself with top-notch amenities, petting zoos, and be sure to visit the gift shops and restaurants.

2. The Amusement Park Planet (Star Trek “Shore Leave”):

Located in the Omicron Delta system, this planet’s highly advanced facilities can literally create your ideal dreams just by scanning your thoughts. Want to get even with the school bully? Here’s your chance to find him and give him a beat down! You can also be a part of imaginative fairy tales, fight a samurai, evade dangerous wildlife, or spend time with the person of your dreams. Just be mindful of your thoughts.

1. Risa (Star Trek: The Next Generation “Captain’s Holiday”, and other Star Trek shows):

This is the resort planet that everyone talks about and visits. No wonder Risa is the most relaxing of sci-fi vacation spots. From Captain Archer in the 22nd century to Captain Picard and the Deep Space Nine crew in the 24th century. Why would so many people visit Risa? Well, imagine a planet with a plethora of white-sand beaches, luxurious resorts, rich gardens, outdoor activities, nightclubs, perfectly controlled weather and unforgettable twin sunset views. Risa is the best spot in the galaxy for couples wanting to get away from it all and for amorous singles. Here’s a travel hint for vacationing singles looking for romance: be sure to have a Horga’hn statue ready.

Here is a bonus. If these sci-fi vacation spots are out of your price range or you are unable to travel, why not visit a local Rekall and live out the wildest adventure in the comfort of a lounge chair through Rekall’s innovative memory implants? You don’t have to leave your locale and can have your pick of the ideal vacation spot on Earth, Mars or anyplace else.

Any of these places and options would be ideal vacations for all of us.

Apr 4 2020

Top Ten Films About Isolation

Most of us are currently huddled away in our homes doing our part to help fight the coronavirus by social distancing and isolating ourselves. Doing so has brought up the issues of isolation, which can be a challenge for some of us. Since we have time, check out these genre films which dealt with the main character being alone in their situation, whether it was due to the collapse of civilization or related to space travel. Taking a look will remind us that our situation is not as bad as the ones faced by the main characters in the films. Also note that although in these films, the solo character at some point interacted with other people for a significant portion of the film he or she was alone.

 

10. Passengers (2016):

A hibernating passenger (Chris Pratt) onboard a colony spaceship is awoken prematurely and finds himself all alone in the mammoth ship. Unable to reprogram his sleeping pod and fated to live out the rest of his days alone, he unethically awakens another passenger (Jennifer Lawrence) and the two start a romance. Meanwhile, the glitch that caused him to awaken points to major problems with the ship itself. Solid acting and special effects enhanced Passengers, which rightly looked at the ramifications of his actions.

9. The Omega Man (1971):

The second adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend took major liberties with the source material, but the isolation film is an enjoyable romp. After a war between Russia and China leads to  a virus that kills most of humanity except for army doctor Robert Neville (Charlton Heston). He spends his days roaming the empty streets of Los Angeles, warring with mutated albino humans and perfecting a cure. Chock of full corny ’70s dialogue and action, The Omega Man still stood out for its introspective scenes of Neville as he dealt with loneliness.

8. The Martian (2015):

A major duststorm on Mars forces an expedition to abandon the red planet. However, one astronaut, Mark Watney (Matt Damon), believed to be dead, was left stranded. Using his ingenuity and pluck, Watney uses all of his skills and science know-how to survive on Mars and eventually make contact with Earth. From there, it is a riveting race against time and dwindling resources for Watney to stay alive until a rescue mission can retrieve him in this thrilling isolation film.

7. The World, the Flesh, and the Devil (1959):

Harry Belafonte (yes, that Harry Belafonte) portrays a mine inspector who survives World War III after being trapped in a mine. After escaping from the mine, he makes his way to New York City and discovers he is completely alone. Grappling with his predicament and loneliness, he eventually he encounters a woman (Inger Stevens) and the two start a friendship. Although she is interested in a romantic relationship with him, his inhibitions about their race keep him from accepting her. Complicating matters is that they find another survivor which leads to tensions between the three of them. While it is melodramatic and heavy handed, the film still has relevant messages about letting go of the past and is a fascinating look at survival and loneliness.

6. Silent Running (1972):

In the future, the remaining natural habitats are placed in greenhouse domes onboard spaceships near Saturn. Freeman Lowell I(Bruce Dern) is one of the botanists tending the biomes and rebels against orders to destroy the domes and return to Earth. After killing his crewmates, Lowell commandeers one of the ships and heads to deeper space; his only companions are a trio of non-speaking robots who help him tend the domes’ gardens. Silent Running obviously has a very strong environmental message yet it is very moving and also has an unflinching look at Lowell, who allowed his extreme protective views to push himself too far.

5. Love (2011):

In the near future, an astronaut (Gunner Wright) is sent to the abandoned International Space Station to restore it but becomes stranded there after a sudden war wipes out humanity on Earth. Now completely alone, the astronaut begins to lose his sanity and will to live until an event occurs that will lead to debates. Love stands out from many sci-fi films in its exploration of what it is to be human and connected to others through our emotions and memories. Also impressive is that the film while low budget was elevated by ingenious production design and direction. The final moments of Love in many ways rivals though-provoking finales such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris in that it brings up many questions about its conclusion.

4. I Am Legend (2007):

The third and most recent adaptation of Richard Matheson’s book stars Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville. After a viral cure for cancer mutates into a virus that kills most of humanity, Neville lives alone in New York City; his only companion being his pet dog Sam. In between roaming the iconic New York streets, finding a cure and hunkering down in his fortified apartment at night, Neville wars with savage mutated humans who are light sensitive. This version of I Am Legend has some exceptional production which present a disquieting look at an abandoned New York that is being reclaimed by nature. Will Smith turns in a riveting and sympathetic performance as the haunted Neville and carries the film. If possible watch the film with its alternate, more ambiguous ending, which is more faithful to Matheson’s story and elevates this film.

3. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1965):

This futuristic retelling of Daniel Defoe’s classic yarn, Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a true underrated gem. Astronaut Christopher Draper (Paul Mantee) crash lands on the red planet and struggles to survive. Air, water, food and shelter are his main objectives. Once he solves those issues, thanks to luck and strong survival skills, Draper endures being alone (except for his pet monkey, Mona) without any hope of getting home. However, incidents arise which sets Draper off on a grand adventure that makes the most of its budget and follows many aspects of the Defoe book. and makes it more than a survival film. Despite its low budget and B-movie trappings Robinson Crusoe on Mars is very imaginative and a cut above the cheesy sci-fi offerings from that time, although its scientific inaccuracies (breathable air on Mars!) should be forgiven.

2. The Quiet Earth (1985):

Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) is a scientist in New Zealand who finds himself alone on Earth after his energy experiment causes humanity to disappear. Similar to The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, Hobson struggles with loneliness and his sanity until meeting Joanne (Alison Routledge). From there, they start a romance which is hampered by the arrival of another man (Pete Smith). But before a love triangle takes up all the energy in the film, Hobson learns that the experiment may be causing further damage to reality and has to find a way to stop it and possibly reverse its effects. Evocative thanks to its exploration of isolation and what it is like to be the last person alive, The Quiet Earth is further enhanced with its deliberately ambiguous ending. Its final images are truly jaw dropping and provides much to ponder.

1. Gravity (2013):

Sandra Bullock gives a powerful performance as Dr. Ryan Stone, an astronaut forced to survive on her own after a disaster destroys her space shuttle and kills her astronaut companions. Without help and on her own, Stone has to rely on her own will to live and smarts as one calamity after another threaten her. Gravity is one of those non-stop thrill rides that perfectly showcase the horror of being in space and why it is so inhospitable. At the same time, the film is a tour de force for Bullock whose character is put through an emotional wringer as she uses all of her will to fight past her fears and traumatic past to fuel her drive to find safe passage back to Earth. Unlike other films on this list, Dr. Stone has to grapple with immediate life-or-death situations and doesn’t have the luxury of dealing with boredom or loneliness. As with the other films here, Gravity showcases the power of the human spirit to endure and thrive in any environment even if one is isolated.

 

Mar 21 2020

Contagion: A Harbinger For Our Time

 

Steven Soderbergh’s film Contagion has sadly become one of those quasi-science fiction films that became a reality. Of course, this relates to the coronavirus pandemic that has upended our global society.

The parallels between the film and what is going on right now are downright eerie and disturbing. However, there are distinct differences between Contagion and reality, especially later on in the film.

Infections

Contagion illustrated how the MEV-1 virus easily spread from China throughout the world as Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) on a business trip in Hong Kong became patient zero, interacted with many people and infected them. Steven Soderbergh inspired direction discreetly showed how easy it was for the virus to spread as many shots lingered on surfaces touched by infected victims, which were then touched by others.

One way the film differed from reality is how quickly victims exhibited symptoms and the mortality rate. People infected with the fictional virus displayed harsh symptoms apparently overnight, though most likely this can be attributed to film editing. The timeframe shown in the beginning of Contagion has Beth Emhoff already sick when she arrived in the U.S. Careful observations showed that she had been ill for a few days, but we’re shocked when she dies horribly mere minutes into the film. These quick time jumps were shown of how other characters became ill and died. With the coronavirus the incubation period ranges from days to weeks and explains why the disease is more insidious and deadlier than the MEV-1 because many people are already infected but won’t show symptoms for some time. Meanwhile, they’re unwittingly spreading the virus. On the other hand, the MEV-1 virus had a mortality rate of 25 to 30 percent, which was dramatically worse than COVID-19. Imagine how much worse things would be if COVID-19 had that kind of mortality rate.

Deployments

A similarity between Contagion and real life is with the deployment of military and medical services to combat the virus and maintain order. The film turned out to be accurate in its depiction for how the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mobilized to study and combat MEV-1. We are seeing this played out in real time as scientists and doctors race not only to find a vaccine but at least some kind of treatment. Unlike the film and fortunately for us, the intense medical efforts have opened up promising treatments and even vaccine tests. In Contagion, these breakthroughs did not happen until long months had passed. But before anyone reading this starts celebrating, bear in mind that trials and tests need to be completed and we are looking at a vaccine being ready anywhere from a year to eighteen months at the earliest. So for now prevention is the best defense; that includes being as clean as possible and social distancing (which was mentioned in Contagion as means of slowing the spread of the virus).

Even more distressful is the way Contagion portrays the chaos and breakdowns as the fictional MEV-1 virus ravages the world. Thankfully, we have not seen the mass riots, looting and lawlessness that take place later in the film. But we must heed these important warnings of what we face if the COVID-19 virus is not contained and continues spreading. Already healthcare systems are on the verge of collapse in a several places like Italy or are severely strained in many others.

Continue reading →

Feb 29 2020

Steven Spielberg No Longer Directing Indiana Jones 5

The news was not unexpected, but it was still disappointing. Earlier this week, we learned that acclaimed director Steven Spielberg will not direct the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones film. Now the only person left from the original Indy films is the star himself, Harrison Ford, who is still committed to donning the fedora and leather jacket one last time.

Even though the announced new director for the project, James Mangold, is a great director in his own right, this development cannot adequately inspire much excitement over Indiana Jones 5. James Mangold has a superb filmography, he directed the best Fox X-Men film, Logan, among other terrific films. By itself Mangold’s attachment (keep in mind he is only in talks to take over Indiana Jones 5) should be great news. But this is trying to follow up on Steven Spielberg, one of the greatest film directors of all time. Following up on the auteur is a near-impossible task. Just ask Joe Johnston when he directed Jurassic Park III.

However, Mangold will likely turn in a fine film, but it just won’t feel the same. This will likely inject some new blood into the franchise, but at this point, why not just recast the role and start over with the character?

With Harrison Ford out of the way, the new slate of Indiana Jones films could smoothly go back to the 1930s time period or even the 1940s and tell new stories. The films do not nor should they remake Raiders of the Lost Ark or the other Indiana Jones films. That would be blasphemous and invite unfair comparisons. There are plenty of mystical or sci-fi macguffins that the swashbuckling archaeologist could chase after. Doing a straight recast will be a good jumping on point for those who haven’t seen the previous films and fans, as well. Otherwise, why bother with the film?

Getting back to the original team behind Indy, George Lucas was already not going to be involved with the fifth film. So, right there Indiana Jones 5 felt incomplete without the original trio, though some may have celebrated that idea given the negative reaction to Lucas’ story ideas for the last film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Frankly, this was a shame since he co-created the character.

Harrison Ford has been itching to wield his character’s iconic bullwhip one last time. He is in his mid-70s now, and although he looks healthier and fitter than his contemporaries, his age would strain credulity that he can carry out intensive action scenes. In the fifth film, no one could see Indy outrunning a giant boulder without suspending disbelief. It could be worse than the nuked fridge scene from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or jumping out of a plane in a life raft during Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Frankly, given Ford’s age, an Indiana Jones 5 would have to be made very soon.

Continue reading →

Feb 15 2020

Sonic The Hedgehog Races His Way To The Big Screen

The general rule is that films based on video games are beyond awful; infamous examples include Max Payne or Super Mario Bros. So, when Sonic the Hedgehog was announced most people thought the film would be just as bad and the first trailer that came out last year did not dispute this notion. The design of Sonic was universally panned and fans of the Sega game hero lamented the film was doomed. Well, the filmmakers heard the outcries and went back to the drawing board. Sonic the Hedgehog was redesigned to look like he is supposed to appear but is the film any good? This will come as a surprise, but it actually is a good film.

Sonic the Hedgehog brings the popular Sega character (voiced by Ben Schwartz) to life starting with a brief opening intro taking place on Sonic’s homeworld when he was a child. Pursued by other creatures because of his super speeding powers, Sonic is forced to use these golden rings to teleport to other worlds. At some point, Sonic ends up on Earth and stays hidden while enjoying our culture. However, the alien hedgehog is lonely for company and an accidental overuse of his powers brings him to the awareness of a loony scientist, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) who wants to capture him. Robotnik’s pursuit forces Sonic to befriend a small-town sheriff, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and the film turns into a buddy road picture as Tom helps Sonic to stay one step ahead of the scientist until the alien can teleport to another world.

By no means is the film groundbreaking or something extraordinary. The plot isn’t unique and fairly standard but it serves its purpose. Also, the film is hampered by some humongous narrative flaws where some subplots were brought up then forgotten and some of the developments were very important but then ignored. Be warned there are numerous and in-your-face product placements littering the film. It is what it is so try to ignore them as much as possible.

But Sonic the Hedgehog is highly entertaining and full of character and spirit. The director Jeff Fowler does a very fine job with the material considering this is his first directing job. The relationship between Sonic and his human friend Tom is surprisingly genuine and the heart of the film. The two characters have good banter and chemistry, which was a pleasant surprise. Not every joke lands but a lot of them do as Sonic is a bit of a call back to a Looney Tunes character thanks to skillful voice acting and silly antics. Sonic has a couple of moments that straight up were “inspired” by Quicksilver scenes in the recent X-Men films, but they work well and are highlights.

The actors in the film do a solid job with their roles, while Jim Carrey evoked vintage Jim Carrey with his over-the-top comedic delivery that was best seen in his films during the 90s. Fans of his work should be pleased by this.

More importantly Sonic fans will be delighted and thrilled by Sonic the Hedgehog as it captures the essence and fun of the video games and the film will entertain non-fans. In other words, fun for the whole family and anyone else looking for a brief escape from the outside world. There are several references to the Sonic franchise, including a popular character that appeared during the mid-credits scene, which promised more adventures. This origin film does warrant future sequels and proves that a film based on a video game franchise can work.

*Check out this fan tribute video of the film done by a skilled Sonic fan close to the editor of Starloggers!