The CW’s New Show Cult Has Aired
The show-within-a-show entitled Cult debuted last night on the CW. If you haven’t watched it, let’s get you up to speed with the premise:
Dredd Out Now
The reboot for Judge Dredd, simply entitled Dredd has hit the U.S. theaters over the weekend. It stars Karl Urban as Judge Dredd, Olivia Thirlby as rookie judge Anderson and Lena Headey as drug lord Ma-Ma.
Third Star Wars Deconstruction
Red Letter Media is at it again with its third Star Wars review, finally deconstructing Revenge of the Sith. As I’ve said before, the narrator’s voice is off-putting, but you will get used to it — so don’t let it persuade you from not watching a very entertaining review that offers valid insight and criticisms on top of humor.
You can view the video here: Mr. Plinkett’s Star Wars: Episode III Review
Geeking About Tron: Legacy
If you asked me what is the earliest memory I have about a film, my answer would be Tron. I apparently drove my parents crazy wanting to rent and watch it constantly. So it was a given that I went to see Tron: Legacy on opening night.
Another given is that Jeff Bridges is the man. His character progression for Kevin Flynn from the slacker/techie video gamer from the original to the techie slacker pretending to be Obi-Wan in Legacy felt natural.
Bridges’ portrayal of the antagonist CLU was cold, precise, driven, and focused on his goals. Though, CLU, like his creator Kevin, found joy in the games.
Garrett Hedlund’s Sam Flynn is an adrenaline junkie who inherited his father’s techie slacker tendencies. He was an effective protagonist. And his scene reuniting with his father was very well done; it was touching; it felt real.
Olivia Wilde’s Quorra was a really fun character. She was tough, but full of awe and curious about everything. She’s an optimistic A.I., whose random and awkward bursts of laughter can be described as adorable.
Daft Punk? They were a perfect fit for Tron: Legacy. And any fan of both Daft Punk and Tron knew this right off the bat. Their score for the film was brilliant and really did “alter the mood” accordingly.
Director Joe Kosinski had a recent interview with Discover Magazine, which you can read HERE.
Tron: Legacy lives up to its predecessor, and it’s an entirely fun movie. Watch it. You know you want to.
Heroes: One Last Time
NBC’s Heroes just refuses to die without a fight. The rumors are true that the show is officially canceled, but there’s now talk about giving the show a made-for-TV movie to wrap it up.
It’s hard to understand why NBC would want to invest more money in a dying franchise. Unless, of course, they are a lot like me and others . . . watching each season with the hope that it’ll get better. I’ve concluded that the select few of us who continued to watch — and NBC — suffer from battered wife syndrome. It’s truly tragic.
The first season showed a lot of potential, but it began it’s steady decline after it peaked with the episode Company Man. Creator Tim Kring may have thought up the arc for each volume, but it was increasingly becoming clear that the writers were working against each other. Episodes became a convoluted mess that contradicted each other, dropped entire subplots, and ultimately changing characterizations at the drop of a hat.
Nathan dying at the end of each season became a parody in itself to the point where his final death did not carry the weight that the writers hoped for. “Finale” became synonymous with Nathan dying. It was expected, and everyone assumed that he’d be back next season.
Sylar’s moral struggle in the first season was well-written and fleshed out how twisted he really is. The writers then couldn’t decide what to do with him anymore; he became a light-switch of being a hero and being a villain. To make matters worse, they repeatedly retconned his family background. The sad thing is that Sylar makes an effective villain or antihero, but without consistency, he — just like Nathan — became a parody.
Claire and Hiro never really evolved as characters. They would gradually mature, but then reset back to where they were. They became frustrating and didn’t really drive the story forward. Claire never learned from her mistakes, and her issues with her Dad became a perpetual nightmare. With Hiro, we were given a glimpse of what he would become, but the writers were too afraid to let him become that. They wanted to keep him naive; keep him lovable. Hiro became childish and selfish, while his sidekick Ando actually showed growth and reached a maturity and understanding in his role as a hero.
Does Heroes deserve a proper sendoff? With its track record, no, it doesn’t. It would only garner viewers from those who want to witness the train-wreck, and the very few genuine fans it still has. It’s a sure thing that it won’t recapture the magic of the first season — unless they retcon Adam Monroe’s death and have him kill every hero and villain on the show. That would be a proper sendoff. That’s something I can stand behind. It would be the only way to redeem themselves.
Source: (Hollywood Reporter)
Star Wars Deconstruction
Red Letter Media wrote and filmed two highly entertaining deconstructions of Star Wars films, The Phantom Menace, and Attack of the Clones. The narrator’s voice is a little off-putting at first, but the viewer eventually gets used to it. Most YouTube reviewers use a grating persona, but Red Letter Media uses a more subdued one, who provides valid, well thought-out criticisms of the films.
The Phantom Menace (Part 1 of 7):
Attack of the Clones (Part 1 of 9):
Jerome Bixby’s “The Man from Earth”
The Man from Earth was the last work of the late writer Jerome Bixby, directed by Richard Schenkman, and stars David Lee Smith as Professor John Oldman.
The film begins with John Oldman packing all his things into his truck when colleagues suddenly come over against his wishes. They confront him for leaving so abruptly, and ask his reasons for moving away. Barely addressing their questions, he acts skittish while continuing to pack before they convince him to elaborate on his reasons.
Inviting them in his home, he offers them conversation for the modest farewell party. John asks them,”What if a man from the Upper Paleolithic had survived until the present day?” which piques the interest of his friends. John nonchalantly mentions that he’s the caveman that he was implying. He then starts sharing stories throughout his life which raises more questions from his colleagues. The debate gradually becomes more heated; his friends using their expertise in each of their respective fields to try to disprove John.
The production for this film is more along the lines of a theatre rather than a traditional movie; it takes place entirely on one location. A lot of the focus are on John’s monologues on his past life and interactions with his colleagues instead of flashback scenes. The acting and the strong writing really shows, immersing the viewer into each of John’s stories.
There’s absolutely no reliance on special effects or action. There’s the emotionally and intellectually charged debate between friends that completely engrosses the viewers, and it works beautifully. Any fan of science fiction and theatre should watch this endearing film.