Humans Season 1 Thoughts and Impressions

So the first season of Humans has just concluded and I for one really enjoyed the story so far!
Looking back some my favorite scenes involved Niska, when she leaves the brothel, her time with Dr. George Milican, her time with Sophie. Through Niska we've been able to witness the most interesting interactions between Humans and Synths, well there were other notable interactions isn't that right Joe?
I also found the scene where Max prays to God especially fascinating! In a society where technology is prevalent religion seems to be less of a priority and seeing a synthetic kneel and pray a very uniquely human thing to do.

Then there's Detective Sergeant Peter Drummond and his peculiar relationship with his "partner" Detective Inspector Karen Voss...awkward! Especially considering how his marriage ended!

Karen is an odd one...much like Leo, existing between the Human and Synth worlds. She see's the most probable conflict that will arise from rise of conscience synthetic's, but do the actions of the Hawkins family represent another possible outcome? Do the Hawkins have the only copy of the code? What's on the hard drive Niska has?

This was a well written and developed show, my wife enjoyed it as well which is a testament to the show's quality!

Humans Series Premiere Preview

After seeing the excellent Ex Machina, AMC's new show looks intriguing! This one's going in my DVR.
Maybe AMC will give this show time to find it's stride unlike Fox's Almost Human....
Human's Premier is tonight 6/28/15 @ 9 pm EST on AMC.
For more info about the show head over to amc.com

Movie Review: Automata

Your vacuum has come down from the tree...

Finally a science fiction movie that examines the relationship of robotic evolution and human extintion that doesn't cram robophobia down our throats! Automata had a very limited release earlier this year and hopefully will see a wider release sometime next year. If you're looking for big budget robo-pacalypse this movie is not for you. I found the hypothetical dystopian future believable and the story of Jacq Vaucan and his journey with Cleo the self aware robot through the desert wastelands to find sanctuary from humanity quite thought provoking.
The movie did have some intelligent contrasts which were subtly hinted at like when Dr. Dupre explains that she spliced two biokernals together and it installed it in Cleo the result was no longer Cleo the sexbot but a new self aware robotic life form which I found to be an interesting contrast against Jacq's pregnant wife who was carrying a new human life created by the combination of Jacq and Rachel's sperm and egg.

This contrast reminded me of the conversation between Makoto Kusanagi and Project 2501 in the first GiTS movie,

Puppet Master: I refer to myself as an intelligent life form because I am sentient and I am able to recognize my own existence, but in my present state I am still incomplete. I lack the most basic processes inherent in all living organisms: reproducing and dying.
Major Motoko Kusanagi: But you can copy yourself.
Puppet Master: A copy is just an identical image. There is the possibility that a single virus could destroy an entire set of systems and copies do not give rise to variety and originality. Life perpetuates itself through diversity and this includes the ability to sacrifice itself when necessary. Cells repeat the process of degeneration and regeneration until one day they die, obliterating an entire set of memory and information. Only genes remain. Why continually repeat this cycle? Simply to survive by avoiding the weaknesses of an unchanging system.
Puppet Master: It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So man is an individual only because of his intangible memory. But memory cannot be defined, yet it defines mankind. The advent of computers and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought, parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization.

Now this quote regarding memory is interesting when used in context with Automata, Jacq has memories of the beach as a youth or are they dreams? And aren't dreams influenced by memory? Are Jacq's memory of the beach his own? I always prefer when movies leave things like this unanswered, leting the audience come to their own conclusions.

Automata also touched upon the oft discussed idea that God created Mankind in his image, Mankind evolved to a point where they thought they no longer needed God due to technology, Mankind created Machines in their image from technology....what happens when machines evolve to the point they no longer need us? 
Another fascinating conversation that inevitably concludes with robo-pocalypse....Terminator, The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance, Promethius (David8) etc.
As I stated before if you're looking for Sci-fi like Bayformers, Oblivion or PacRim this isn't for you, but if you like sci fi films such as Gattaca, Europa Report and District 9 definitely look for Automata! Also there's another film coming out in 2015 with Oscar Issac,  Ex Machina that looks like promising.

For more about Automata check out automata-movie.com

B+

Ex Machina International Trailer

The synopsis for Ex Machina sounds like so many other Sci Fi films I've seen but after watching the trailer I get the vibe that this will have a much more believable tone to it. For some reason the first movies that came to mind after watching the trailer was Gattaca and Blade Runner! The film stars Domnhall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac (Sucker Punch) who also happen to be starring in another sci fi movie next year...Star Wars Episode VII.

Star Wars Episode VII: Rumor Round Up, my feelings and theories thus far...

So last year, before any rumors dropped, before any casting had been announced, before Harrison Ford was accosted by his own ship I wrote up my own Star Wars Episode VII Speculation / Theory . I've been keeping up with the updates and speculation/rumors that have hit the interwebs and the latest rumors of Luke missing for 30 years and Han's son turning to the dark side sound an awful lot like what I wrote last year!
Most of the crap I've read is cringe inducing....Cyborg Palpatine.... Han and Chewie commanding a Star Destroyer....Jedi Hunters

So my friend Javen pointed me to the latest cover of GQ and Adam Driver is sportin' some really familiar threads! I instantly thought of Han Solo!

Even if it wasn't intentional, the resemblance is definitively there.
LMAO there's also an article in that issue for Han...."How to be polite to a woman without pissing her off."
...."Yes your worshipfullness"

Oh and that pic of Mark Hamill rocking the beard was cool, I can totally imagine the scene I mentioned in my Star Wars Episode VII Speculation/Theory happening.  With the most recent rumors that Hann is searching for Luke who's been MIA for 10-30 years I began thinking, how long was Ben Kenobi stuck on Tatooine watching Luke from the shadows? And what happened to Ol' Ben Kenobi?






Also if the rumors are true that the galaxy is in a state of cold war, the children of Han and Leia (if they did get hitched)  may not have all the facts and as young people usually are, rebellious towards their parents and side with Empire....hmmm children of rebels, rebeling against their parents.....

And if Max Von Sydow isn't a Sith I'll be a Gungan's uncle!











Oh and then there's these set pics...I'm going with Yavin 4, alsoI got dibs on that sweet ass black X Wing!!

Knights of Sidonia

I just completed the first season of Knights of Sidonia based on the Manga written by Tsutomu Nihei.
The basic gist is the Earth was destroyed by an alien entity named Gauna thousands of years ago that can morph into what ever it consumes. The remnants of Humanity escape in giant ships that look like elongated pencil sharpeners, aboard the Sidonia, we see civilians and military exist within the confines of the Sidonia. The military use mecha called Gardes to defend the Sidonia against the Gauna. A young man named Nagate emerges from deep within the bowels of the ship and demonstrates superior piloting skills. He is immediately enlisted as a Garde pilot by Captain Kobayashi.
After reading Hideo Kojima's praise for KoS, I was intrigued. So I set aside a few hours and watched all 12 episodes.
The Knights of  Sidonia anime has a very sanitized look to it, not meaning everything in the anime has a pristine appearance but rather a minimal use of color. The closest comparison I can come up with would be the game Mirror's Edge. There's a heavy focus on achromatic color....grays, blacks, whites which lends a sense of realism to the show.
Unlike...
  
Funny thing is aside from the color pallet in Sidonia there are some similarities with Macross, episode 5 "Adrift" totally reminded me of Hikaru and Lynn Minmay's time together in the bowels of the Macross, and by the end I started getting the whole love triangle vibe between Nagate, Izana, and Yuhata....all Sidonia needed was a Miss Sidonia contest....

At first I was overwhelmed by all the different characters and had a difficult time keeping track of who was who but the show did a decent job fleshing out the characters in the short amount of episodes and killing off enough that by the end of episode 12 I knew who was who and how they related to each other.
I also enjoyed the fact that by the end I had many unanswered questions regarding the mysteries within Sidonia, the Gauna, the Immortals, Placental Shizuka, fortunately a second season will be coming that will hopefully expand on this intriguing story.
My all time favorite anime is Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, it balanced the drama and and action better than Star Wars IMO and Sidonia seems to be following the same formula. The battle scenes against the Guana are tense and the stakes are always high. I like that the Gauna aren't just cannon fodder and cast members are all yellow shirts.....I didn't expect Shizuna to die right after being rescued by Nagate, that definately created some believable drama between Nagate and the other characters in Sidonia. And that balance betwenn action and drama is what will set this anime above many others.
There's also some fresh ideas in this series such as gender less humans that will develop into either a male or female based on there attraction to a certain gender, human photosynthesis to aide in food shortages during loooooooooong distance space travel (and what trip in space isn't long? Also I'm not sure how effective photosynthesis is in outer space :/)
I enjoyed Knights of Sidonia it reminds me of SDFM and I think this series has potential. Check it out on Netflix!

Movie Review: Edge of Tommorrow

Based on the manga All You Need is Kill EoT stars Tom Cruise as Major William Cage aka Keiji Kiriya and Emily Blunt as Rita Vrataski (Full Metal Bitch).
The movie follows the basic premise of the manga but definitely deviates heavily in certain area's....especially the ending!
The editing was well done, it clearly explains the looping without alot of exposition and adds some levity to an other wise nightmarish situation that is meant to emulate D-Day and the Normandy Landings.
The idea of Live, Die, Repeat is all to familiar to any gamer and watching Cruise map out step by step the way off the beach reminded me of the good ol days when the only save point was at the END of the level....ah Mega Man....good times, good times.
The mimics were a bit tricky to make out due in part to their speed but also because of the frenetic pace of the action in the battle scenes. They did remind me quite a bit of the squidies from the matrix trilogy.
EoT was entertaining and Cruise did his thing, he seems to have found his niche with these action/sci fi lite movies. I think if they had cast an unknown actor that resembled the main protagonist from the manga it would've been just as good. Emily Blunt, lets just say if they ever make a live action Appleseed movie she is the perfect choice to play Deunan Knute!
I loved watching Bill Paxton, he was totally channeling Private Hudson....had he survived LV 426.
If you get the opportunity read the manga....
B-

Interstellar Teaser Trailer

The Sci Fi genre seems to be making a resurgence as of late Gravity, Europa Report, Elysium, to name a few of the better ones.....sorry Tom Oblivion wasn't that great.
I have a good feeling about Interstellar not only because it's from Christopher Nolan but because the story sounds inspiring and is serious sci fi like Gattaca...sci fi that's potentially right off on the horizon, not about hokey religions and ancient weapons.... ;)

The official site: interstellar

Almost Human: First Impressions

So the show takes place in the year 2048, humans and androids coexist, crime has escalated at an alarming rate alongside technology.

The pilot episode was decent, I like Carl Urbans character. Detective John Kennex, he's obviously not a fan of synthetics. This is clearly demonstrated when he is partnered with an MX...that accidentally falls out of Kennex's car after a crime scene investigation. He is then assigned a new partner, a discontinued model...the DRN named Dorian. Unlike the MX's Dorian is eerily human....moreso than even Kennex himself!
The show is chock full of FX and definitely is inspired by Blade Runner to some degree, and it has the potential to also take inspiration from Ghost in the Shell S.A.C & 2nd gig....but we'll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.
The second episode, "skin" Kennex and Dorian seemed much more likeable, there was plenty of laughs to offset the episodes story of human abduction to create human skin for sex bots.

So in my opinion the show has potential, interestingly enough my wife was very interested in this show also...she really enjoyed Fringe so I think she's hoping for more of that shows magic in Almost Human. Being that this is a Bad Robot Production I'm expecting a twist towards the end of season 1 and based on the pic to the left I'm gonna make a lil prediction, the real John Kennex is dead, and Det. Kennex is actually the next DRN model and it has no idea it's a synthetic human.
Yeah I know he had a nose bleed in the first episode...that can be easily explained away with a little sci fi mumbo jumbo. Also note Kennext and Dorian have almost identical proportions. 

Movie Review: Europa Report

When I saw the trailer back in May I had a feeling Europa Report had potential to be an intelligent Science Fiction movie and I'm happy to report my assumption was correct!
This movie harkens back to early 20th century Sci Fi, when space exploration was thrilling and you didn't know where the trip was going to take you.
Europa report is basically the de-briefing of Europa Ventures, Europa One mission by the CEO and other ground staff based on the archived transmissions sent during the mission.
This movie's relevancy is perfect with all the news from NASA's Curiosity rover and the possibility that there is ice below the surface of Mars and the kooky mars one  non profit organization.
All that is fascinating to me but lets not forget one thing.....
In Space NO ONE can hear you scream!
Outer Space is a terrifying place!
And Europa report reminds us of that in an intelligent way. Zeno's are cool and naughty synthetic humans that love to touch stuff have their place but in my opinion the best Sci Fi is the stories that are just out there on the horizon...completely believable that it could happen in the near future....one of my top 5 favorite Sci Fi movies was 1997's Gattaca because although it dealt with a possible future, nothing seemed implausible and many concepts in the film, to some extent, are a reality today!
That's what I enjoyed about Europa Report, we may not be sending manned missions to the moons of Jupiter in my lifetime but eventually we will.
And whether it was the Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria in search of the "New World" or the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, shit can get real, real quick. This is perfectly shown in Europa Report when James (Sharlto Copeley) Andrei (Michael Nyqvist) go out on a EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) to repair a damaged comm system outside the ship. That scene was extremely reminiscent to a scene in 2007's Sunshine another sci fi movie I really enjoyed.
I enjoyed last years Prometheus but in retrospect the part that lingers with me the most was how fucking unscientific and utterly ridiculous the science team was in the movie, now when you watch Europa Report you will see how scientist's with true passion for their work would behave!
Europa Report feels authentic and genuine and shows the horrors of space in a true believable fashion, it builds up the tension to the very end and then gives us the answer for the reason for Europa One's Mission.

B+

Space Battleship Yamato 2199

I'd like to believe I was introduced to anime in it's golden age, with my all time favorite series being Robotech  Super Dimensional Fortress Macross,  Star Blazers Space Battle Ship Yamato, Galaxy Express and then more recent stuff like Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, M0, M+, M Frontier.
I just recently discovered the remake of the original aptly titled Space Battleship Yamato 2199, and it looks amazing! I love the fact the character art resembles the style from the seventies series with modern tech designs and special effects!
This makes me hopeful that SDFM remake may actually be a possibility...

yamato2199.net

Europa Report Trailer

Scientists that act like scientists!? Shut my mouth and call me quiet!
Curious how this trailer hit like a week after the Gravity trailer hit the web.
This may actually be smarter than Prometheus....
Here's the movie's synopsis:

"EUROPA REPORT follows a contemporary mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa to investigate the possible existence of alien life within our solar system. When unmanned probes suggest that a hidden ocean could exist underneath Europa’s icy surface and may contain single-celled life, Europa Ventures, a privately funded space exploration company, sends six of the best astronauts from around the world to confirm the data and explore the revolutionary discoveries that may lie in the Europan ocean. After a near-catastrophic technical failure that leads to loss of communication with Earth and the tragic death of a crewmember, the surviving astronauts must overcome the psychological and physical toll of deep space travel, and survive a discovery on Europa more profound than they had ever imagined."


For more info about Europa Report check out the OS @ http://www.magnetreleasing.com/europareport/

Tobey Maguire must be stopped! Macross Fans must unite to stop this train wreck!

My all time favorite Anime Series is once again being threatened by Hollywood! Super Dimensional Fortress Macross is a timeless story of a giant interstellar battle fortress that crashes on South Ataria Island in the South Pacific in the year 1999. For the next decade humanity attempts to unite under the formation of U.N. government and rebuild the ship. 
During the ships inauguration in 2009 Hikaru Ichjiyo comes to the celebration in his little civilian aircraft at his best friend Roy Fockers' request. During the celebration Earth is attacked by an Alien race know as the Zentradi, Hikaru rescues Lynn Minmay, a young Japanese girl who works at her aunts Chinese restaurant during the assault.
In a desperate attempt to save the Earth The Captain of the Macross orders the crew to activate the ships untested fold system to the moon, and divert the attackers attention away from Earth.
Things don't go as planned and the when the Macross exits the fold they find they're on the edge of the solar system and  due to their proximity to the surface of the Earth they have brought South Ataria Island with them into the icy void of space! The civilians are rescued and brought aboard the Macross...they're new home. During the fold Hikaru and Minmay were also caught in the field and now Hikaru must pilot his small aircraft into the huge Macross before all his oxygen seeps out of his plane. 
These are the events that set the stage for the most amazing Space Opera I have ever seen, and in my opinion eclipses the Star Wars Trilogy.

As a child I did not get to enjoy this amazing show, I got Harmony Gold's Robotech...a mediocre English dub of the above show cut and paste with two other completely unrelated anime series to create a similar yet unfaithful trilogy. The first act is basically SDFM with some alterations to make the second and third acts make some sense.
It wasn't till many years later when I bought Macross Plus at Suncoast Video (I miss that store!) that I did a little research and discovered I had been bamboozled! I found macross world and found out just how far the rabbit hole went with the legal war between Big West and Harmony Gold.

So the news that Warner Brothers has found a director for the Live Action adaptation of  robotech has made me very sad, because I know it is gonna be a Michael Bay style bastardization of a mediocre retelling of an amazing AMAZING Sci Fi Love Story set against the back drop of war in Space against an Alien race.
And every time I hear about this movie Tobey Maguire's name is in the story, so I have to assume he is a fan of Robotech and I can only pray that he knows about Super Dimensional Fortress Macross!

 Macross: "Ai, Oboete imasu ka" performed by Mari Iijima


Robotech: "We will win" performed by Reba West

Oblivion Trailer

Last week Krogenar mentioned he saw a trailer for a new Sci Fi movie with Tom Cruise, I'm no fan of Cruise....he's very hit or miss with me (Jerry McGuire/Knight and Day). But I was curious and just last night the trailer hit the web....I'm not sold on it but asthetically it looks interesting...

Fringe S4 E84 Letters of Transit

Last nights episode really came out of left field, it gave us another glimpse at a possible future. And this one is only slightly better than the one we saw at the end of season 3.
The new intro really grabbed my attention, and I knew immediately that the show was about to explore a new facet of the Fringe Universe.
Honestly, this change of scenery is a very welcome one for me as I was growing weary of the Peter-Olivia love story. And the revelation in episode 80 "A Short Story About Love" left me feeling let down.
Last nights episode leaves me with hope that the Fringe team still has their work cut out and that we will see Walter, Peter, Olivia and the rest of the fringe team back for season 5!
I enjoyed the episode tremendously, Henry Ian Cusick (Agent Simon Foster) and Georgina Haig (Etta) were a perfect fit for future fringe agents. The episode balanced the serious nature of events of this possible future with some jems of hilarity, Walter Bishop, "these aren't the droids you're looking for"....."move along".
A few questions remain and those of you who haven't watched the episode can stop reading now, spoilers ahoy!
I got the impression this was a future from the alt universe as I spotted the fringe logo with the back to back F's in the beggining of the episode yet Nina Sharp is seen sympathizing with Etta...
And a huge WTF to seeing Belly in the Amber! I get the distinct impression this future is an effect caused by friend to all, David Robert Jones...
#fringefriday

Prometheus Trailer-palooza

Last Saturday a new trailer for Prometheus hit, today a new trailer came from wondercon. I suggest you watch them in the order I arranged them to get a good idea of what we're in store for in about 2 months...one word, EPIC!

Ent. Weekly Prometheus pics

 Entertainment weekly's latest issue has some very interesting pics of Ridley Scotts Prometheus. I am really looking forward to this film....to say I have high hopes for Prometheus is a bit of an understatement. With the Interwebs minions working overtime analyzing the images and supposed leaked trailer my anticipation is growing!
Prometheus is planned for June 8, 2012 release and regardless of what Scott says I believe there will be a definite connection between 1979's Alien and 2012's Prometheus...tell me you don't recognize the inside of the derelict space craft in the second picture with the big humanoid face!? And look closely at Idris Elba's tee shirt in the shot with Charlize Theron....I believe that is the Weyland Yutani logo!
And the very last pic screams face hugger hatchery inside derelict space vessel!
And kudo's to the maker of the fan made poster I used for this post it has just enough of an Aliens homage without being too obvious...kinda like the tiny morsels of info that have made their way to the interwebs.

Fringe Season 4 Premiere Tonight!

Season 4 premiere of Fringe is tonight 9/8c!
Nothing compares to this show! I cannot wait for tonight's episode! I have read some great theories on the fringe boards the interwebs will be inundated with awesome speculation....mine included.

V season 2 begins 1-4-11

So V got re-uped for a second season...sorta. More like half a season as it will start January 4, 2011 and only be 10 episodes, better than nothing I suppose. Since the season finale there's been some interesting news regarding the show, first it was revealed that Jane Badler has been hiding the the bowels of Anna's ship. And Marc Singer is also returning....hopefully with looser fitting jeans!

V Fruition

TVGuide.com interview with V executive Producer Scott Rosenbaum all but confirms season 2 is a go.

From TV GUIDE. WARNING: SPOILERS. DO *NOT* READ THIS POST IF YOU WANT TO BE
COMPLETELY SURPRISED BY THE UPCOMING EPISODES:In the final three episodes of
ABC's V,
Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell) will face off with the Visitors, starting
with Anna, according to executive producer Scott Rosenbaum. The end of the season will also bring the
birth of a hybrid baby who will be "more alien than human," a brutal attack and
a betrayal.V's lizard baby gets a due date — and a tail

1. There will be more V soldiers: "We will be seeing more
of the soldiers," says Rosenbaum. "Obviously Anna [Morena Baccarin] has a whole clutch of them waiting to be born
to unleash upon the Earth, but it's not going to go as smoothly as Anna planned
it would."
2. There will be alien babies: "You'll see what the baby
looks like in the finale. It's going to be more alien than human. The birth is
going to become a big deal because it's complicated. Also, Anna will have become
aware of the birth, so it will not happen behind her back. The birth will not be
what you expect it to be, I promise you that."
3. There will be big realizations: "Chad [Scott
Wolf] has not seen anything bad about the Vs," notes Rosenbaum. "The fun of
the season is Chad's ultimate realization that he was duped and the
consequences, and that's what we're building to. Anna is going to end up having
a noose around his neck. You should worry about Chad Dekker."Who
will be joining the Fifth Column on V?
4. There will be injuries: "Lisa [Laura Vandervoort] is going to be brutally attacked. It's
going to essentially be an attack by the Fifth Column. The question is: Who
attacked Lisa and why? The answer to that will be a pretty surprising one. It
all falls into this bigger plan that Anna has. If something bad happens, she can
spin it. Lisa's attack will have big consequences for the people on
Earth."
5. There will be a showdown: "Anna and Erica will meet
face-to-face in the second to last episode. Everything is leading to a major
brawl between them. Anna keeps winning, and finally Erica basically says,
'Enough of this, we're taking the fight directly to her and we're going to win.'
That episode is Erica's revenge. She's just had enough and the gloves are
off."
6. There will be deaths: "[The showdown] is an attack on
the Visitors and there will be deaths involved," Rosenbaum continues. "It's an
attack that is completely something Erica has come up with. There will be
casualties on both sides for the Visitors and the Fifth Column in the season
finale."Watch full
episodes of V in our Online Video Guide
7. There will be betrayal: "Lisa is the next in line to be
queen. The question is: Is Lisa becoming human, is she playing our people or is
she setting up a trap for Anna? That's the drama that will play out in the last
three episodes. The audience is not going to know which way she's turning until
the very end."
8. There will be war: "In the season finale, Anna will
essentially take the first shot in the war that's to come," says Rosenbaum,
noting that next season will pick up directly where we'll leave off.

Tonights episode looks good, I'm really looking forward to the Erica-Anna face to face!
http://www.tvguide.com/News/V-Scott-Rosenbaum-1018050.aspx