After the dissapointment I experienced watching The Force Awakens I decided not to watch any more Star Wars installments. When Rogue One came to the theatres, I was rather adamant to hold on to my decision, in spite of good reviews.
However, something happened that changed my mind. My cousin from abroad was visiting us and since both of us love movies, we soon came to the subject of Star Wars. He had the similar opinion of TFA but he was absolutely thrilled with Rogue One. When we said goodbye, he said to me that I just had to see the film. I had no choice.
I don’t think that since the birth of television, something that lived so short left such a deep and lasting impact in popular culture.
After a recent Firefly re-watch I decided to write a few words about it. The story of Firefly is all but incredible. It was a show created by Joss Whedon, after his success with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. He said that he had wanted to make a western but since he loved spaceships so much, he decided to place it in space. He described is as a story of nine people looking at the darkness of space and all seeing different things. 14 episodes had been made before the show was canceled by the Fox Network. I often think that the person who made this decision still hides this fact in shame, hoping that it will never be revealed.
Rarely does it happen that something of this quality and genre-related flies so low under my radar that I completely overlook it. Well, it did happen this time but thanks to a very dear friend who recommended it to me I watched the first two seasons in one sitting and was left with quite an impression. Thank you O.
Black Mirror is created by Charlie Brooker and the first two seasons consist of 6 episodes in total. Each episode is a separate story with different actors. In this, it is reminiscent of the old series that I loved to watch - The Twilight Zone. I do not know if the young know about this series but it was one of the greatest genre shows and it is good to see that the format is still vital and that it withstood the test of time in this new incarnation.
I was very excited, to put it mildly, when I sat in my seat, with my 3D glasses on, and waited for the lights to be turned off. It has been a while since I saw a Star Wars movie at the cinema and I was determined not to let anything ruin the experience. I have managed to find a suitable sitter for the boys. The venue was half empty, with no loud teenagers anywhere in sight. The reviews of the film were great - over 90% fresh at the Rotten Tomatoes, and everything was pointing towards a happy ending.
At the beginning, everything was looking promising. (Warning: Spoilers approaching!) The text with the explanation what happened since episode VI quickly introduced us to the fact that the bad guys are now called the First Order, and that they are opposed by the Republic and Resistance (instead of Rebellion). To tell the truth, I was too excited to think about this, or the disappointment would probably have come much sooner that it had.
I have been very busy lately, hence unable to fulfill my promise regarding the reviews of the Adrian Tchaikovsky's books from the Shadows of the Apt series. However, when I saw this trailer, I simply had to write a few words.
Looks like the heroes are going to clash between themselves, and it looks great. The tone reminded me a bit of my favorite Star Wars movie - The Empire Strikes Back. It is a dark, pessimistic second act and a great introduction to the final installment. This movie is going to be the overture for the next Avengers installment and it looks really promising. I admit that I am a big fan of Marvel movies and though some are better than others, I enjoyed watching all of them. I think they are at their best when they center on conflicts between characters. Having that in mind, this one could be one of the best and I am looking forward to it.
I have finished reading these two books a while ago but I needed some time to think about them before writing this review, not to mention being firmly clamped in the jaws of everyday life. The reason why I decided to write about both of them is the fact that they can be easily perceived as one novel divided into two parts.
In Caine Black Knife, Caine returns to the place where he had the adventure that made him a star (Retreat from the Boedecken).
I like to watch trailers but I was kind of shying away from Star Wars VII trailers because I did not want to see any spoilers. I still remember the time when there were no trailers, and the decision what movie to see was based only on TV and newspaper adds. That was when I saw the original trilogy and I wanted to preserve some of that feeling for this one.
But, alas, I am weak. After so much hype on the Internet, I played it and I am so glad that I did. It caused all kinds of goosebumps and left me on the brink of tears. When Han Solo said, "It is true. All of it.", I swear, it was one of the most iconic moments in movies that I have ever seen. It relates to both the events in the movies and the real life, a some sort of bridge between generations that grew up on Star Wars, and the new ones. I wish that my kids were a bit older so that they could see this at cinemas. This movie could surpass Avatar at the box office. Easily. Looks like JJ Abrams has taken the right approach and I cannot wait till December. See you in cinemas, and of course May the Force be with you!
I have just
finished the second book in the Mathew W. Stover’s Act of Caine sequence and I
am amazed. This is one of the best books I have ever read. Considerably more
ambitious than the first one, this book successfully raises everything to a
whole new level.
At the beginning
we find Hari Michaelson as a well-off administrator who is trying to cope with
his disability resulting from his spine being severed by the sword Kosall at
the hand of his arch enemy Berne. Some seven years after the events in the first
book, Hari lives with his wife Shanna and her daughter Faith, who share the
connection with the Chambaraya, the Overworld River. Ma’Elkoth is a prisoner in
some sort of the Overworld Museum, where he teaches magic, and he is Hari’s
best/only friend.
Heroes Die
is the first book in the Matthew Woodring Stover’s Acts of Caine trilogy. The author
created a world that consists of the future dystopian Earth
and a parallel world called Overworld, which is actually a fantasy setting bearing
the characteristics of the majority of books published in this genre after
Tolkien. This provides for a very interesting dichotomy – on the one side we have
a science fiction milieu in which there is an overcrowded Earth, the population
of which is divided into castes, with very strict rules and harsh system of
punishment. On the other side is a fantasy world rich with magic, all kinds of
creatures, and filled with adventures.
Jodorowsky’s
Dune is a documentary that tells the story of the creation of the film based on
Frank Herbert’s Dune by director Alejandro Jodorowsky. The film was never
actually made, which was known to me, but what surprised me was the level of
work that has been achieved until the moment when the director and his team
realized that no studio was ready to finance the project.
Alejandro
Jodorowsky, a Chilean filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, musician, comics’
writer, spiritual guru, and a member of the surrealist movement, was the heart and
soul of the project, and plays the central part in the documentary, talking
about his experience working on the Dune. Watching him talk about his Dune with
so much passion, one cannot fathom that this man can suffer a failure but it
appears that he was actually the major obstacle to Jodorowsky’s Dune coming to life
– the studios were simply too afraid of letting this extraordinary man, this
force of nature, make such an expensive motion picture.
This documentary
is a true gem for every film, comic, pop culture buff out there. In
his desire to make something amazing, Jodorowsky gathered a group of talented
artists and gave them freedom to express themselves. He engaged Jean Giraud (Moebius),
HR Giger, Chris Foss to work on the story boards, concept art, designs for the sets, and
persuaded Orson Welles, Salvador Dali and Mick Jagger to participate as actors. The end result
was the enormous book, a screenplay in the form of a comic, which contained all
designs and frame-by-frame story of the film. The book was sent to every major
film studio in Hollywood, heaped with praise but eventually rejected.
It must
have been devastating for the people who invested a significant portion of
their lives to this project. However, Jodorowsky’s vision for this movie – he wanted
it to be a visual and metaphysical wonder but also a consciousness changing
experience – was realized in the end. Apart from the book, the work on the film also
gave birth to new collaborations and ideas that found their way to other movies,
including Star Wars, Terminator, Alien, and many others. Jodorowsky and Moebius worked together
on Inkal, Metabarons and Technopriests. Den O’Bannon and Giger worked together
on Alien. The Dune was killed, but it remained alive in many subsequent works
of art, just as Jodorowsky wanted Paul in the film to die but remain alive in every person’s consciousness that he touched. That is one of the most interesting parts of
this amazing documentary.
Jodorowsky’s
son was supposed to play the part of Paul and he underwent grueling
preparations for almost three years. Jodorowsky perceived himself and everyone else
who worked with on this project as warriors, which best depicts his
determination and desire. In that warrior spirit, he even went to see David
Lynch’s Dune when it was shown in the cinemas. Being of admirer of Lynch’s, Jodorowsky
was afraid that his dream would be made by someone else, perhaps even better.
He was relieved when he realized that the film was bad. That is another great
scene in this documentary. Jodorowsky confesses his jealousy and joy that Lynch
was not able to surpass his vision. Being a big fan of Herbert’s Dune I saw Lynch’s
film several times and although I like it, I think it leaves a lot to be
desired.
Jodorowsky
is 84 in this documentary but he is still full of life and creative energy. He
gives off an impression of an incredible artist. One can only imagine what the
Dune would have looked like if he had directed it.
There is so much content in this documentary that it can only be
described as treasure – treasure for every sci-fi fan, film lover, and comic
buff. This is the first time I heard HR Giger speak, or saw some of
Chris Foss’s mindblowing paintings. This documentary is really something to
cherish and watch in years to come. Grade: the highest possible.
The trailer for Terminator Genisys with Arnold
Schwarzenegger has finally seen the light of day. After watching it a few times
my reactions were mixed, to say the least.
My first
sentiment was exileration, off course – the latest installment of one of my
favorite movie franchises is in the works. Terminator and T2: Judgement Day were a part of my
childhood and adolescent years, and I cannot even begin to express how much
they meant and still mean to me. T3 was good, although it did represent a
decline of quality in comparison with the first two parts. The fourth one,
Terminator Salvation (I am not even sure if it is the correct title), left no
particular mark. I also must mention the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor
Chronicles, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In my opinion, it is on the same level
as T3, if not better, though it is hard to compare TV and Cinema.
After
taking a closer look at the trailer, I realized that there seems to be a lot of
promise to this film. The trailer starts with the images from the future war
with the machines. The resistance movement headed by severely scarred John
Connor (Jason Clarke) launches the final offensive against the machines and
upon discovering that the machines have sent terminators to the past to kill
Sarah Connor, they decide to send someone to protect her. Kyle Reese (Jai
Courtney) volunteers and we see him entering the time machine. Then we see him
arriving to the past, in the same alley as in The Terminator, and he enters the
same department store. A policemen follows him inside and then a van bursts
through the wall with a young woman at the wheel, hitting the policeman with
the back end. When she yells the too familiar words – Come with me if you want
to live - we are completely aware of the twist. The policeman is actually a
T-1000 (Byung-hun Lee).
The second
half of the trailer shows us the arrival of the T-800 (young Arnold
Schwarzenegger) who is greeted by another T-800 (present day Arnold
Schwarzenegger), followed by a lot of action, lot of terminators, gun-totting,
schoolbus-flipping, and in the end, after the unavoidable “I’ll be back”, a
helicopter head-butting, the total highlight of this trailer.
It appears
to me that they took the screenplay for The Terminator and rewrote it to make
some sort of another T2, which could be a good thing, but not necessarily. A
way had to be found to include an old Terminator in the movie, and for that
matter, I think that part of the story is quite acceptable. Arnold IS the
Terminator, period. There would be no franchise without him. However, I am a
bit weary of the constant recycling. I do not think that every Terminator movie
should include every sentence or image from the first one or two. Give Arnold
some new one liners, he cannot keep repeating “I’ll be back” for all eternity.
It could turn into a parody no matter how much some people like it.
There are
some things about this trailer that I did not like. The future does not look nearly
as dark and bleak as in the first two movies. I like the John Connor’s look
though, with heavy scars on his face. Kyle Reese, on the other hand, looks
miscast. Jai Courtney looks like a complete opposite of Michael Biehn. Where
Biehn was slim, almost sickly, Courtney looks healthy, strong, ripped almost
like a terminator.
As regards
the casting of Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor, she strikes me as a good choice.
She appears to have that same intensity that could be seen in both Linda
Hamilton and Lena Headey.
My biggest
objection to this trailer concerns the fact that, in my opinion, it reveals too
much of the plot. I remember when I watched T2 for the first time, I was
shocked when it turned out that T-800 was the good guy. This trailer seems to
contain every major twist, at least in the first half of the film. I hope that
I am wrong and that there will still be some surprises when the film comes to
cinemas.
The final
question is whether I would go to see this movie based on this trailer alone. The
answer is, off course, yes. It’s The Terminator, with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It
really does not need a trailer to attract me to the cinema. However, there is a slight feeling of apprehension. It is like when someone you care about is going to do something important and you are worried. You know that you will still care no matter what happens, but you would rather see that person succeed. The premiere will be in July, 2015.
We have all seen it by now. The teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens caused mainly positive reactions. It has been analyzed in detail all over the Internet so I will not go in particular depth but I feel the need to share a few thoughts. Overall, the trailer has the feel that is reminiscent of the original trilogy which is a very good thing. Hopefully, we will seen some of the magic that made us fall in love with Star Wars at the first place.
The highlight of the teaser was the Millennium Falcon, off course. Cannot wait to see it again on the big screen. The way the scene is shot reminded me of the way the scenes with Serenity were shot in Firefly. There is that same chasing camera that follows the ship in its flight, making everything look more dynamic. the same technique was then used in BSG, the new series, which also looked awesome. This inspired me to re-watch Firefly and if I find time I will try to write some reviews of this prematurely cancelled, yet incredible series. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens will be in cinemas in December 2015. Seems like eternity right now, but we will get there. The wait will be over.
I was eager
to see this movie ever since I saw the first trailer. It won me over immediately.
The first thing
that attracted my attention was the mentioning of The Bourne Identity, as the
previous work of the director Doug Liman. The Bourne Identity is one of my all-time
favorites and I had a lot of confidence in its director. Secondly, all personal
traits aside, I really like Tom Cruise as an actor. He has a lot of charisma and
he is a good actor. I think he was a very good Jack Reacher as well.
There was a
lot of talk on the Internet recently about the underwhelming box office performance
of this movie and the reasons for it. The consensus appears to be that the
marketing was to blame. In spite of the fact that some $100m was spent, people
seemed to have had the wrong impression from the trailers about what the movie
would be like. I loved the trailer and it was clear to me that it would be some
sort of SF Groundhog Day, which is, by the way, also one of my all-time
favorites. It was also clear that Cruise’s character does not start as a hero,
and the Emily Blunt would play a significant role. All those things attracted
my attention. On the other hand, one prominent aspect of the movie was absent
from this trailer (cannot say about the others because I avoided them because I
wanted to see the movie without spoilers). Humor. It considerably improves the overall
quality of the movie. Perhaps if that had been emphasized more in the trailers,
the movie would have fared better. Still its quality is undeniable and it will
only be proved in years to come.
The movie
starts with media news on the meteor crash that turns out to be an alien
invasion. Cruise is a military PR officer who comes to England and is ordered
to report live on the attack of allied forces on the enemy positions. He
rejects and tries to flee, ending up tased and handcuffed. He wakes up in the
base and gets attached to a company of soldiers who are to be deployed the next
day. Cruise is placed in a battle suit, a sort of exoskeleton that has been
seen many times in SF movies. The attack of the allied forces is reminiscent of
the Saving Private Ryan invasion at the beginning of the movie. It is very well
done so I will not spend too many words on that.
This is
where the plot thickens. Cruise manages to kill an alien and gets himself
killed, only to wake up the day before, in the military base. The circle keeps
repeating itself and Emily Blunt’s character gets drawn in. She understands
what is going on because she had the same experience in the previous battle.
Together, they try to end the war, using the advantage that Cruise’s ’’immortality’’
gives them. I will no longer describe the plot in order not to reveal the finale
so if you have not seen the movie, get it, watch it, it is a real treat, and if
you have, you know what happens. You can watch it again, I know I will.
One of the
strongest points of the movie is its story. I loved the explanation of the
Cruise’s situation. Also, the character development is well done. Cruise’s
character changes in the course of the movie, from scared coward, to pragmatic
soldier, to disillusioned and hopeless, to determined and self-sacrificing. Of
course, he falls in love with Blunt’s character in the process, which affects
his actions, while she is naturally unaware. It is satisfying to watch how it
all unravels, and the ending was quite to my liking.
Blunt is excellent in this movie. She perfectly blended various character traits, and she is physically fantastic. She actually does a perfect elbow lever on the floor when she first appears. Awesome. There are a lot of funny moments. It is fun to see Cruise gets killed in all sorts of ways. I read somewhere that he has been killed in this movie more times than in all other movies that he has made in his entire cereer
The
verdict: It is, hands down, one of the best movies this year and I am convinced
that it will be more and more appreciated with time. 5/5
If the name Tanaros is familiar, it is because I chose it on the base of the character Tanaros Blacksword from the Sundering duology written by Jacqueline Carey. It is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time.
I am a translator by profession, with a degree in English Language and Literature. I like science fiction and fantasy, but it is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when my interests are in question.
You are welcome to enter and share my thoughts on books, films, music, technology, current events and life in general. Hopefully, my writings will be of interest to you and provoke you to think and further widen your horizons.
This is the first step in my effort to fulfill my long lasting desire to start writing a blog, and I hope that the journey will be long and enriching.
Best of all.
Tanaros
