Sci-Fi Media: Films, Books and Television

[M-Albion-3D]

Few movies actually spook me but this creepy tale gave me goose bumps!

"The Midnight Meat Train" 2007 rated R

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/deta...&pf_rd_t=12801



Be advised though, this movie is NOT for the faint of heart!

[calikid]

Alien Covenant.
Released on DVD this week.
I liked parts of it, but over all the story was weak.
Special FX were fair to good; some of the small critters were a bit to CGI looking for my taste. The ship crew a bit lax in structure. All in all a disappointment. For what was clearly a big budget movie, failed to deliver a coherent story with memorable characters.
Worth the $2 rental, barely.

[calikid]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
40th Anniversary Release.
Many theaters plan special screenings starting Aug 31, 2017.
Check this link to see if it's coming to your area.

[calikid]

Not so much SciFi, as a drama with major Computer Science history thrown in.
Halt and Catch Fire has returned for season 4.
Engaging characters, and much drama fun ala history lessons on the evolution of PC tech and the internet.
The earlier seasons were set in 1980s and had fun with PC development and a look back at COMDEX, season 4 has moved into 1990s, and shows the seeds of Yahoo & Google search engines, and the emergience of Mozaic as the browser wars heat up.
(For those scratching your head over the title, HACF was an early diagnostic used to denote an interrupt test mode that halted all other activity, and consumed 100% of CPU usage).
Heavy influences from prior period series; "Madmen".
Stars Lee Pace (aka Ronan the Accuser, in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy) as a tech visionary.
Saturday on AMC.
Currently one of my favs.

[calikid]

The Orville premiered on Network Television last night.
Star Trek like spook/comedy.
Looks promising.
Good production quality, FX, and while campy, the actors successfully play it straight.
I'll be tuning in for more, next Sunday night.

[calikid]

Star Trek: Discovery
S01E01.
"The Vulcan Hello"
This Sunday 9/24/17 on CBS.

[Garuda]

Star Trek: Discovery
S01E01.
"The Vulcan Hello"
This Sunday 9/24/17 on CBS.

So, what did you all think of Star Trek: Discovery?

(On a related note: it makes sense now that CBS did not want Axanar out there because, basically, the first year of ST DSC deals with exactly the same thing, i.e. the Klingon war).

It is visually stunning, well written / good dialogue, faster paced than previous versions, with excellent acting performances, and a more than decent soundtrack by Jeff Russo.

But the Klingon scenes are a bit tedious. (Why? Do? They? Speak? In? Slow? Motion?)
And I do hope it doesn't become a battle show.

[calikid]

So, what did you all think of Star Trek: Discovery?

(On a related note: it makes sense now that CBS did not want Axanar out there because, basically, the first year of ST DSC deals with exactly the same thing, i.e. the Klingon war).

It is visually stunning, well written / good dialogue, faster paced than previous versions, with excellent acting performances, and a more than decent soundtrack by Jeff Russo.

But the Klingon scenes are a bit tedious. (Why? Do? They? Speak? In? Slow? Motion?)
And I do hope it doesn't become a battle show.

I too found the Klingon scenes burdensome to watch. Subtitle fatigue. And the dialog on the bridge was a bit over the top on the technobable. Almost a class room lecture on ST tech, not very engaging.


Spoiler


Liked the Asian actress captain (add note: Michelle Yeoh), surprised she didn't last longer.

Still not sure about a female commander named Michael?
Transgender? Nothing wrong with that but...Hopefully we don't get dragged into lessons on political correctness. I can watch the BRAVO channel for that. I'm here for SciFi!

The FX was good. The sets were nice. The costumes and makeup were first rate. Hopefully they can maintain this level of excellence.

[calikid]

Blade Runner 2049
with Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Robin Wright.


Coming soon to a theater near you.
October 2017.

[calikid]

Halt and Catch Fire
Series finale this coming Sunday.
Last week's episode very sad ending. One major character died of apparent natural causes.
Obviously a metaphor for the series ending. Expecting plenty of flash backs for the last show.