TWILIGHT - New Moon

I saw Twilight - I didn't see what all the hype was about.

I don't plan to see New Moon.

Every now and then I go to AintItCool.com for movie reviews.  Often there is very strong language.
Mr. Beaks reviewed New Moon and I had to share this one line with you:


"The TWILIGHT franchise probably won't be viewed as a massive pop cultural oopsy-daisy for another few years (these things take time to run their course), but when we're finally able to treat it like the New-Kids-on-the-Block joke that it is, I think we'll be most amazed that a series with so little story (at least as far as the films go) captivated such a wide audience"


If you're a fan, great.  But that sentence pretty much sums up why I'm not a fan... or even curious.

V – the 2009 reboot

I’m gonna be shameless here – I was totally enthralled by the original 80’s mini-series “V”.  It broke during the heyday of Return of the Jedi, Buck Rogers on TV and the space shuttle’s inauguration; an era when space stuff was very cool to a lot of us adolescent boys.

The suspense was great and the revelations stunning (a bit cheesy at times looking back – but stunning nonetheless) – I won’t spoil them here.

So when I heard that ABC was re-booting the series I wasn’t sure if they could pull it off… but I think they are on the right track so far.

The pilot was good – a bit bumpy with some bad dialogue (“Down on one knee is a classic”, “You rock”…seriously?) and wooden acting in a few scenes – but overall good.

Sadly they jumped the gun on the reptilian reveal – even the brief glance was too quick. 

This pilot should have been a 2-hour premier event that stretched out the suspense and built us toward something amiss – not the reveal that quick.  Same can be said for Erica’s partner.  Too quick.

My predictions for future Visitor reveals – the old priest and Brandon (Tyler’s friend).  They’re just set up way to good not to be.

I think it is interesting that planned or not, we meet attractive, charismatic, pseudo-saviors who arise on the scene when the world needs them most.  They like total control over the media and come promising universal health care.  Yet they are not what they appear.

Am I saying this bears any resemblance to current politics? 

I’m just sayin’ is all.

"We are of Peace. Always."

(All they are saying is give peace a chance.) ;)

In essence they are saying 'we are here to provide for you and make life better, we are coming in peace and that is always our M.O. - so trust us'   But behind closed doors they are about domination, they are about control.

I'm just sayin' is all.

I was chatting with a friend Jeff recently about alien themed media.  We had seen the movie “Knowing” together and he was telling me about the movie “The 4^th Kind”, which based on his comments I now want to see.  Those coupled with “V” present a common consistent message:  The Bible and Christ specifically are not to be trusted – the notion of panspermia, and that our possible only ‘hope’ lies in the benevolence of Visitors from beyond.  In fact much of "The 4th Kind" looks suspiciously like a movie about demon exorcism.  A growing number of UFOlogists say they are no longer convinced that these beings are from across the galaxy, but from are inter-dimensional beings.  IF vast distances are no longer the issue - then intent is.

I love that fact that one of V’s main characters in this reboot is a priest struggling to come to terms with how V’s fit in with Scripture. (For the sake of avoiding comments and dissertations on Ezekiel’s wheel – let me remind us all that Ezekiel’s vision was about the supremacy of God – not what the wheel looked like or whether it was a UFO – it wasn’t.) Finally, a person of faith who is not portrayed as a complete dunce! And I thought the artistic choice to show the crucifix falling and shattering to pieces was a perfect visual of the V’s intent – they have come as savior’s to displace any other savior – yet their plan is domination and decimation.  And in the first episode we literally see people on their knees with arms raised in worship to the 'motherships' above the city.

And the questions people of faith are asking on the show…?

“I’ve been doubting God”

“Are the V’s angels or demons?”

“Is everything I believed a lie?”

It is interesting to note that UFOlogists also indicate this is a consistent message of those who have been ‘contacted’ by ‘aliens’.  Odd that it is never Mohammed, or Buddha, or the Upanishads – only Jesus.

“The thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy,” Jesus said.  I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

In context of the show…. fitting.

I can’t wait to see how the rest of the series plays out.  How the resistance is built and how the defector V’s fit in. And you know that the alien baby subplot has to come back – it will be interesting to see that reveal along with a full reptilian head. I’m bummed that we have just one more episode in 2009 and have to wait until spring for more.

And until then… the Fifth (V) Column says ‘hello...’

2012 - movie review

1^st half of movie = suspension of disbelief.

2^nd half of movie = some decent morality lessons.

So – all told I’ll give it 3.5 stars of 5

There’s been a bunch of hoopla recently about the date 12-21-12, and depending on whom you read, it either marks the end of the Mayan calendar (and thus the end of the earth), or the beginning of a new cycle in the Earth’s history ushered in by cataclysmic events.

Personally, I don’t put any stock into the Mayan calendar.

I do recognize that there are many end times prophecies in the Bible that will be quite cataclysmic – earthquakes in ‘strange’ places, wars, famine, the raging of the sea, visible disturbances in the heavens, a massive heat wave (which could theoretically be triggered by a massive solar flare), and what “looked like a mountain on fire falling into the sea.”

So big, terrifying events are indeed on their way.  Whether these occur in 2012 or not remains to be seen, but they will have devastating effects on the earth.  (As an aside, scientists claim that we are due for a massive solar flare soon – which at the least could possible render all electronics useless – and this is not without precedent.)

And please, please, please don't even bring up the whole Nibiru thing (rolls eyes).  Glad that this movie steered clear of that!

But back to the movie…

It starts in 2009, in India, with a conversation which includes some scientific sounding jargon that most movie-goers including myself will not be able to question the veracity of, due to our lack of knowledge… but suffice it to say that it sounded like a “we’ve never seen this before – so you can’t question it” scenario.  Basically due to massive solar flares, the sun is microwaving the earth's core and turing the mantle(s) into liquid... but somehow leaving the earth's crust.... crusty.

The president of the USA is warned and he subsequently warns other heads of state. 

Here’s one of my first gripes.  You find out later in the movie that these heads of state include mainly only countries that are: a.) wealthy and b.) familiar big players.  Zero mention of informing anyone on the continent of Africa, or South America, or Australia or the mid-East.  It’s pretty much the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, the U.K., Japan, Germany and China.  I’m sure I missed one on this list… but that was about it. Seriously?  In a movie that ends with a call to preserve the human ‘species’ this is how little is thought of those places not part of the G8 summits?  Hmmm.  Maybe there is some truth showing through in this movie.

Rather than give a blow by blow review, here’s my nickel review:

Actors - nothing Oscar worthy, but good for a disaster flick.  And I really enjoy John Cusack.  Though he tends to feel like the same character in most of his films.  Is this just Lloyd from "Better Off Dead" all grown up?  Or was Lloyd in "One Crazy Summer"?  Or was that "Grosse Point Blank"? See what I mean?

Cusack and Amanda Peet do manage to convince that they are concerned for the kids' well being.  But not necessarily that these kids are their children.

The plot is fairly weak – but come on it’s a Roland Emmerich movie.

And Mayan and scientific doubts notwithstanding, the movie – like so many others – misrepresents the Christian end-of-days prophecies.  No Mr. Emmerich the ‘rapture’ is not synonymous with world wide tectonic shifting, super volcanoes and world wide simultaneous tsunamis.  And yes – we catch the in your face crumbling statue of Jesus in Rio as a not so subtle reminder that you view the Bible and its prophecies as weak.

The special effects were great.  But you have to head into this movie with the knowledge that these are going to be what can only be considered the most logic-defying, laugh out loud implausible disaster scenes ever put to film.  And a scene like this (where our heroes not only cheat death, but groin-kick and mug the grim reaper) happens more than once.

So great visuals, but totally unbelievable.
Outrun a Yellowstone supervolcano? No problem.  Only had 2-3 plane lessons?  No problem – all this airplane flying stuff is easy, right? OK – I’ll stop there.

Oddly, I ended up liking this movie – with a bit more editing and less over the top sequences it could be as good as ID4.  Emmerich also seems to think that natural disasters can chase our heroes (see also “The Day After Tomorrow” where the element ‘cold’ chases people down a hallway!)

Some of the family dynamics and conversations are good reminders to not leave relationships undone, and to value each day we have.

The human spirit of compassion is highlighted.  It was like during the 2^nd half of the movie they went from – “look at our pretty special disaster visual effects” to “be human.  Be compassionate. Be forgiving.” And more than once we see reflected what Jesus told us was the greatest form of love – that one would lay down his life for his family, friends, even complete strangers.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The human race is preserved with massive ‘arks’ that were built by the Chinese (how?  Hello?  Though never mentioned explicitly through forced labor!) at the request and financing of wealthy countries.  (survivors include those chosen as "helpful to humanity - scientists, artists, intellectuals, etc.... and those who could afford 1.5 billion Euros a seat.  Lifeboat indeed!) And it only took them 2 to 3 years to build them all and the massive underground hanger in the middle of China?   To quote Bill Cosby, "riiiight!"  This over-reaching plot element assumes that the Chinese government desires that they not be the only country or people left on the face of the earth once the smoke clears.  Emmerich has obviously never studied Mao or the even the current Chinese heads of state.  And wait - if the world is ending, what good is a fiat paper currency to those who will survive?    But I digress… curse you, Logic!  I forgot that reason went out the window once the limo smashed its way through the tumbling office building  :)

The earth is flooded except for sparse areas – the largest of which is … wait for it… the continent of Africa!  Ah – the ‘cradle of civilization’.  Where we are told our ‘first ancestors evolved’.  Our heroes and the remnants of humanity are last seen heading for Africa.

I don’t think this ark element was a snub at the Biblical account.  Almost all cultures have worldwide flood stories (which I and others contend came from a shared actual experience) – so the idea of making new arks is not an affront to the Noah account, but a recognition that ‘hey!  That’s not a bad idea!’

As the credits rolled I turned to my friend Frank and discussed the movie.  Both of us have a hobby of editing commercially released movies, and we both said similar things at roughly the same time – with a few more edits it could have been even better.  So… 6 months from now when it drops on DVD it will be a project for me/us.  :)

I read on several websites that 2013 will be possibly be heading to television – will it survive without the flashy FX and without the sense of an impending end of the world?  I doubt it.

I mean – it’s not like it’s “V” or anything  ;)