Tag Archives: Sci-Fi

Sci Fi Movies Coming in 2012

June 07, 2012   Dr. Monstrosity   2 Comments

Prometheus is coming out on June 8th.  Sci-fi geeks everywhere are anxiously charging up their phasers in anticipation!  But wait, there are some other films scifi fans might want to geek out over this year.  Here are 10 upcoming science fiction movies for 2012 with my hopes and trepidations.

Prometheus

The Good:  Ridley Scott directing, pretty darn good track record :-)

The Bad:  Written by Jon Spaihts(The Darkest Hour) and Damon Lindelof (Cowboys and Aliens), questionable track records

 

Cloud Atlas

The Good:  Based on a highly praised novel by David Mitchell

The Bad:  Wachowskis are involved, not a fan

 

Gravity

The Good:  Directed by Alfonso  Cuarón (Children of Men)

The Bad:  Directed by Alfonso  Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

 

World War Z

The Good:  A twist on the familiar zombie pandemic concept, lots of people liked the book

The Bad:  Familiar zombie pandemic concept

 

Total Recall

The Good:  Based on Philip K. Dick short story

The Bad:  Based on 1990 Paul Verhoeven film

 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The Good:  I’m a fan of American history and vampires

The Bad:  Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch blech!) directing

 

Iron Sky

The Good:  Nazis from the moon!?!

The Bad:  Crowdfunded first time director, iffy

 

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Good:  I love Spider-Man

The Bad:  Origin story again

 

The Dark Knight Rises

The Good:  I love Batman

The Bad:  Christopher Nolan (Inception) directing, no Heath Ledger

 

The Cosmonaut

The Good: New guy Nicolas Alcala directing… the new guy might be good.

The Bad:  Trailer looked so so

 

There you go, some sci-fi movies to get excited about.  What do you think?  Did I miss anything?

 

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Grandville by Bryan Talbot Kicks Orangutan Ass

January 30, 2012   Dr. Monstrosity   No comments
grandville-paris

Graphic Novel Review
Grandville by Bryan Talbot (2009)

They look cute but they kick ass.  Bryan Talbot’s Grandville is a Holmsian/steampunk mash-up with lovable looking “people” with animal heads.  The star of the show is Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard.  I quickly lost count of how many bad guys he ruthlessly eradicated.  He’s a bit like a psychotic Holmes but his heart’s in the right place.  And his head is that of a badger.

As you might have guessed, this does not end well

Grandville is unique and whimsical looking on the surface, but poignant and violent under the covers.  I enjoyed the mysterious story and its obvious references to 9/11, even though the social commentary may have been a bit heavy-handed.  The characterization was also weak but the plot moves along nicely, propelled by plentiful action and violence.

Talbot’s art is fun to look at and serves the story well.  The settings were noteworthy.  Steampunk settings are always enjoyable though.  Most of the characters had humanoid bodies and various animal heads such as a LeBrock’s rat-headed partner Ratzi or the orangutan-headed goons he callously disposes of.  Why do the characters in Grandville have animal heads?  Is Talbot suggesting we’re all just a bunch of violent beasts?

Bryan Talbot has released a sequel to Grandville titled Grandville Mon Amour and is working on a third book called Grandville: Bête Noire.  Grandville is definitely worth picking up.

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Being Human UK: Do We Really Need the Ghost?

January 27, 2012   Dr. Monstrosity   No comments
being-human-uk

Being Human (U.K.) 2008

Season 1, Episode 2

With the second episode of Being Human we get to meet a new werewolf character in Tully.  The dynamic between Tully and George is really quite entertaining.  Tully acts a mentor to George but as things progress, becomes something a bit different.

We also get more of vampire Mitchell’s struggles with his thirst for blood, which is a bit like an addict trying to stay on the wagon.  Mitchell’s relationship with Lauren – a vampire whom Mitchell brought into the fold – also gets more interesting.  And there’s a nice sense of foreboding that something big is in the works for the vampires.

It’s become clear to me with this second episode that the weak link on this show is ghost Annie.  Essentially the entire idea of having a ghost paired with a vampire and werewolf doesn’t work; it’s like a square peg in a round hole.  Vampires and werewolves have great tension and drama between them, throwing a ghost in the mix simply diverts us from the cool stuff.  Moreover, the character of Annie is essentially a bore.

One crummy character can’t diminish Being Human’s great strengths.  The balance between horror and humor is wonderfully done, and the juxtaposition of normal human problems with bizarre and horrific ones is charming.  It’s a good show, but I’m not quite hooked on it.

Being Human Episode 1 Review

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