Pandorum (Movie Review)

In a summer filled largely with mediocre movies, I’ve discovered that the fall is when the best movies start to come out. And in a further twist, I am now seeing a pattern in recent Hollywood flicks where the sinful nature of humans is acknowledged and even used as part of a central theme!

Pandorum is a futuristic horror movie about a small group of people who wake up in a deep space vessel on an unknown mission. Due to prolonged hyper-sleep, the memory of the two main characters is damaged and recovers only as the plot progresses. It may sound like a cheap writer’s tool, but it works to great effect in this movie.

The ship is dark and running on almost no power, and humanoid monsters are hunting humans for food throughout the ship. As the crew scrambles to survive and make sense of what is happening, the mysterious plot unfolds.

The strength of this film for most of the ride is what it doesn’t tell you. Enough details are given to avoid frustration and disconnecting from the story, but you’re grasping at straws for most of movie.

The visual look is a cross between Alien and Event Horizon. Not surprising given that Paul Anderson (Event Horizon director) produced this film.

Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid both turn in engaging performances. Quaid grounds the film well with his presence and Foster gives the audience a window through which to empathize.

Special effects are mostly practical and creature-related and do a fine job. In fact, the lack of too much CGI keeps this movie feeling gritty and real. Darkness is also used to great effect, following the same philosophy as the script: “Don’t give away too much.”

Near the end of the film, we are faced with the nature of humanity. When left unchecked, our default passions and desires are selfish and evil, and this film doesn’t shy away from it. In fact, it even subtly recognizes the evil that will naturally result as the outcome of applying evolutionary philosophy. When “survival of the fittest” is the highest good, well… use your imagination, or just go see Pandorum.

Quality: 9/10

Relevance: 8.5/10

Superman/Batman Prep

Usually when a release date says "Fall 200X", it means LATE fall. But to my surprise I learned a couple weeks ago that the next DC Animated movie is coming out tomorrow! And the previews looked awesome!

"Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" is based on the first six issues of the Superman/Batman comic book. The original story arc was also called "Public Enemies" and the previews of the DVD project on the Green Lantern animated DVD gave every impression that it will be a faithful adaptation of the original story. (Which was awesome!)

But since it's been so long since I last read it, I'm digging out my back issues to read through the story again today in preparation for my viewing of the new flick tomorrow.

Can't Wait!!

Surrogates (Movie Review)

This movie nearly slipped under my radar for its lack of trailers in theaters or on tv in my area, but I'm so glad I saw it!

In the future world of "Surrogates" everyone is able to live day-to-day life through virtual reality controlled robots called surrogates. While plugged into a control unit at home, users can let themselves physically go to waste while they live out life in either idealized versions of their own bodies, or completely different custom made surrogate bodies. They can see, hear and feel just as if they were in their own bodies, with the exception of pain, which they are protected from at all times.

Until recently, it has been impossible to suffer harm through use of a surrogate, but when several surrogate users start turning up dead, Agent Greer (Bruce Willis) is sent in to investigate. What follows is a great ride with plot twists and superheroic action that is all too short, presented in just under 90 minutes.

Willis once again delivers a performance that is understated yet emotionally engaging. A chief subplot involves his strained relationship with his wife, who wants to limit their contact to surrogates, while he wants to be with her in their own bodies more often. The plotline is so engaing that in another movie it could have been the A story.

Although the strongest moments are not given away in the trailer, one of the climactic plot points can be predicted if you've seen even one trailer for this movie, so avoid them if you haven't seen any yet.

Special effects bring the sci-fi elements to life very effectively in both action beats and calmer moments. In Willis' surrogate form, they use special effects to remove wrinkles and sagging skin, much like what was done for Professor X and Magneto in X-men 3. Either it wasn't on par with Benjamin Button effects, or they were going for a somewhat plastic "Ken doll" look. Depending on which you assume, the anti-aging effects on Willis either look really good, or don't quite meet quality standards recently set by Benjamin Button. Other visual effects, while not new, look wonderful.

I do wish the ride would have been a little longer. I'm not sure what extra story there might have been to tell, but I could have spent more time in this world and seen more of the great action sequences this movie contained. Even one more 3-5 minute action sequence with some money thrown at it might have brought this flick up to "Iron Man" standards in that department, if not overall.

The element of the movie that stands out the most to me is it's message. Although the statement being made about online relationships (not necessarily romantic, but online human interaction in general) is obvious to frequent internet users, it is not preachy, but rather pleading. We see the tragedy of human disconnection as it plays out in the romantic subplot, and in numerous other places in the movie. This is no doubt the central theme. The movie even starts with one of the characters narrating: "Life is not meant to be lived through a machine." What the movie "Gamer" communicated in an exploitative manner, "Surrogates" says more eloquently and with deeper and fuller expression.

I'm not suggesting that online friendships are all shallow. Neither does this movie. What I believe the creators of this movie are saying, which I agree with, is that we shouldn't kid ourselves into thinking that online friendships/romances/etc. are the way we are meant to fully experience human relationships. In chat rooms and message boards, if we become frustrated with a conversation, we can simply disconnect from it. We see this idea played out several times in Surrogates. Behind the safety of a computer monitor or surrogate body, we can escape as soon as we have reached our emotional limits. But in face-to-face, everyday relationships, we sometimes have to stick it out through angry or tear-filled conversations. Sure, we might storm out of a room in anger. But making that decision takes more consideration than just clicking that "X" in the upper right corner.

Full human relationships, the kind that are messy and can't be "turned off" or "facebook blocked", are the kind that can yield friendship and character growth on a level simply impossible when attempted through a "Surrogate" or screen name. So if you and I claim to care about people and relationships, this movie gives us something to think about.

One of the best movies in the last 6 months. Don't miss it.


Quality: 9.0/10

Relevance: 9.5/10

Of The Night: Episode 1, Kiss The Night

I am pleased to announce the release of the first audio drama project produced by The Spirit Blade Underground Alliance!

Of The Night: Episode 1, Kiss The Night

James Elysian is a former policeman recovering from the death of his fiancee. But is she truly dead, or merely transformed into a creature... of the night?

(This audio series contains content recommended for ages 16 and older.)

Download it now for free at www.spiritblade.net/alliance !

Enjoy!

-Paeter Frandsen

Bacon Everything!

I attended a gathering of podcasters this weekend and the theme was...bacon!

For some reason, these crazy guys at baconnaise.com think everything should taste like bacon and have manufactured the products to try and prove their point. In a drawing this weekend, I won a jar of "baconnaise". I can think of a dozen ways I might make use of it, and none of them involve eating. Should be fun!

Where's My Wolverine??

Despite mixed reactions from viewers and critics, I really enjoyed the Wolverine movie and bought my copy of the DVD yesterday when I made my grocery run for the week. But as I plan my evening, it is nowhere to be found! I'm pretty sure it stayed in the car I used yesterday and my wife took it with her to work this morning without realizing. At least I hope that's what happened...

9 (Movie Review)

Clocking in at a mere 79 minutes, this movie is no epic, but still creatively ambitious. Marketed as "not your little brother's animated movie", just who is this movie for?

The story takes place on post-apocalyptic earth. Mankind has destroyed itself and only machines and 9 mysteriously animated rag dolls remain. The dolls, named 1-9, struggle to survive as an evil, monstrous machine aims to hunt them down and kill them. The movie is not graphic, but death is a common reality in this film. The advertising campaign and the PG-13 rating ought to be enough warning, but just in case I'll let you know that this movie probably isn't for most young kids. Though tweens and early teen boys will likely enjoy it a lot.

The visual look certainly contains some hallmarks of producer Tim Burton's early work, though not excessively. Both grim and child-like, the design of this world is captivating.

Cast with celebrity voices like Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly and Crispin Glover, you might expect the characters to really stand out, though the roles would have likely been serviced just as well with unknowns. Plot and concept are the real stars of this movie, and they carry it pretty well. Though I could have used 10 more minutes of character development spread throughout the cast. As it stand, the characters are not very fleshed out, leaving the movie feeling somewhat like a "Twilight Zone" episode or other short story.

The action is exciting and executed well. The bad guys are creepy (especially a strange "snake with a doll's head" creature) and hard to take your eyes off of.

For most of the film, we're asked to simply accept that the dolls are alive somehow, without knowing the reason. And though the plot doesn't continue asking the question of their origins, it is explained at the end of the film.

The plot is not complex and the premise (man vs. machine = end of the world) has been seen a dozen times. So it's not a story that will stimulate the mind of a sci-fi geek. But it will likely spark the imagination of a pre-teen boy and be a movie he looks back on in adulthood the same way I might look back on "The Dark Crystal" or "The Neverending Story".

For parents and kids, themes of death and the human soul are both given springboards for conversation in this flick. The human soul, in particular, is ripe for discussion among viewers of all ages as you leave the theater. Keep an eye out for some discussion points on the nature of the human soul near the end of the movie. You'll also notice a visual cue just before the credits end, suggesting a sort of reincarnation with a touch of Pantheism or Monism(All are one. No individuality. Each piece part of one whole.)

Probably not a movie that everyone will embrace, but a certain slice of the populace will find it scratches a very unique itch.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 7.5/10

The "Summer Of Free" Bought My TV!

After three months of saving and scraping I was finally able to get the HD TV for playing video games in my upstairs office/playroom. I'm not a graphics snob, but many games for the Xbox 360 are formatted for widescreen hi-def TV, and if you don't have one I discovered it can be REALLY hard to read in-game text. As an RPG gamer, reading text is vital, and "Dragon Age Origins" will hit shelves next month! (Along with a few other RPGs in the near future.) So getting a hi-def TV has been a goal of mine for awhile now.

I skipped buying a fair chunk of comics and DVDs this summer, along with a number of other money saving strategies. In the end, I saved close to $100. (That's ALOT for me, folks!) Add to that some leftover "fan" and "furniture" money in our budget and a big sale on a display model TV at Best Buy at their Labor Day sale, and I finally hit my goal!

Woohoo! Now back to my regularly scheduled spending...

Forced Relaxation

Other than a few odds and ends and anything I'm particularly inspired to do, I'm taking the day off today. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to spend my free time. Here's my list of options right now:

Watch a movie- Iron Man, The Frighteners, or Willow

Watch Some Farscape- Currently halfway through season 4

Play a Video Game- Neverwinter Nights

Continue RPG Campain World Development- For use with the "Eldritch RPG"

Finish Book- Wit'ch Star, by James Clemens

Hmm. This will take some thought, and possibly a 10-sided die.

Gamer (Movie Review)

Gerard Butler stars in this movie about a death row criminal who attempts to reduce his sentence by allowing himself to be controlled by an online video game player in a series of death matches with other prisoners and their controlling players.

With a 95 minute runtime, the movie starts with action and keeps the pace moving pretty well throughout. The combat is gritty and violent and I felt moderately invested in the safety of the main character. Effects are used well and the world feels well developed, visually.

Performances are pretty standard, but the script doesn't give much to work with, dramatically. It gives lip service to dramatic moments (Butler is trying to be reunited with his family) but it's not that kind of movie and this part of the story is not as compelling as it could be.

What the movie does do well is action. Plenty of explosions, cool weapons, technology and danger. Imaginitive while grounded in reality.

It also delivers a concept-driven plot with philosophical statements that the average moviegoer probably wouldn't expect. It paints an unforgiving picture of America's entertainment-driven culture. Humans are depicted as creatures that live for pleasure and self-fulfillment. And the quest for satisfaction leads people to increasingly strange and twisted appetites that are obviously considered acceptable. There are references to sensationalized news media, and continuing themes of detachment from real human relationships and lack of value for human life. The premise itself is a devaluing of the concept of justice: Mass murderers can receive full pardons if they and their players are good enough at killing people.

The plot has a few holes in it. It's never made crystal clear whether or not Butler's character deserved to be on death row. And a few other aspects of the world being presented may leave you scratching your head. Not a big deal, as some movies are more interesting when they don't explain everything.

The movie offers plenty to talk about, and it's continual statements about humanity and modern culture could provide plenty of material for a running philosophical/anthropological commentary. However, this movie will not find a place in my DVD collection due to the frequent use of nudity. Some movies have a "sex scene" that, while inappropriate, can at least be skipped easily on the DVD, or turned away from in the theater until the "sexy music" stops. This flick contains semi-frequent brief moments of nudity that are usually not long enough to fixate on, but are repetitious enough to be frustrating for someone aiming to avoid this kind of content. The film could have easily made its point about a sexually driven culture without contributing to one.

For those with tastes similar to mine, it's a good flick in several ways, but you won't miss a thing if you wait a couple years for this to come to edited television.


Quality: 7.5/10

Relevance: 9.0/10

Tackling Romans!

I just realized today that I'll be starting Romans in a couple of weeks on my other blog. In my weekly "In Search Of Truth" post at www.spiritblade.net/blog, I examine (as best I can) books of the Bible, going chapter by chapter and verse by verse. I started three years ago (wow, has it been that long?) with the Gospel of John and after that started Acts. I've been taking breaks during Acts to go through the New Testament letters as they would fall chronologically in the historical account of Acts. This week, I'm finally finishing up 1st Corinthians, and for some reason I thought 2nd Corinthians would come immediately after. Instead, I'll be doing about two weeks back in Acts and then tackling quite possibly the most complex book of the entire Bible, Romans. Yikes!

Well, no sense stressing. I enjoy studying and learning, but I'm no trained scholar, so I just have to accept that I will undoubtedly miss a lot. Hopefully it will still be helpful to some folks. I KNOW it will be good for ME!