Friday, March 31, 2017

This Cover Says It All

 
"Broken Windows'
 

Life (2017)



 
Nothing better than a good monster in space movie. I love watching a team of highly skilled people lose their shit while fighting something they have no idea how to fight while dealing with everything else they have to deal with while working in space.

The story starts with the retrieval of a capsule bringing back the first soil samples from Mars. The capsule has been damaged and must first be captured by the Canadarm  on the International Space Station before the samples inside can be tested. This is a dangerous mission because the crew has never trained for anything like this. Of course they are successful but that is the last of their happy times as they discover that the sample they are set to analyze is deadly to all of them. How each react to this crisis is what makes the movie interesting.

 
The cinematography and the effects here are great. Like in the movie Gravity, I really felt like I was in the International Space Station and that keeps me totally involved in the story.

I liked very much that they named the evil Martian cell, CALVIN. Now maybe that name will make a comeback like it should although I do like being unique. I have only met one other Calvin in my entire life and never taught one in 20 years as a teacher.

But all that is beside the point. Soon the alien cell begins to grow rapidly and display definite signs of being a unique creature with a human like ability for survival. The crew soon realizes that the sample needs to be quarantined until they can understand it better. But things have already progressed too far with this little scientific experiment and the inevitable can't be reversed.

From this point on it's a battle for survival when Ryan Reynolds breaks quarantine to save another crew member and puts the whole station at risk with his rash behavior. They try many ways to kill Calvin but none are effective leading to the death of a character I thought would actually make it to the end of the movie.

Soon the creature is loose upon the station and everyone is doomed. Even outside the station, the creature can still live and remain deadly. Clearly these space professionals are totally out of their element and facing something that may be unkillable.

 
At only 90 minutes and change there is not much room for filler so once the creature goes wild it's all out action until the resolution of the story.
 
I found the whole experience to be tense, especially in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the station. I am not ashamed to say that this one caused my butt to clench tight for many scenes. But isn't that why we go to movies like this one in the first place? We go to be scared and scared I was and that is what kept me involved from beginning to end. And speaking of the ending, I never saw it coming and I was very satisfied with it. Cool choice.

 

Vintage 1970s Psychedelic Pepsi Cola Drive In Theater Ad



Same commercial with different sound tracts.



All Kinds Of Cool

Riddle as Batgirl. This is the reason I live.
 
 
 
 

Cal As A Woodcut

One picture makes me look gorgeous while the other makes me look like one of those Mexican Circus Wolf Boys.


 
 

This Is A Sign Of The End Of Days



You stupid scientist always assume that IF you can make something that you SHOULD make it. This is a perfect example of that. It's a combination of SKYNET and the abomination that is the octopus. All you will learn is how to be killed more efficiently when your tentacle robot turns on you - and they WILL turn on you.

The gripper consists of a soft silicone structure, which can be pneumatically controlled. If compressed air is applied to it, the tentacle bends inwards and can wrap around the respective item being gripped in a form-fitting and gentle manner. Just as with its natural model, two rows of suction cups are arranged on the inside of the silicone tentacle. Whilst the small suction cups on the end of the gripper work passively, a vacuum can be applied to the larger suction cups, by means of which the object adheres securely to the gripper. This means that the OctopusGripper can pick up and hold a variety of different shapes.

Pick up and hold a variety of different shapes like a baby's skull, perhaps?

Afternoon Captions







 

I Cast My Vote

You have all by now heard the news that Joss Whedon (The Avengers) is in talks to produce, write and direct a Batgirl movie. Now before you get all excited he also tried and failed to make a Wonder Woman movie for years. I suggest he gets Emma Stone to star if he wants this one to be fast tracked. She is red hot since her Oscar win and the studio will open the vault to get her name on the poster. This fan art convinces me she can certainly look the part. I worry that she may need to bulk up a bit for the fight scenes.

 


 

Mini Trump Dump





 

Don't Judge. Their Love Is A Beautiful Thing

 

This Is Just A Place Where Bad Things Happen To Nice People

 

Big Trouble In Little China Board Game


 
It’s a thematic, cooperative, strategy, miniatures, adventure game that allows 1-4 players to experience the events they remember from the film as well as create new adventures of their own. The game plays in two acts: Act One uses the front side of the game board: Chinatown, while Act Two takes place on the back: Lo Pan’s lair. Players will choose from six characters, each with unique abilities, and will use custom dice for actions, quest tasks and combat. They will also be able to use the communal fate dice, which come with a fun risk/reward mechanic. After completing quests and upgrading their characters, players will move to the back of the board for the big showdown with Lo Pan! Will the heroes stop Lo Pan’s evil scheme in time, or is everything gonna go to hell?




 

Cosplay This Week