Movie Review: Star Wars - The Force Awakens

The films of the original Star Wars Trilogy are iconic, generation-bridging parts of science fiction lore and likely never to be supplanted from their place in history.  There have been other epic series' that have come since; the most impressive of which would be Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.  But given the fact that these were merely adaptations of existing works and not original stories it falls even that much more short.

Lucas, for all his later stumbles and faults, had a vision for Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  He scoped the arc of each character and developed the plot with an emphasis on drawing the audience in and making them genuinely care about Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, C-3PO and R2D2.  This is something that so many other filmmakers have tried to do and failed; he should be applauded for his creativity, vision and foresight.

With the sale to Disney the franchise was put in the hands of the most competent director in Sci-fi films right now.  Six years prior JJ Abrams had resurrected the basically dead Star Trek franchise with a new cast.  He forged his own path going so far as to put his version in an alternate universe from canon to maintain what had come before without letting it influence his vision.

Disney, perhaps in collaboration with Abrams, did a similar thing in the SWU - all the books, comics, etc. that had been produced since Jedi were expunged from canon.  I was among those fans who had hoped without reason that Episodes VII-IX would be the Timothy Zahn story; by far the best series of the Star Wars Expanded Universe (SWEU) but those hopes were dashed.  If you haven't read this series, known as the Thrawn Trilogy, I would highly, highly recommend picking it up.

Unlike restarting Star Trek, which had already produced numerous television series and nearly a dozen movies, Star Wars was living on the gasps of what the original trilogy could still command after the debacle that was the prequels.  There are certainly SW Fans who will stand by those films as they are zealots and ravenous fans too blind to recognize failure in their messiah.  I don't mean to cast aspersions upon all SW Fans who enjoyed episodes I-III, but if you can't see the obvious flaws, storyline errors and insanely contradictory plot points these films created you are not someone whose opinion on film that will hold any weight with me.

So here was the task set before Abrams: resurrect the Star Wars Universe, bring together fans of the original trilogy (meaning: don't ignore that which came before) and draw in a whole new generation while simultaneously set up a franchise which Disney plopped down $5.5 Billion (will a B).

I chose to keep myself rather distant from the rumors and stories out there about the film's plot, characters and story.  It felt important to me that I go into this experience with my eyes as unclouded as possible.  I watched the trailers, yes.  But I ignored all goings on and chatter out there.  When I sat down in that theater today I had an open mind and no expectations.

I've spent much of the day replaying the film in my head and even considered not writing anything up until I saw the film again; but initial reactions can be solid from a writing perspective.

Let's start with what I didn't like: I was definitely disappointed in the lack of screen time for Captain Phasma.  It is entirely possible that her character will play a much larger role in the subsequent films but for me her absence was noticeable.  The characterization of Luke was not to my liking.  A bad thing happens and he runs away?  That's not the Luke I knew from the original movies; which is all we're supposed to know.  As much as I tried to disassociate what I know from the SWEU the use of lightsabers by non-force trained persons was bothersome to me.  It's a hurdle I don't think I'm easy to clear.  Who's fighting who and why; there's an established government (the presumably good guys - The Republic), the First Order - who rose from the ashes of the Empire, and the Resistance...which is apparently the guerrilla fighting arm of the Republic?  It is not at all explained and we are left wondering why it was set up this way.

What I did like: the character dialogue was brilliant at times.  When Poe Dameron and Kylo Ren first meet, Poe's little glib remark, "Do you speak first, or do I speak first?" is spot on and hilarious.  Though Poe doesn't have an excessive amount of screen time this line is perfectly in line with who he is as the "new Solo" (calling it now).  The relationship between Rey and Finn - two people who have not lived the life they wanted and are drawn together by forces beyond their control make a distinct and pure connection.  The story of Han and Leia; its construction helps at a reality to the time that came before and puts a human face on the Universe-spanning story line.  The fact that unexpected things happen regularly and without fear of the repercussions; Abrams isn't afraid to anger or disappoint fans - which is the exact opposite of where Lucas had taken the franchise, I have to give him credit for that.

Because Star Wars has been such an influential and impactful part of my life and since I was left feeling burned and scared by the prequels I realize that judging this film too harshly is a very real possibility.  I remember walking out of Episode I thinking, "The next one is going to be awesome - this was the set-up move, like A New Hope and the next one will be dark and full of kickass fight scenes, like Empire" and that hope was not fulfilled.  So whereas there is absolutely no comparing the quality of The Force Awakens with the crap which was Jar Jar Binks and the trade embargo story of The Phantom Menace, there is still those lingering concerns.

I fully reserve the right to amend this review after seeing the film a second time if I come away with a much happier feeling.  But for now I leave you with this: Star Wars is alive and well.  And that is something we can all be happy about.

Tb

Being a Star Wars Fan

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Being a Star Wars fan of my age is a bit terrifying right now.

I grew up on the original trilogy. I consumed them frame by frame, imagining myself on Hoth battling AT-ATs, running through the halls of Cloud City and the forests of Endor.

I spent inordinate amounts of money on the Star Wars CCG and Role Playing materials (though the stories that came from those experiences I will treasure forever).

But I had never seen a Star Wars film on the big screen until the mid-90s "remastered" films. I was still relatively young at the time so my level of angst was minimal (don't worry, it grew quickly) but even then I was annoyed at the tinkering. I was expecting to see a higher quality big screen version of my favorite films. Instead I saw randomly inserted new creatures and ridiculous dance scenes.

Proof that NOBODY liked the tinkering is that when they finally released the films on DVD they were a package deal. To buy the original you gotta get this new shit too. I've never once watched those versions.

Then Phantom Menace is announced. I remember buying tickets to see one of the Analyze movies with Deniro because the new trailer was being shown on that movie specifically (talk about a ridiculous crossover of audiences) and when that music started up and that first scene appeared: chills.

My friends and I sat in line for 6+ hours opening night to watch that pile of garbage with 6 minutes of great Jedi on Sith action. Afterwards, sitting at the Dunkin Donuts we discussed how, like A New Hope this had a slow start but the next one...the next one will be great!

Those dreams died very quickly with Attack of the Clones (which had no attacks of clones or by clones).

I'm not even going to spend time on Revenge of the Sith.

Cast and Crew of SWEPVII Meeting to discuss the film
Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Things are different now. Lucas has sold his influence away. Disney has kept the key players from Lucasfilm in place to guide the ship and they went out and got Abrams who resuscitated the Star Trek universe with grace and a tip of the cap to all that had come before.

But still I proceed with cautious fear/jubilation. They're saying all the right things; separating themselves from Lucas' vision for this next trilogy and are centering the film on new characters with a nod to the original star warriors.

It's not just about Ep VII though. With Disney at the helm they are determined to get their 5Billion and then some out of their investment in the greatest science fiction saga in film, screen and page.

Spin off films are already in the works and the sky is the limit.

Over-saturation is a common concern I have heard coming from a lot of fans but if done well the myriad films have the ability to do in movie form what the books of the Expanded Universe have done for years: create a more well rounded and magical view of the Star Wars Universe.

New characters are good and important. When I originally head the original cast was returning but they weren't using anything from the EW canon and were in fact dissolving that canon to allow these movies to exist with the encumbrance I was frightened. Old Luke, Han, Leia and Chewie battling the empire seemed cliche and interminable.

But you add in fresh faces to alter the course and boom; magic restored.

I have a lot of hope left in me and I am thankful for the opportunity to still believe in the magic of Star Wars.  No longer will I utter the words, "I have dreamed a dream and now that dream is gone."  The dream has returned and with it comes lightsabers and wonderment. 

Below are some images from the The Force Awakens in Theaters December 18th

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm

Movie Review: Fantastic Four

Courtesy of Marve/20th Century Fox

Story points and plot is divulged below...read at your own peril.

The Marvel universe has been taken in a lot of good directions over the past 15 or so years.   The X-Men franchise - though had some middling along the way - has overall been very strong thanks to some great directing work. The Avengers (including Hulk and Iron Man movies) has also had some issues but again the strength is still there making the franchise a billion dollar entity.

All of this was possible because Marvel stepped up and basically created their own production house - not satisfied with letting others take the lead on their own characters.   Which is what makes this film so surprisingly bad.

Actually, let me take that back...it's not bad; it's worse than bad - it's boring.

Fantastic Four is a reboot to the previously failed franchise staring Ioan Gruffudd (King Arthur), Michael Chiklis (The Shield) and Jessica Alba (Sin City) which held true to the original story of how the team got their powers. The first movie wasn't bad, a typical Origin Story to introduce an audience not all that familiar with superhero movies back in 2005.   Where the train went off the tracks was in the second film when they decided to follow the Silver Surfer/Galactus storyline (an utterly famous arc in the comics which has spawned hundreds of stories since) but apparently deciding that a giant pink and purple humanoid with amazing powers and gadgets they made Galactus some kind of cloud creature with tentacles...yeah.

So, is the new Fantastic Four worse than tentacle monster Galactus? Sadly, yes.

The film dives into the childhood of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm where, in fifth grade, the two collaborate on an amazing device that can transport matter into another dimension.   Fast Forward seven years (so that makes Reed like...17?) and one of the top minds in the world is trolling high school science fairs looking for talent? Yeup.

Courtesy of Marve/20th Century Fox

Richards gets brought on board at the Baxter institute where Franklin Storm (Sue and Johnny's father) runs a prestigious (although apparently secretly funded) institute for gifted youngsters.

Oh, and Von Doom is there.

Richards and the team, along with Doom who is apparently a badass with a past (that isn't gone into other than in random asides) and whom is in love with Sue (gotta keep that part of the continuity, right?) work to complete a large-scale version of Reed's original machine to travel to this new universe.

After testing it and confirming it works the team gets benched in lieu of professionals (a novel concept) but the boys get drunk and decide to use the device themselves.   Predictably that endeavor goes awry leaving Doom presumed dead in the other universe and the other three transformed. The trip back causes some sort of disruption field which affects Sue as she's wildly and RANDOMLY TYPING A MILE A MINUTE ON A KEYBOARD because we all know that the faster and more random you type into a scientific computer the more likely you are to be successful at what you're trying to do. Not blaming Mara for bad acting necessarily...though she seemed to do kind of the same thing in House of Cards a couple times...

So now they've got powers and are going to team up to save the world, right?!?!? Wrong.

Courtesy of Marve/20th Century Fox

To apparently create heightened and never actually fulfilled drama to this story Richards runs away from the complex the team is being held at. He disappears, naked, from a hidden and totally off-the-grid military installation in the middle of winter...just, why?

The story skips ahead a year. They've all gotten better control of their powers and a new device is ready to transport a team back to the other universe...where Doom is alive and has been busy cultivating world-altering powers!

In the end the movie culminates in an all-to-short fight between the Four and Doom where predictably and incredibly easily they are victorious. The world is saved!

I was genuinely excited for this reboot. The FF are one of my favorite teams as they are origin of my favorite Marvel character the Silver Surfer who has played a prominent role in their universe of the decades of comics. It seems really unlikely the studio will green-light a sequel given how much this movie has been panned; which is unfortunate. And if Twitter is to be believed even the Director thinks the final product is shite...intimating that there were outside influences at work that destroyed his better vision.

Courtesy of Marve/20th Century Fox

The cast had promise but the story was flawed. Buried in the minutia of character development. Why does there need to be a origin story movie for all superhero characters? Where is that written?   Jedi have the Force - it's explained (albeit briefly) and then it's understood and accepted. There's no damned origin movie explaining how Jedi's got their powers or why. Just make a movie that's entertaining and shows the characters in their element. If people don't understand why so and so has these powers and what's his name has those powers they can FUCKING GOOGLE IT.

It just feels that these movies more often than not fail due to the hindrance of having to spend screen time devoted to explaining things that don't really need explaining. Just tell us a fun, entertaining, action laden story!

Sadly FF is a big pass.   Don't waste your money. If you want to see it, wait for streaming of DVD.   The graphics and fight scenes don't even require the big screen like most action movies do - there's not enough of them to warrant it.

Tb

True Detective: Season 2

A word of warning - if you haven't watched the entire season yet or haven't watched the final (which aired last night) yet then I would not read this post...yet, come back once you have and comment on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.  I always love a good back and forth.

As for the rest of you, come take a journey with me...

Courtesy of HBO

Season 2 of True Detective was one of the most highly anticipated television shows in recent memory.  There was so much speculation about who the cast would be as they would have a lot to live up to; McConaughey and Harrelson played the lead role so very well in Season 1.  The cast was announced: Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams on the marquee with Taylor Kitsch rounding out the main quartet (four detectives?).  Nope, three with Vaughn playing the role of a gangster.

The people who argued initially that the series diverted too much from the first season as their reason for complaints early on failed to understand what creator and lead writer Nic Pizzolatto was going for and had said from the beginning: season 2 was not season 1.  And you wouldn't want it to be.  The premise wasn't that this entire series would take place in the Bayou with crazed hillbilly madmen killing people; that would get boring.

Courtesy of HBO

But there is a reality to the fact that this season was much more like a procedural cop show (Law & Order, NCIS, et al) than the inventive and catch you off guard show we'd seen before.

Southern California was a much more traditional setting - big-city life has its standard tropes, many of which were here.  There was definitely an interesting mystery involved.  In the first episode a major player within the seedy government of Vinci, CA is murdered by an unknown assailant.  His body is found by an off-duty highway patrolman (Taylor Kitsch) who happened to have been recently suspended pending allegations of propositioning a woman he had pulled over.  The state wants a special investigator appointed (McAdams) and the local cops want to make sure they're involved (since the town is as crooked as an Allan Wrench) and they assign their own detective (Farrell).  Vaughn is involved on two fronts: he had business dealings with the deceased wherein about five million dollars of his goes missing (embezzled most likely) and he has his hooks in Farrell due to a prior dealing years back.

So that's the set-up: three cops from different divisions all looking to solve a murder of a city employee from some tiny little town in California...so tiny that their only residents are businesses - there's no real population.

Along the way there's a number of twists and turns. Kitsch has homosexual undertones within his military history.  McAdams has a fucked up past where she was lured away from the hippie colony she was raised in by a creep who held her and molested her for four days before returning her.  Farrell's young wife was raped and through Vaughn he's given the name of the attacker, whom he murders.  And Vaughn is a self-made gangster who rose through the ranks to be the top of the food chain...but as is so common in that world the guy at the top of the hill is just the easiest to knock off because he has the least amount of ground to stand on.

Courtesy of HBO

There are definitely interesting parts of the story along the way.  But in a lot of ways there's too much.  There's side-stories that either never pay off or when they do payoff it feels like a letdown.  By the final episode the characters who tie everything together, the ones who actually killed the city worker which set all the other cogs in motion, were people who had been randomly mentioned a couple of times a few episodes back so instead of tying the story together it just left you thinking: wait, why did they kill this guy instead of any of the other people who were involved in what had happened to them?  It's akin to a scooby doo episode when all along you think the lighthouse keeper is the guy doing all the weird stuff and it turns out to be old Mr. Olsen who owns the hardware store in a rubber mask.

Then there's the dialogue...it's like watching a David Lynch movie.  People say things, they talk and I literally had no idea what was happening.  Several times, EACH EPISODE, I had a distinct and specific thought of, "who actually talks this way, is this a way people talk and I just don't know it?".

There's a part of me that thinks Pizzolatto felt the pressure of living up to Season 1 and didn't really know how to make it happen.  And there's another part of me that thinks that this is just what Pizzolatto was going for.  He wanted to move in a dramatically different direction but stay within the same general world of law enforcement.

Though the ratings definitely took a hit from the prior season it seems that Season 3 is most likely to occur.  I will be curious if HBO requires Pizzolatto to give up some of his writing power and let others take the reins for some or all of the episodes with him fading back into more of a Producer role.

In the end I had several major problems with how the season ended as the last two episodes played out.  First, Kitsch's character is murdered in a way that makes NO SENSE.  He's ushered into an underground tunnel and manages to escape from the five guys with guns but as he surfaces through a totally random doorway (not the door he went in) a Vinci officer is waiting and kills him as he walks away.  There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY this makes sense.  First, it presumes that the guy knew he was going to escape from the other group AND it presumes that he knew exactly which of the dozens of doors Kitsch could have come out of.  This is one of those epic fail moments for the series.  It's like: we need this guy to die but we want him to have that hero moment and make you think he's going to make it only to kill him in the most annoying way possible.

Courtesy of HBO

Second, Vaughn's death in the desert...he probably would have made it, not easily and definitely could have died from exposure but at least he'd have had a chance...but he makes a really dumb fucking move and attacks one of the guys in the crew that dragged him out there after they'd decided to let him live.  And why does he attack?  Because the guy wants his suit.  WHAT?  Do they think that anything they've shown us of this character before would justify this act of idiocy?  It doesn't.  Not even close.

Third, Farrell's death.  He decides it's important that he see his son one more time before making the run to Venezuela...ok, I'm willing to admit that my thoughts here are a bit skewed by the fact that I fail to comprehend the desire and want of children who, in reality, are nothing but a parasite and then a leech on the existence of a family unit but the fact that he takes a side-trip to the one place they could actually spot him, the ONLY place that would be as stupid to go to as his own home...and he goes there.  DUDE YOU JUST STOLE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS just send him a fucking plane ticket to come visit for fuck's sake.

If Season 3 happens I will watch it with cautious optimism but put away and true hope or expectation of quality.  For now, I sit in wait of Season 6 of Game of Thrones...

Tb

Movie Review - Jurassic World

Courtesy of Universal

There are some movies out there that have you leaving the theatre scratching you head asking "What the hell did I just watch?" - I'm looking at you Mulholland Drive.  And then there are movies that have amazing twist endings like Fight Club or to a lesser extend Identity.

Jurassic World (the fourth installment of the Steven Spielberg Jurassic Park series) is neither of these kinds of movies.  It's a straight forward action movie and if you go into it assuming anything else you're setting yourself up to be disappointed.

There aren't twists (unless you somehow assumed the rugged guy and the uptight girl weren't going to kiss) though there are interesting ways that the story diverts from the norm along the way.

The premise of the movie is that on the same island as the original Jurassic Park - Isla Nublar -the park has been realized and opened as Jurassic World.  It's not 20 years since the tragedy of Hammond's original park and the world has accepted Dinosaurs in all their majesty as nothing more exotic than African White Rhinos or some other creature they'd probably never see in person.  They have a baby dinosaur petting zoo/riding park...yeah.

Courtesy of Universal

So, even though the park has run smoothly for years - even with Raptors and a T-Rex - it's about time for that all to change.

Claire (played by the stunning Bryce Dallas Howard) is an uptight control freak genius who runs the day-to-day at the park.  A lot has been made of her "lack of feminism" as a female lead character.  I saw it more as a caricature of that kind of woman than as an advertisement for that sort of person to truly exist.  She's a damsel...but not really.  She reacts the way, I imagine, anyone who isn't insane or an idiot of some kind would if confronted by a ten-ton monster dinosaur who's trying to eat you.

Courtesy of Universal

Courtesy of Universal

Owen (played by the blue-eyed dreamboat Chris Pratt) is the prototypical Han Solo rip-off, right down to the scene with him bemoaning his failed date with Clair whilst absentmindedly working on his motorcycle (which he uses to lead a pack of Raptors, by the way).  All you needed was talk of hydro-spanners and failed hyperspace jumps and it would have been Star Wars.  He doesn't react the way a person should when confronted by a ten-ton monster dinosaur...but earlier in the movie he is clearly established as INSANE when he jumps into the Raptor paddock to save a fellow crew member.

Courtesy of Universal

The story centers around a new dinosaur which was genetically engineered from a secret concoction of other dinosaur and assorted species (secret until the plot warranted it's inclusion) escaping from it's paddock and running wild across the island killing anything it comes in contact with.

Oh, did I forget that the main characters of the movie are Claire's two nephews?  Well...they kinda forgot to include a plot point in the beginning of the movie explaining anything about why the kids were coming to the island.  And throughout the movie they keep putting the boys in peril but failed to create an appropriate bond between the boys and the audience to establish why I would care that they, instead of an extra in the background, are picked up and carried away by a Pterosaur.

Courtesy of Universal

At it's core this movie is about badass dinosaurs getting into some serious showdowns and there are plenty of great action scenes.  It had me thinking about the failed Alien vs. Predator movies or Predators where the story spent way too much time on the human characters and not enough time with the Aliens and Predators kicking ass.  Jurassic World should have been 105 minutes of dinosaurs rampaging and fighting to the death.  The human element should have been merely fodder to help the audience understand the size and scope of the dinosaurs might.

That is a movie I would have enjoyed.

Jurassic World isn't bad, it's a fun and entertaining action movie.  I think the choice to bring on an art house director showed in how they tried to add a greater level of drama to the movie but unlike the original Jurassic Park they failed to do so.  When you sat in that theatre and saw the T-Rex pushing that car further into the mud you were worried about little Timmy and when Ellie was running from the Raptors in the bunker you were FREAKING OUT.  Jurassic World had no moments like that, at least not for me.  It could be that I'm older now and more jaded to films...but, nah, it's the director's fault.

This is a movie worth seeing and worth seeing on the big screen to fully appreciate he sheer size and awesomeness of the creatures.  But go to a matinee and save yourself a few bucks.

Tb

Game of Thrones - Season 5

Courtesy of HBO

So...we've come to the end of another season if Game of Thrones.  There have been laughs and there have been tears and lots and lots of killing.

For those of us who were not book readers (which I would classify myself since I read the first book years ago and did not continue the series) we have finally reached the end of where those people whom we partake the show with can say "well that's not how it was in the books".  Now, I know there are claims that Martin will have the next book out before next season...but if what I have been told is true there are parts of these story line's in the show that take place outside or beyond where the books left those characters so...some of Martin's work has already been done for him (or hopefully with him and the showrunners).

I was asked by someone who is hasn't watched any of season 5 yet (she's catching up, slowly) what I thought of the season five finale and to summarize I said, "I'm intrigued by there Martin has put some of these characters.  There's a lot to be said for taking known characters this far into the overall story and continuing to change their direction."

It goes against everything I know and have learned as a writer but I feel confident in this thought: Martin has no idea how this is going to end and he never did.  Which, when you think about the enormity of the universe he created; even without the television show, having no true ending is pretty insane.

But maybe he had one originally and then as the story developed and characters became more entwined it got muddied and he had to change course leaving himself rudderless.

Courtesy of HBO

Ok, now...from this point forward there are going to be overall season five spoilers so if you're not caught up yet you've been warned.

One thing became clear throughout season five - people should give up on any non-main characters showing up at this point, even ones they expected to.  So much of the story has been altered to maintain the core group of still-living characters.

Things like: Sansa being at Winterfell when in fact it was her childhood friend, propped up by the Lanisters and Boltons to pretend to be Arya.  Jorah Mormont getting grey scale...how's that going to play out.  Plus, he touched the damn queen!  Stannis, that wretch of a human, I was so happy to see him die; especially after he allowed his own daughter to be set aflame...all in the name of his pointless and impossible to win rebellion.

Courtesy of HBO

As we now wait the long darkness until March 2016 when presumably season six will premiere on HBO we are left wanting; but we are left wondering what will really happen and those people waiting for the sixth book; will what you read shape or have been shaped by the upcoming shows?

It's an interesting idea to wonder if Martin; who has already allowed large swathes of his original story to be altered, omitted or otherwise ignored for the sake of shaping 1100+ pages or backstabbing, murder, war, rape and pillaging into ten hours of television, will be influenced with his ongoing story by where the characters have been driven in the show.  It seems like it would be confusing trying to mash it all together.  Especially when characters are in places they've never been in the book (Sansa, Jorah) or are dead when they aren't in the book (Myrcella).

And whereas this bothered me but not the book reader I watch the show with, where the fuck was Brandon this season?  His story completely does not exist - never once does he appear on screen.  The kid is going to be twenty years old by the time he appears on screen again.  Additionally, and having not read the books I am unfamiliar with how often the White Walkers and their movement towards humanity is noted/discussed, but the fact that since season one we've had this thrust at us, the fact that they haven't even reached the wall by the end of season five is like...get those fucking guys some GPS already!

I leave you with this...sorry ladies; he dead.

Now we all sit, twiddling our thumbs waiting to see what next will happen in the lands of Essos and Westeros...but at least it's worth it!

Tb

FIFA: An Organization Out of Control

Courtesy of FIFA

With the recent presidential vote victory of incumbent Sepp Blatter amongst indictments and arrests of several high-ranking officials within the organization FIFA proved itself to be the worst sporting organization in the world.  Many people would compare FIFA to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and though bribery and unfair practices have been part and parcel with the IOC for years, nothing to the magnitude of what has happened recently within the ranks of FIFA.

Today brought a new bombshell: Sepp Blatter (just four days after "fighting" his way to a presidential victory) has announced he is stepping down as president; walking away from what would have been his fifth term as the world's Football organizational leader.

This is great and terrible news.

Sepp Blatter

I'll start with the great.  This is a huge win, mostly due to the FBI oddly enough (considering this countries striking indifference to the sport but our government agencies due love to investigate stuff) because it means that a man who has been at the center of significant controversy including but not limited to the three most recent World Cup announcements (Brazil, Russa, Qatar) will no longer be in control or part of these decisions going forward.

FIFA as an organization is meant to help regulate and oversee the game of Football throughout the world; to inspire and grow the sport for the betterment of the sport.  If any of you are MLS fans, you have FIFA to thank for that.  During the bid process for the 1994 World Cup (the last to be held in the US; a country with the third largest population in the world) a requirement was put in that the US had to create a sustainable Soccer league; and in the 20+ years that followed there have certainly been some ups and downs but recent years have shown expansion and growth in the sport.  Sure we get great players way past their prime (Beckam, Kaka) but some of our own homegrown players are choosing to play here rather than abroad to help foster the sport here.

Courtesy of Major League Soccer

Now the terrible; at this time there is no plans to eliminate and replace all members of the governing body's congress (made up of representatives from the included nations).  These are the same people whom just four days ago elected a man who; within the next few years if he doesn't completely disappear off the face of the earth, will be in US Government custody being brought up on any number of major criminal charges.  These people, who felt that a man whom was so obviously corrupt was their best option as a leader will be selecting the next president.

Anyone else immediately seeing a HUGE problem with this?

Now I realize that not everyone within FIFA is corrupt and it may seem unfair to summarily eliminate every member but it seems like the right decision.  At least eliminate everyone who voted for Blatter in the last election.  That would be a start.

In the end FIFA is one of those things that CAN cause trouble, and does, but outside the World Cup events they are mostly seen and not heard.  Each region has it's own governing body and major leagues oversee their own rules.  Europe - clearly the most powerful region of football organizations, is mostly controlled by EUFA (those people who run that Champions League everyone loves to watch - June 6th final...ahem) where the US is part of CONCACAF (don't even ask, it's insane).

My hope is that this new age without Blatter running things will create an opportunity for those FIFA agents in charge to right the ship and display a greater level of transparency in regards to selection processes and how funds are managed.  Perhaps the new people in charge will even manage to limit the insane amount of power FIFA tends to exert over World Cup host nations...though I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

I realize this is not what this blog is usually about, but as a HUGE Football fan this was something I was compelled to write about.  I promise to return to my normal nerd talk in the near future.

For now; go watch some Football (soccer to my Yank readers) and enjoy the beauty of the game.

Tb

Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios has once again set the standard by which all other movie Universes will be measured against.  They've spent the last ten years building franchises from the ground up (Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers) all leading towards movies as-yet unreleased that may simply destroy the world with their awesome.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron movie brought us one step closer to the Infinity War movie Marvel Studios has been lording over our heads for years.  Like a kid who knows what he's getting for Christmas in June and can't touch it till that fateful day; Infinity War will be the culmination of events the Marvel Universe has been setting in motion for a long, long time.

But, let's focus on the present.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Avengers: Age of Ultron has a basic theme - we must protect the whole world.  Tony Stark, still dealing with the mental demons of the battle of New York, develops the framework of the Ultron program.  The Ultron program is meant to be a fully function A.I. designed to protect the world from threats too big for the Avengers alone to battle.

But, as we've seen with countless other A.I. movies and books humanity is judged to be an unworthy inhabitant of Earth; a cancer necessary to be eradicated.

Moving past the cultural undertones of this film and looking at just the fun parts, and there are plenty, we see that the witty banter is at a heightened level.  Whedon pulled no punches even making fun of Captain America's age with a joke about foul language,  There was the on-point humor of Tony Stark making us all remember why he's the most fun to hate hero we have in Marvel.

The new characters introduced: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (though he was already introduced in X-Men Days of Future Past - different actor) and though their history is different than that in the comics it is necessary to ensure a separation from the X-Men universe and the Avengers universe.  In the comics Magneto is their father.  We are also introduced to one of the most powerful, and completely undervalued characters, Vision (Paul Bettany).

In a year that promises to be epic in terms of monster hit movies (Jurassic World, Star Wars), Age of Ultron set a proper tone and a high standard by showing that on-screen chemistry and comedic timing can make a huge difference in the quality of a film.  I hope Snyder and Singer can pull of the same with 2016's next big comic movie installments.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

One of the complaints about the first Avengers movie was that the only action came at the end and though it was outstanding the sequence was stunted.  Age of Ultron should leave no one wanting for action and the scenes we've come to expect from big-budget action movies.  The final chapter of the film is both stirring and moving.  Your heart will break and immediately be mended only to break again.

Marvel Studios has this franchise headed in the right direction and by using it as the sun in their universe of movies all other films are enhanced by its over-arching story line.

This is a can't miss in the theatres and should be seen multiple times to catch all the nuance of story playing out in each scene.  Enjoy!

This is your bin fodder movie review guru signing off!

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Trying Something New...Continued

Prologue

Day 27

We have landed on Gamma Prime - Thomas' named it that because it was the biggest planet in the sector.  Official records will refer to the planet as Gamma 4.  

The sky here is purple.  We suspect this has something to do with the molecules in the air but we have been unable to confirm that.  Though the ship's sensors verified the atmosphere was non-toxic and breathable prior to our exiting, it was unable to identify seventy-two of the seventy-eight components that made up the atmosphere - Earth's atmosphere has only four main components.  

Artimus, our navicomputer, has advised us that our orders have allocated ten days to explore and sample this world.  Thomas and I are eager to begin.  

Maybe we've found our next Eden!

N. Velvet


Day 32

This planet is nothing like I've ever seen.  We've been here five days now and as yet we have only explored roughly 1/100th of the continent where the ship landed.  

Thus far we have discovered and cataloged over 400 species of flora and fauna of all variety.  The largest animals we've observed are herbivores that would be best described as a ferret mixed with a beaver but scaly like a snake.  Thomas believes the evolution of this planet is still millions of years too early for any large mammals or sentient creatures, but I'm not so sure.

I saw something last night.  Something that appeared to be walking upright in the woods.  Thomas said it was the plants moving in the breeze, but I know what I saw.

Thomas says that when we leave we will need to take a multi-orbit trajectory out of the system in order to survey what we can on the surface of the planet.  

I don't want to leave.  

To hell with the mission.  The scientific discoveries awaiting us here are immeasurable.  

N. Velvet


Day 34

I have switched on my DigiMem voice and optical recording devices for today's log entry.

We are sleeping inside the ship tonight.  Last night something, an animal or several of them, trampled through our camp destroying numerous samples and pieces of equipment.

I don't think it was an animal.  I think it was whatever I saw walking through the trees.

BANG

Thomas, was that you?

BANG BANG BANG

Oh my god, I think there's something trying to get inside the ship.  I'm going to turn on the exterior lights and check the monitors.  

What...what the hell is that!  Thomas, get up here.

Thomas, do you see this?  That thing...that thing has hair, it's walking upright.  Wait...did it just look at the camera?  Holy shit, it did.  That fucking thing is sentient. 

We have to go out there, we have to try and communicate with it.

Star Wars The Force Awakens First Official Trailer

Back in November of last year Lucasfilm/Disney released the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SWVII) to rave reviews and mass speculation.  Who was this prominently featured storm trooper?  Why was that girl riding a Popsicle?  Wait, did that lightsaber have hilt blades?

Now the first official full-length trailer has been released and my first reaction is "JJ Abrams has restored all the faith that Lucas had, sadly, pissed away.  This film will be outstanding."

There isn't going to be any JarJar's in The Force Awakens.  It looks like the dark, gritty space-drama Ep II should have been.  

I don't want to go frame by frame and talk about the trailer.  Mostly because I think that's boring but also because if you want to do that there are plenty of other options out there.  Instead I want to hit on the high points, questions raised and speculate on what this all could mean.

From the beginning: we are once again on Tatooine (presumably - though there are other sand-planets in the Star Wars Universe, it seems most likely that they would return to their roots).  The opening scene shows a speeder in the background racing across the landscape with a downed X-Wing in the foreground and a crashed Imperial Class Star Destroyer half buried in the sand.  

Now, we all know that the story is meant to take place several decades after the end of Jedi - in keeping with actual time-space continuum logic to explain the main characters ages - and it seems evident that even though the Emperor and Vader fell at the battle of Endor the Empire still holds sway in the Universe.  It also makes sense that, if this is Tatooine we are seeing, that battles would have raged here.  Tatooine is a planet in the outer-rim section of space.  If the Empire, spread to the winds after Endor, would regroup in areas further from the Capital and harder to maintain control for the fledgling republic.  (hard to confirm Coruscant became the Republic's capital since all canon was vacated from reality last year - but for the sake of argument we will assume).

We then experience a voice over from Mark Hammel (as Luke) giving the same speech he said to Leia on Endor about the force being strong in his family.  Curiously it refers to his father in the present tense and not the past...foreshadowing???  Probably not, seems really REALLY stupid to "resurrect" Vader; can't see that happening.  Most likely just a choice in language with no specific purpose or value.  Part of this sequence shows what appears to be Luke handing a lightsaber to Leia.  In the books Leia was never able to achieve significant Jedi powers and handling a lightsaber, though not impossible even for a Jedi with limited powers, seems like an interesting choice for the direction of the film.

It's after the voice-over sequence that the trailer really takes off.  Lots of fast-cut scenes showing X-wings in formation flying low over a body of water, A dark Jedi wielding a lightsaber in battle.  Ranks of Storm Troopers on an ice planet standing before a raised stage with a leader that can't quite be made out clearly.  The tie-fighters present on the ice planet have white wings (instead of the traditional dark gray metal color) presumably to blend in better with the surroundings.  Space flight scenes.  A badass Storm Trooper in chrome armor.  And of course a scene of the Millennium Falcon flying through a crashed spaceship on Tatooine, presumably the same ship we see earlier in the clip, being chased by a TIE Fighter.  

The trailer ends on a scene showing Han Solo and Chewbacca on the deck of the Millennium Falcon in such a way as to lead the viewer to believe that this scene is reflective of the first time they've been on the ship in some time.  They are both brandishing weapons which leads one to wonder what they were expecting to find OR what they had to do to get on board in the first place.

The trailer is everything you'd expect it to be.  I imagine this feeling is similar to what people felt when seeing the first trailer for The Empire Strikes Back in theaters back in 1982.  The pure joy of anticipation is never stronger than at this moment.  

If you haven't seen it, or just want to watch it a few dozen more times, check it out below!

Tb

Bin Fodder Move Review: Furious Seven

Courtesy of Universal

It would be my guess that the writers/producers/directors of the Fast and Furious series sat around in pre-production meetings saying something to the affect of: "People just want to watch fast cars, hot women and shit blowing up" and they're not wrong about that.  The F&F series has been wildly successful warranting a now seventh installment (putting it up there with the likes of the X-Men series).  

Unfortunately, this kind of thinking tends to lead to situations where the story and plot line of a movie is so convoluted that you're left wondering why they even felt the need to pretend to build it in.  But the fast cars, hot girls and shit blowing up distract most people from this fact.

This is not to say that the movies have not been enjoyable, even for someone like me who doesn't get a chub over cars.  I think they're neat and they definitely look cooler in these movies than I would ever expect them to be in real life.  But, in reality, it's the core cast and the ideals that this movie presents: family and loyalty, that grounds this movie in reality against all odds.

There is an added level of sentimentality with this installment as it was Paul Walker's last - he'd been with the franchise since its inception as a mainstay character.  If you didn't know, he died last year in a car accident.  Not giving anything away, but there's a really nice montage with a voice over from Vin Diesel to wrap up the movie; pulls on the heart strings.

Realizing that when watching a movie of this type you have to through you concepts of what could actually happen in reality versus fantasy right out the window; but there was one moment involving The Rock Dwayne Johnson where I said. "This is a bridge too far!".  The guy runs an ambulance off a bridge to destroy a flying vehicle which is trying to destroy one of the cars...like...seriously?

Courtesy of Universal

That being said the movie is very entertaining.  It has the requisite T&A show along the way and even some surprise guest stars.  The cars look cool, run fast and are very furious.  If you've like the other movies in this series I would definitely recommend viewing.  If you've never seen an F&F movie before this is not the place to start - there's a lot of story which hinges on your knowledge of things that have happened previously (including who characters are, why Letty can't remember anything, who Shaw was, who Mia is, who Han was, etc.).  

However, if you'd like to join the fun and watch the previous installments - this is the commonly held belief of the appropriate order at this point: The Fast and the Furious, Fast &Furious, Fast Five, Fast and Furious 6, The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Furious 7.  The second movie: 2 Fast 2 Furious doesn't involve the main crew and can be ignored.

Happy Rides!

Tb