You Should Be Watching …

You Should Be Watching – The strike

I’m not a known entertainment writer. I’m no expert on contracts, unions or anything related to the television and movie industry. I write the ‘you should be watching’ pieces because in a day and age where there are so many options for things to see, somethings things slip through the cracks. Unlike earlier days of television, there are many channels you haven’t heard of, let alone actually entertaining shows. All of this completely depends on the people who write and act in these shows, and those unions are on strike.

So, they’re on strike… so what? Well, in the short term this isn’t something that will greatly affect the public. Movies and TV shows that were finished before the strike are still being put out or posted to streaming sites as they were expected to be. No big deal. Except we’re starting to see the very first edges of the change coming our way. Dune 2 has moved its release date because the actors in the film are on strike, so they won’t go out on tour doing interviews and appearances to get people to pay to see the movie. Deadpool 3, slated to be released in September, then November, has shut down production because of the strike and may (or may not) be seen until May of ’24… or later. Those are two big, easy to name productions, but the same issues will hit every other film and TV show. It’s fine right now, but during the winter months when more folks stay inside and media takes on a larger role there will likely be a very large gap in anything new to see.

This isn’t just the writers and actors. As soon as those key players stop so does the work for camera people, stunt teams, electricians, carpenters, model builders, even the catering team. In recent years movie companies have started adding messages to the ends of the credits about how many jobs were created or tapped in order to produce the film. Well, now none of those people have work in that industry – so they’re doing whatever they can to get some kind of job to pay the bills.

Is this just a pay issue? No, it really isn’t. Well, not just that. Yes the writers want more pay, but they also need protections and assurances for the continuity of their work. Part of this is a sustainable royalties structure and part of this is dealing with people who think the emerging technology of AI can just take their place. The same goes for actors as well. Bluntly, the better the tech gets the easier it will be to create ‘fakes’ that the public wouldn’t necessarily be able to spot. There are a lot of challenging technical questions (and ethical ones if we’re being honest) about how much right anyone has to use YOUR image or likeness.
          As I stated at the start, most of this is at a depth of detail that is beyond my level of understanding. There’s an awful lot tied up in it and it’s an industry that I’m not directly connected to on a day-to-day basis. What I am connected to is the entertainment they provide on a regular basis. There may be numerous complaints about no new ideas when we’re looking at the third, fifth or even later installment of a movie franchise, but they all have a huge number of moving parts that need to work together to create the movies and shows we love. Hopefully, the negotiators will come to an agreement that allows the actors, writers and creators to be paid a living wage for what they create and allow them to continue giving us something to review.

Given the circumstances, I plan to write two more of these pieces to round out our year. Once those two are written I’m going to put these on hiatus for a while. After 3 years I’ve pulled together 34 of these for Watch The Skies. I’ll see how the industry shakes out and what sort of things come up, but this feels like a good time for a break. Who knows, maybe there’s a whole new feature coming our way next?

Strange New Worlds –

Subspace Rhapsody

To watch or not to watch, let’s specify that first – Star Trek’s musical episode. Let’s start with the fact that I have seen a number of musical episodes that really work, especially Buffy’s “Once More with Feeling”, Fringe’s “Brown Betty”, and Futurama’s “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings”. There are certainly others that are parts of shows instead of the entirety, looking at you Legends of Tomorrow Bollywood number. Also, consider that music has definitely had its place in the Star Trek Canon with Lt. Uhura being the most likely to burst into song, followed by the unlikely musical source of Spock and a drunken Kevin O’Reilly on occasion. However, just because everyone else doing it, should Star Trek? Ron Moore and Rick Berman apparently had a running disagreement about a musical episode, which apparently had a virus affecting universal translators and forcing everyone to get around it by singing. But enough historical hand-wringing – how was the show? As a watcher, to me it was OK. I found the basis for everyone singing silly. But let’s be realistic, most of the reasons for musical episodes are kinda’ silly. (at least Buffy blames it on magic) Does justifying it with handwavium science help? Well, it was a pretty far stretch this time. Besides, nobody explains why the background music suddenly appeared before each song, which the characters actually react to because they know something is coming. Also, spontaneous dancing, well that’s just convenient. Having said this, (spoilers), the show also took the opportunity to address several emotional issues that have been boiling in the background – La’an’s interest in Kirk and Spock and Christine’s relationship. The episode did try to heighten the stakes – after all they were playing with a subspace rupture which is usually a Star Trek euphemism for impending disaster of some sort. I will give them credit for the concept of using it for communication. The show creators also played smart. The big musical numbers go to the folks who are singers and are comfortable singing, specifically Christina Chong (La’an) and Celia Rose Gooding (Uhura – yes, I would have been really surprised if they hadn’t cast someone who could sing for that role). Ethan Peck (Spock) and Rebecca Romajin (Una) also scored solos. The rest of the cast are given numbers that don’t strain their ranges, and this creates a feeling that they are all sometimes singing in one tone. That’s a little distracting at times. There were also several times when my co-watcher and I looked at each other and quoted from Monty Python, “You’re not going into a song while I’m here”. I give the writer’s credit for not making everything a song. This is a full hour show, there are lots of songs, and if you are not completely onboard, it’s going to feel like a full hour. I’ve watched it. I enjoyed parts. Thank you for the singing Klingons – it should have been opera. See what you think, your enjoyment may vary.                                                              (Jeff Young)

NIMONA

As a group we spend considerable time searching for new, interesting and diverse stories. Nimona (2023) fits that bill entirely. The Netflix show is a story of love, revenge, struggle and acceptance. Even saying all that, it is another movie that falls into the family friendly category. An animated feature set in a futuristic quasi-medieval land where knights have struggled against monsters for a thousand years, the story tells the story of a disgraced knight trying to clear his name. This knight partners reluctantly, with an unlikely person named Nimona. Together they set out to solve the mystery surrounding the events of the knight’s downfall.

This film clocks in around an hour and forty-five minutes and feels significantly shorter. The story is fast paced, and the action is almost constant. While certain aspects of the plot might stand out or seem fairly obvious, the characters and the relationships they find themselves in make the whole story worth the effort. The animation is fluid, colorful and matches the needs of the story. The main characters are believable, and they grow and learn by the end of the film.

This movie is also self-contained. While it may become popular enough to have fans clamor for more, if this were the only story produced it would be enough. Non-conforming gender roles, bad guys you love to hate and just a touch of rude humor really make for a fun ride. Turn this one one and give it four thumbs up – it’s totally metal. You should be watching Nimona.
You should check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/f_fuHRyQbOc

Retro Review – Andromeda Strain (1971)

I’ve been going back and re-watching some older science fiction films, or in some cases watching them for the first time. I had never seen The Andromeda Strain, so I grabbed some popcorn and hit play.

There are a number of things I noticed while viewing this 50+ year old film.

Aspects of the film style place it squarely in the era of the late 60s / early 70s. Unavoidable things like changes in film making, the quality of the picture (at least compared to modern, high-definition sets), special effects without CGI and updates to sound. There are minor turns of phrase that might raise eyebrows today. Some things the characters say or how they respond to things can be very different than a viewer of today would expect.

Beyond simple style or dated cultural issues there is technology. Some tech you simply can’t avoid seeing changes in. Cars, helicopters and planes are all mechanical items that we have contact with or at least passing familiarity with, so those are easy things to spot. Interestingly, the computer technology has made an unexpected change. In part, the attempts to be ‘futuristic’ have made of the tech in the movie actually look spot on to things we have today. Using a stylus on a computer screen in 1971 was so far in the future as to seem unreachable or at least something movie goers wouldn’t expect. These days we have a stylus for our personal tablets and phones that are so common we barely think twice about losing them. The computers themselves were a surprise to me. The ‘main frame’ driven tech is very old in the way the movie makers were likely thinking of it, but to those outside the computer industry it’s almost passable as an AI or supercomputer, so it would still fit the bill as ‘science fiction’.

Certain special effects make me wonder if the film makers actually killed lab rats and monkeys to get this movie made. Those scenes were definitely not for the squeamish. Any scene like that today would require disclaimers at the start of the film and would be ruthlessly scrutinized. I didn’t see the note at the end of the credits stating that no animals were harmed in the making of the film. Perhaps I missed it.

The version I watched had an interview with Michael Crichton. I was fascinated to hear about his drive and sense of humor (one of his pseudonyms meant dwarf when he was actually 6′-9” tall). The scope was broad for this movie but still had a tight run time. There’s a more modern (2008) remake that was broken into two 90-minute films, but I suspect it won’t land on my watch list. If there’s such a thing as a spoiler alert for a 50-year-old movie, this film is a bit of a downer. The biological space thing escapes into the world at large. It is mutated and non-lethal, but it’s out there and there’s a secret science department in the government working constantly to stop it from mutating and killing people again. That part was a lot less entertaining after living through the pandemic and seeing how people reacted.

In the end, I’m glad I went back and checked out this classic. It’s good to have a sense of where things come from, knowing the roots of things. If you’ve got the chance, you should watch this version of the film.

Check out the retro trailer here: https://youtu.be/YMbSpnlOOtE

Jung_E

In another dystopian future entry, the Korean film Jung_e presents some very real questions about what developing A.I. means and presents a picture of how that can effect the people most closely related to any project connected to that development.

The earth has warmed, the waters have risen. Humans have moved off the earth to various space platforms. Three of these platforms band together and declare war on the other platforms. In an attempt to create a winning edge, the allied forces take an elite soldier and attempt to clone her brain. This cloning is intended to create a soldier with all the skills, subtlety and loyalty of the original soldier in an easily replicated way. These clones will turn the tide and win the war for the allies. The experiments continue to run into an unknown obstacle, frustrating their attempts to complete this new A.I. soldier.

There are a number of pieces that are drawn into the film. I see a little bit of Robocop in there. I see a little bit of Ex Machina. There’s a touch of Ghost In The Shell. These are the things I see mixing and swirling around the story of the soldier and the doctor working on creating this new brand of soldier. It brings up a number of questions, but doesn’t necessarily answer them. This is a movie worth watching for the discussions it will give you after watching, along with a couple of very exciting action sequences. You should be watching Jung_E.

You should check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/LCxnmfdxJ6s

MARCH 2023

Hot Skull

I didn’t go looking for this show, but then when I found it, I was in. I don’t find shows about deadly plagues nearly as interesting these days, but this show managed to bring me in.

Hot Skull is a dystopian story involving a new, terrifying pandemic called ‘Jabber’. It’s called this because the first symptom is the victim speaking gibberish. This pandemic has caused panic and an authoritarian agency has taken control, herding people into various locked communities and using armed troops to enforce curfews and quarantines. The antagonist is a man named Murat who struggles against this agency, as he seems to be immune to the effects of the disease. Everyone wears noise canceling headphones and eye each other with suspicion while out in public.

The story is dark. The characters are very real. There aren’t Hollywood stereotypes at play here… this is a Turkish language series. Yes, subtitles but worth it. Looking at a pandemic from a non-American point of view is just one aspect of this show that makes it worth the effort.

You should check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/rvhhfLqJq9g

FEBRUARY 2023

Lockwood & Co.

Lockwood & Co. was a complete surprise. It was not a show that was on my radar, and I knew nothing about it when I started watching. I sat down with the family, and we watched almost the whole season in a single sitting. Yes – the show caught us, and we binged it.

Lockwood & Co. is a supernatural detective thriller story set in an alternate world where ghosts have come back to this world and can kill those still living. The only ones able to detect the ghosts are the youthful members of society who have some kind of psychic abilities. These kids are lined up at various agencies that investigate and remove ghosts. Lockwood & Co. are one of the newest of these agencies, and we follow psychic Lucy Carlyle as she joins up with this company.

The show has a great, quick pace. The characters are fun and believable as people. The chemistry among the lead actors is fantastic. You like them and you’re rooting for them right away. Through various ups and downs the first season is tight and clean. Be warned – the end of many episodes are the sort of cliff hangers that demand you watch the next episode right away. This is definitely one you should be watching.

You should check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/7-iYxGLpQzo

JANUARY 2023

You Should Be Watching – The Colony

This month is much more in line with what many people traditionally think of as science fiction. The movie The Colony on Netflix is a far future dystopian film. It’s grey and gritty. The action starts right away.

In the distant future, the elite of earth flee a dying planet, making a new home on a distant planet. This new home proves to have roadblocks to humans continuing to create more humans, so a mission is sent back to earth to determine if having the colonists return is viable or not. The previous mission has not communicated back. This is the second mission, and it struggles right from the start.

The movie has a little bit of the Mad Max feeling with marauders and technology scrapped together from the past. It also has a little bit of Water World with everything being affected by a sea level that has risen enough to make everything wet and endangered by the tide. The futuristic space technology gives our hero a little bit of an edge, but she is outnumbered and spends a significant part of the movie struggling just to survive.

I think that struggle is the part that wins me over. This is not a macho, blow things up kind of survival. It’s a thought provoking, yet action packed movie with diverse concepts and problems that require the characters thought and reason, rather than simple actions. This is definitely one you should be watching.

You should check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/PvgRCuNeS7w

November 2022

You Should Be Watching – Cabinet of Curiosities

I’m doing two things with this recommendation that I wouldn’t normally do. First, I’ve not finished all of the episodes of the show in question. Second, it’s a little bit of genre mixing but there’s enough quasi-Lovecraft in what I’ve seen to make me thing readers here might be interested. What am I talking about? Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix.

To the first point, having watched the first two of the eight episodes, I feel confident in my recommendation. There is a bit of a Twilight Zone vibe as each story has an introduction at the physical representation of the cabinet. The stories have been well written and paced for a shorter time frame, with episodes averaging around an hour (the shortest being 38 minutes, the longest at 1 hour and 3 minutes). The special effects are well done, in that they don’t detract from the story. I think that says a lot in the day and age where the computer is leaned on so heavily for effects that it can have a negative impact on the story telling. Beyond the actual effects is the aesthetic of it all. This show is appealing on the strictly visual level. The details are not lost in this show.

To the second point, it’s the little details. Giant rats, summoned demons, and statues of great Cthulhu (in a blink and you miss it moment) are among the things that lead me to genre mix here. There is nothing expressly or specifically “science fiction” in this show, but there is a lot of the fantastic and I think that’s worth taking a look at.

I intend to follow through and finish all the episodes. I think you should be watching it too!
           You should check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/E3E1URhCR60

October 2022

Primeval

            A little blast from the past, but one that might have gotten missed, Primeval follows intrepid scientists exploring anomalies which allow creatures from various time periods into present day London and the English countryside. Mostly a dinosaur of the week program at the start, Primeval isn’t afraid of expanding beyond that expectation bringing in creatures from the future as well. Initially led by Professor Nick Cutter, the team made up of computer geek Connor Temple, animal expert Abby Maitland and muscle Captain Becker seeks to contain and transport these visiting creatures back to their home environs. The show’s CGI is very similar to Walking with Dinosaurs and there’s little disruption caused by inserting the CGI creatures into the action. The cast works well together and there’s a fair amount of humor. You will definitely recognize familiar faces here. Douglas Hemshall, who plays Cutter went on the star in Shetland. Ben Miller, playing James Lester the very British head of the institute studying the phenomenon and running the team – the ARC, has his own detective show now, The Professor T. That show also includes Juliet Abrey, who plays Helen Cutter. Ruth Bradley, playing the enigmatic Emily Merchant, one of the humans we meet who use the anomalies to travel, has a role on Ted Lasso. Other names of note: Alexander Siddig (DS9), James Murray (Defiance), and Jason Flemyng (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Primeval develops its own mythology rather rapidly building in the background a series of mysteries concerning the anomalies, their control, creation and those who use them to travel through time. This does in most cases take a back seat to the dino of the day. There are five seasons to the main show and one spin of series that lasted one season. All seasons are short with the episode count starting at six, expanding to ten at the most and contracting down to six again by the final season. Don’t become too attached to your characters because they shift in and out as well, with Connor and Abby being the only consistent ones throughout. The action, the humor, the creatures, and relatively good cast chemistry make it a solid watch. There is some blood, but not an excessive amount of gore and interestingly enough the focus is not on killing the creatures but rather rescuing them, which is a sort of refreshing change of pace. There is also a series of webisodes called Primeval Back from Extinction that sets up season Four as well as Primeval New World whose thirteen episodes take place in the U.S. Happy dino hunting!

September 2022

Sandman

I came to the Sandman fandom a little late. Though I had grown up reading Marvel superhero comics, I didn’t discover the more literary side of graphic novels until The Watchmen movie came out, and friends also recommended Y: The Last Man and The Sandman. Life would never be the same. I have been a fan of The Sandman (and Neil Gaiman) ever since.

Like all Sandman fans, I’ve been dubious of any talk of adaptation over the years because, let’s be honest, true and successful adaptations are rare. When I heard rumors about Joseph Gordon Levitt adapting the series I cringed, because although he’s a great actor I just could not picture him as Morpheus. However, by the time Netflix announced its upcoming adaption of The Sandman, we had already been given Amazon’s decent adaption of Good Omens, so I was feeling a little optimistic. That, coupled with Gaiman’s involvement and assurances throughout the process, gave me reason to hope.

I was rewarded for that cautious bit of optimism because the series is good. It’s the kind of adaptation no fan has any right to hope for. It remains true to the source material while also growing and adapting for the modern era where need be. The Sandman series hits its stride early with stunning visuals, and scenes that occasionally reflect panels of the comics to the letter. The series is, quite simply, gorgeous. Tom Sturridge gives off just the right air of moodiness, contempt, weight of responsibility, and, let’s face it, sexiness that perfectly encapsulates the King of Dreams. The series closely follows the first 2 volumes of the graphic novels (issues 1-16) with a bonus episode including two short stories that are included in volume 3 (“Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “Calliope”).

Much has been said about the diversity in casting for The Sandman both positive and negative. Though groundbreaking at the time, the comics still portrayed a primarily white cast of characters. The Netflix series, however, leans into what set the comics apart and expands on the diversity and inclusivity by featuring a rich and diverse cast that brings the world of The Sandman to life beautifully. They may not all look like the characters we’ve come to know and love in the years since the comics were published, but they still embody the spirit of those characters and more than do justice to the roles. In my opinion, every role was perfectly cast.

A mark of a good adaption is recognition of the flaws in the source material. Netflix’s The Sandman does this well and makes corrections where needed – because let’s be honest no work of art is perfect, and The Sandman wasn’t without its flaws. The bonus episode gifted two weeks after the original batch of episodes is a prime example of how you can skillfully adapt content, maintain the integrity of the source material, but leave out that which may be harmful to viewers. Unlike series such as Outlander and Game of Thrones which frequently depicts violence towards women, The Sandman chose to make necessary changes to the events in the tale of “Calliope” to allow viewers to understand what happened without forcing us to witness the trauma. Instead of showing us the powerless woman, we see the evidence that she fought back in a scratch on her attacker’s cheek. It’s subtle updates like this that make The Sandman a masterclass in what it means to successfully adapt fan-favorite literature.

Honestly, if you’re on the fence about this series, at least give episode 6, “The Sound of Her Wings” and episode 11, “Dream of a Thousand Cats/Calliope” (the bonus episode) a chance. Both can be viewed outside the timeline of the rest of the series, and both are brilliant – by far the best of the season.

Netflix’s The Sandman is still awaiting official renewal for season 2, so now is the perfect time to jump on the bandwagon and show Netflix this series deserves to continue.

By Charissa Jones

July 2022

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The multiverse. A certain MCU character has brought this theory to the attention of the public in recent months. Multiple universe theories, quantum physics, philosophy and all the other Schrodinger equations are generally WAY past my understanding. A version of this theory that I understand is that each choice we make during our lives causes some sort of branch to happen. The alternate choice sort of spins off and becomes another world where our other self continues on that other path. It’s more complicated than that, but that basic thought is the core of this film. What if we made that other choice? Where would that other path have taken us? It’s a thought that runs through most peoples’ heads at some point. I recommend this movie to a science fiction / fantasy-based group purely on the strength of using this multiverse theory in an absolutely bonkers way.

What if you could access the knowledge, emotions, life experience of those other lives you might have had? In this movie, a middle-aged woman who is struggling with many of the same sort of things any of us struggle with is suddenly confronted with this access… and is told she needs to use this knowledge to save the world. She needs to reach out and draw from those lives and the knowledge those other versions of her have gained.

Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan are absolutely fantastic in their roles. They are all believable, earnest, and relatable, even when the entire world around them seems to be going mad. There is a randomness to this film that would be hard to ride if they weren’t just so good. There is action, humor, and romance. I don’t know that any single genre or category would do this movie justice. Absurdist fits but isn’t fair to the beauty of the performances and the depth of the feelings that show through. There is another big-name movie star in the film. This big-name star is so deeply into the role that I didn’t realize that’s who it was while I was watching.

Do yourself a favor, stay away from spoilers – even the trailer honestly – and just check this movie out. It’s only just leaving theaters and available on DVD or home streaming, but it’s worth the effort. You should be watching this movie.

June 2022

Love, Death & Robots

I went back through the list of shows that I have recommended in the history of these articles and was stunned to see that I had not brought up Love, Death & Robots. I don’t know how this has escaped previously, but no longer.

Love, Death & Robots is an animated series, but this is very specifically aimed at adults. The creator’s original intent was to have something similar in nature to the animated film Heavy Metal (from 1981). Do not for a moment think this is a children’s cartoon. It is NOT. It is brutal, sexy and mind rattling in varying degrees throughout. Netflix loaded up the first season of LD&R back in March of 2019. There were 18

episodes for the series, each coming in with a viewing length under 20 minutes. The second season of 8 was released in May of 2021, and the most recent season of 9 episodes launched just last month (May of 2022).

The stories for these animations all come from some of the best writers in modern science fiction, fantasy and horror. Names like, Bacigalupi, Asher, Scalzi and Sterling. There’s even an episode showing a storywritten by Harlan Ellison. These stories carry weight and have real punch in such a short time frame. The set up to the closure, if there is any, come right at you. The first two seasons each won an Emmy. The story telling is only rivaled by the pictures that accompany the stories.

IF you dislike ‘cartoons’ for some reason, I challenge you to watch these and NOT become a fan of animation. The art, the sheer beauty of so many of these works will make you question how they were created. Admittedly, they are not all hyper realistic, but even the goofiest stories are well animated. The colors, the smoothness, and the pure vibrancy of even the darkest pieces still amazes me. I have some that I re-watch for the story and many that I re-watch just to see them. Just to experience their beauty again. I don’t believe they needed more marketing, but the third season has actually done something neat to accompany all this art. There were some clues hidden in certain episodes of the third season. If you followed the clues, you’d find your way to some computer art from the show. The hunt, and the clues have continued on various social medial platforms since the third season was released.

I highly recommend this show. You should definitely be watching.

Check out the trailer for season three here: https://youtu.be/Xj2b0swdpX8

May 2022

The Owl House

I’ve noticed a trend lately toward animated shows. While this show is once again aimed at kids, I have found a number of interesting and fun writing choices being made. The show follows a human girl named Luz who stumbles through a portal into another world. The land known as The Boiling Isles is filled with startling, weird and amazing characters living on the remains of some kind of giant or titan. There she becomes friends with a rouge witch named Eda, also known as the Owl Lady. Luz decides to stay and learn magic from this most powerful witch.

While I have not yet finished the first season, I suspect I will consume the entire series. Yes, each episode is relatively short and contains a ‘lesson of the week’ kind of format, but there are much longer story threads being woven through the background. It’s got some really fun and funny moments that are clearly aimed at the adults watching the show. At one point Eda is relaxing and says (fourth wall breaking style), “Ah, a quiet moment of domesticity… I wonder how long that will last” and in moments she is rewarded with a crash and screams. “Ah, there it is…” and she moves into the story. It was such a small moment, but anyone that has dealt with kids of any age knows that moment, deeply, and would just feel that come right through the screen.

In looking up some information about this show I’ve encountered a few spoilers that I will not share here. Anything beyond an abridged third season seems to be in jeopardy as the comedy / horror vibe (along with a couple of other factors) seem to not fit with the current Disney+ vision. I can say with certainty that I am not the only one believing in the writing for this show. It first aired in 2020 and won a Peabody Award in 2021. Weird, whimsical and believable fun – you should be watching this show.

Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/1W1FFiT51lg

APRIL 2022

Cat Burglar

You need to know right up front that there is cartoon violence involved in what I’m recommending this month. IF that’s not your thing… definitely skip it. IF you’re not put off by the old school Loony Tunes style bashing and blowing up, then this show is for you.

The main characters in this short are /Rowdy (rotten criminal) and Peanut (guard dog). Rowdy is after the most valuable painting in the world and Peanut is trying to keep that painting right where it is in the museum. The catch here is that YOU help decide how it all works out. This animated feature is interactive. There will be a series of questions at various points in the show that require your input via the remote control. Get all the questions right, get one result. Get a question wrong, get something totally different. Run out of chances and you can go back and try again, giving you a completely different result. The run time was listed at something like 12 minutes- but be warned! I ended up going through multiple times to see various options and endings and was watching for far longer than the listed run time.

A creative cartoon from the same group that produced Black Mirror (Bandersnatch anyone?) this will be something folks craving that old school feel will really get into. Here’s a link to give you some in depth info:

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/cat-burglar-netflix-interactive-special/

If you want to check out the trailer – it’s here:

JANUARY 2022

Welcome To Earth

I’ve done this before, and I’m doing it again here. We’re about to have an out of genre experience. The show I’m going to recommend this month is not animated, it is not a science fiction spectacular and is not a block buster with mountains of promotion behind it. It has all the action, beauty and fascinating story lines of one of your favorite genre pieces though. It’s from National Geographic and Disney and is available on Disney+ right now. What is it? Welcome to Earth.

Welcome to Earth is a journey. There are 6 episodes that follow Will Smith around the planet on various adventures. Having Will Smith there allows for an excellent window into the amazing, vibrant and often terrifying world we all inhabit. The diverse scientists that allow him along for the trip give fantastic information on the places on our own home world that we know so very little about. From tops of volcanoes to the bottom of the ocean (the journey with marine biologist Diva Amon is very cool) we get a glimpse of just how much we don’t know about the place we live.

It would be easy to justify this one as science fiction related, but I really don’t think we need to. The photography and cinematography are amazing. The pictures are exactly as amazing as you have come to expect from the folks at National Geographic. In fact, words don’t do it justice. You should be watching Welcome to Earth.

Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/i0MTCXgil1M

Article here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/how-a-global-odyssey-gave-will-smith-a-real-welcome-to-earth

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

November 2021

Maya and the Three…

From the Netflix description: A spirited princess with the heart of a warrior embarks on a mission to fulfill an ancient prophecy and save humanity from the wrath of vengeful gods.

I have always enjoyed stories of the magical and fantastic. Swords, sorcery, prophecies and epic battles get my attention every time. This new cartoon series Maya and the Three checks all those boxes. The art is beautiful. The story has excellent pace even with short episodes. There are deep emotions, epic battles and moments of true humor. I had no intention of doing the classic Netflix binge, and then sat there and devoured the whole series.

One of the best parts of this show is the reality of the characters. There are indiscretions (read – cheating on your spouse), emotional confrontations, and genuine repercussions from all the fighting and battles.

Nobody comes out of this story unscathed. Without giving away specifics, not everyone makes it to the end of the series.

To paraphrase one particular character, “There’s a word for folks that always do heroic things…”

“Heroes?”

“Dead.”

Netflix lists this show as a children’s cartoon, but I believe this is definitely aimed at a middle year student level. That is not to say this traditional coming of age story can’t be watched by adults. It indeed should be watched by adults. In fact, my hope is that enough people watch it to keep the studio in a mindset where they will produce more and more stories like this. You should be watching Maya and the Three.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

October 2021

You Should Be Watching

Visions…

Star Wars is a cultural phenomenon. It has become part of the culture of media. The first film hit screens more than forty years ago. Lately the franchise has come under new ownership. These new owners have pushed forward with many, many new works in the universe of Star Wars. There’s a lot out there, even for fans. I have considered myself a fan for a very long time. I was exactly the right age when the first movie hit theaters. I scrambled to get action figures and play sets as a kid and spent seemingly endless hours pushing my imagination out to all the various places in the Star Wars universe. The movies are deeply entrenched in my personal nostalgia along with all the entwined media. I can effectively say that I’ve ‘always’ been a fan.

I’m also a fan that just doesn’t want or need to devour the seemingly unending supply of hot off the presses Star Wars stuff. Maybe I’ve outgrown certain aspects of the story telling. Maybe the abundance of available material has taken the shine off the whole thing. I could just be tired of seeing the same old thing. This ennui is at the very root of this recommendation.

Star Wars, only done as anime. Imagine taking a team of amazing story tellers and artists from an anime studio and saying, “Go – play in our universe. Make something great”. That is precisely what they’ve done. Now streaming on Disney+ (because I think they own everything?) Star Wars Visions gives us seven all original stories in the same galaxy, using the same background and the same legendary ‘Force’. The stories vary in style, but never lack in beauty. The art is amazing. The stories are fresh. The look of it all is straight up anime. They’re short, so you can sneak them in between other things, or you can easily binge them. I would suggest one at a time, to give each the attention it should have. I think this may even be a way to draw new fans in; fans that might not have given a tired old franchise a chance otherwise. You should be watching Visions.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

September 2021

You Should Be Watching

What If…

When I’ve worked on my recommendations for this little column each month, I’ve tried to find things that are bent toward the (potential) interests of this group, but also slightly off the beaten path. These things might not be your preference but should certainly be worthy of consideration. I’ve tried not to go for the obvious, splashy things out there.

This month is a break in that trend. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is pervasive in pop culture. The series of movies and shows that have the common, unifying thread of a group of comic book superheroes has been with us for a solid decade now. The story lines, the characters, the massive tent pole films that seep into all the nooks and crannies of the genre are familiar. Perhaps they are familiar to the point of apathy. The MCU could be running the very serious risk of over saturation with the sheer number of films and shows it’s dumping forth for mass consumption. The omnipresent superhero genre has kept me away, until now.

The house of mouse has an animated show based around the stories of these well-known superheroes called “What If…” that gets directly to the heart of the science fiction and fantasy genre. The title of the show is the very essence of what makes SF/F great. The best stories always ask that question. What if? Can we go back and change things? How would that have worked out if one tiny thing changed (butterfly effect anyone)? It’s a terrific mental exercise. The MCU has now combined that concept with stunning artwork to make a series of short animations. These stories give us the characters we’ve come to know viewed in very different lights. Asking the simple question “What if…” and following through with things like having the Ravagers pick up T’Challa rather than Peter Quill or having a serial killer remove Avengers before they start their journey to being a hero.

Yes, viewing these episodes does actually work out better if you’ve seen and / or are familiar with the films that have been put out in the long series from Marvel. The stories are short (averaging about a half hour each) and only give us glimpses of what might have been. It’s those glimpses that make it work. The animation is at exactly the level you’d expect from a world leader. There’s a lot of great stuff in there. This series is definitely one you should be watching.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

August 2021

You Should Be Watching

Nestflix

It’s the dog days of summer. The doldrums. Media is scattered far and wide, but people aren’t focused on sitting down and watching whatever they can scrounge. Folks are squeezing in one more beach trip or working hard at getting ready for back-to-school time. Reruns and re-watching old movies is the kind of relaxing thing that can fill gaps between all this summer activity. But when you do the re-watching, do you notice the world inside the world? Do you catch the shows that are on the screens in the background?

This is not a true “what to watch” in the sense that these shows don’t actually exist, except in an alternate world. When you’re going back to an old Futurama episode, do you recall anything about “The Scary Door”? How could you miss a show with a description like this:

            “You are entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location. The kind of place where there might be a monster, or some kind of weird mirror. These are just examples; it could also be something much better. Prepare to enter: The Scary Door.”

There is a fun site out there that lists more than four hundred of these magical shows inside shows. Have you noticed a show within a show? Do you have a favorite? When you get a few minutes head on over to the Nestflix site

and check out this crazy collection.
https://nestflix.fun/

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

July 2021

You Should Be Watching

The Vast of Night

Pick a night. Pick a slow night. Wait until it’s quiet out. Turn out the lights. Get cozy and flip this movie on. The Vast of Night is a small film that’s big on catching you at just the right time. There are bright, glaring action movies and soft filtered romances beside the raucous comedies. This movie pulls you back to the fifties in the American southwest. The story follows two people from the little New Mexico town of Cayuga as they track down a mysterious noise and more mysterious radio station callers. It’s the kind of town where everyone knows everyone else… until they dig a little deeper.

From the Amazon description:

“In the twilight of the 1950s, on one fateful night in New Mexico, a young, winsome switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and charismatic radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) discover a strange audio frequency that could change their small town and the future forever. Dropped phone calls, AM radio signals, secret reels of tape forgotten in a library, switchboards, crossed patchlines and an anonymous phone call lead Fay and Everett on a scavenger hunt toward the unknown.”

This is definitely a movie that is all about the mood. It is quiet. It moves a little slow at the start. Give it a chance. As the story rolls, the speed and the tension build. If you take your time you will get to a place where you’ll be out staring up into the night. There are small things, inconsequential to the success of the story if you allow yourself to go along for the ride. Coming in at an hour and a half it’s definitely worth the time to catch up with the folks in this small town.

Check out the trailer here:

https://youtu.be/ZEiwpCJqMM0By

Eric V. Hardenbrook

You Should Be Watching

Surrealestate

The Syfy Channel has come up with some intriguing genre shows lately, proving that old Hollywood adage that you’ve got to produce a ton of populist garbage projects like the SHARKNADO franchise to pay for production of shows like RESIDENT ALIEN and their new Canadian import show, SURREALESTATE (one word, according to the Wikipeople and IMDB). 

SurrealEstate is a show about a real estate company that specializes in “Metaphysically-Engaged” properties which is a euphemism for being haunted.  The show stars Wynonna Earp star Tim Rozon, who drops his preposterous facial hair and accent from his role as Doc Holliday, thank the noodle gods, to deliver a performance that is cool, sexy, but with a shade of creepy.  Rozon plays Luke Roman, head of Roman Real Estate. He does not consider himself a paranormal investigator, but as “a real estate guy” in a niche market. He represents metaphysically-enhanced properties, removes the bad juju like it’s black mold, and then profits big on the sale. He is also capable of seeing dead people, though it isn’t clear if it’s a “Sixth Sense” deal or if he’s just more sensitive to their essence. Either way, he says he doesn’t believe in ghosts; he “just works with them.” 

Roman leads a small team of engaging and immediately interesting characters who are well-rounded and nuanced. A “fallen priest” is his investigator who operates like the unit’s Ray Stantz and lives with his husband, who is the team’s go-to maintenance guy and aspiring thespian. 

The mysterious Auggie Ripley speaks in quotations and acts as the Egon Spengler of the group, creating proprietary technology to observe, contain, and even destroy entities they encounter. He also offers sage advice and observations to the team. 

The newest realtor is Susan, the self-proclaimed “Winston Zeddemore” of the team who is a sales mastermind. 

Also, the receptionist – Zooey L’Enfant – has a cool name and probably possesses more cool things about herself than the sarcasm she wields in the first two episodes. But here’s your Janine Melnitz.

The parallels between this and Ghostbusters in tone and construction are inescapable, but the real estate conceit gives the show an interesting DIY perspective that helps keep viewers interested. The ultimate goal of the episode is to clean and sell the property, which involves as much Real Estate speak as they discuss exorcising demons or how to handle demon guard dogs.

To say that these characters overlap the Ghostbusters is unfair to the show.  The roles are familiar, but I enjoy these fresh characters. They are unique and casting for the show is excellent.

The “irreverence in the face of cosmic horrors” theme within the show is something I enjoy, but know it is easy to venture into camp-parody.  Fortunately, in the first episodes, this doesn’t seem to be TOO much of a problem, though there are some cringy attempts at early Whedonesque humor that fall flat.

The show does not go too dark for too long, reminding me more of the horror-themed episodes of Doctor Who during the Tennant and Smith years.  The set pieces feature fewer jump-scares than I expected, choosing more clever devices in the background to keep you watching until the real scare is unleashed. Still, it’s more spooky fun than Blumhouse terror.  I could have seen the production swinging into a “mock-reality show” vibe but I’m glad they kept it to an unfurling drama about the history of a home, the unfinished business of spirits in it, and the horrors that cling to a place that prey on innocence.

The central arc to the season is the haunting of a client’s ancestral home. 

Megan Donovan is the series’ Dana Barrett character who occupies a home that rests on a Hellmouth and possesses a history of disappearances and strange deaths. The house also plays a role in Roman’s past, so the hunky protagonist and the homeowner-in-distress have an excuse to hook up. Yes, she’s already involved with someone, so I immediately suspect that guy – who vanishes for long periods of time, overnight, and during the worst of the paranormal activities – is behind the horrors of the house. But who knows? Maybe the writers are making it so obvious as to be a misdirect or just a point in the inevitable love triangle being set up.

The series was created and co-written by George R. Olson, who only has this and one other project on their IMDB page. It’s impressive that such a concept is being handled so well so far by a newcomer working with at least SIXTEEN producers. It has fewer kinks in the machinery than most shows of this type, so if you enjoy Syfy’s usual brand of paranormal intrigue with its signature quirky humor, than it’s worth a watch.

The first two episodes of the show debuted on SyFy July 16^th, and episodes are available for free on YouTube. New episodes air Friday’s at 7pm on SyFy.

By Jay Smith

June 2021

You Should Be Watching

OXYGEN

Oxygen is an intense little movie about a woman who wakes up with no memory of who she is or why she’s locked inside an automated pod. It wouldn’t be such a dilemma, except the level of oxygen in her single, tiny room is slowly running out. She needs to solve the puzzle of who she is, why she’s there and what she can do to fix her situation before she runs out of air to breathe.

This is a tense movie. The actress (Melanie Laurent) plays the main character. She’s stuck in this tiny pod. She doesn’t remember why. She doesn’t remember who she is. She’s got no place to go. This leaves all our focus on her as she runs through a monumental list of emotions. It’s a testament to this actor’s abilities that she can carry the whole thing off. There’s no scenery other than the pod. There’s barely any space for movement. You feel for her. You breathe with her.

Slowly, over the course of the movie memories and flashbacks give us tidbits. We rebuild all the various parts of a memory right along with the character. This is a smart lady. She figures out various ways to come at the problem even when one avenue or another runs up against a wall. She shifts and wiggles and carries the whole movie.

Were there things that didn’t work? Yes. There were one or two very small, very nit-picky things that I caught while I was along for the ride. I could very easily chalk them up to suspension of disbelief. This is a well-done film that I don’t think is getting the attention it should. A locked room mystery that fits in the science fiction category. It’s a rare thing, but when it’s done well it’s a wonderful, terrible, memorable thing. This is definitely a film you should be watching!

Check out the trailer here:

https://youtu.be/s6oLsCHgSwg

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

May 2021

You Should Be Watching

Space Sweepers

In the year 2092 the Earth is suffering. The planet is distressed to the point that humans are looking for a way out. Some lucky (or chosen) few get to ascend and become UTS citizens living in orbiting homes around the planet. The UTS corporation sets strict controls and financial arrangements for citizens and non-citizens alike. This is the where the crew of the salvage ship Victory scrounges out a living.

This movie is filled with action, suspense, comedy and even heart. It clocks in around two hours and fifteen minutes, but it really didn’t feel that long. Watching the crew of misfit scavengers attempt to make ends meet while dealing with their own issues would have been interesting enough, but then Dorothy gets thrown into the mix. Dorothy looks and acts like a child, but the UTS has declared her a weapon of mass destruction and has set off an all out hunt to get her back. The Victory crew just happen to pick her up as part of one of their salvage missions.

As a South Korean film, I was fully prepared to read subtitles the entire time I watched this movie. I did, but not in the way I expected. I found it wonderful that the film makers included a quick bit about universal translators and then proceeded to allow everyone to speak in whatever language was their own. Space, and all the humans from all over the planet could just speak their own language. Yes, there were subtitles, but there was as much in English as there was in any other language. I could identify five different languages through the course of the film. This is wonderful and we need more of this in our science fiction. People will find a way to communicate, then language and background become less of an issue.

Beyond the language aspect, this film had well done special effects. I’m not going to claim they’ve got some kind of mastery or that the effects shots disappeared in a seamless way. You could tell there were special effects in this movie, but they didn’t get in the way. I never had a moment when I thought, ‘well that wasn’t very well done’. I just sat and enjoyed the action. The action likely works out the way you’d expect, but even that didn’t hurt the enjoyment of this story. This was a movie that has less of a dystopian downer feel and something a little more refreshing and hopeful.

If you’ve got access to Netflix, grab your popcorn and go check this movie out. The trailer is here:

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

April 2021

BOSS LEVEL

For folks that have loosely monitored things in the film industry over the past decade or so will know that Mel Gibson has had some rough sledding. Of course, when the “rough” is based on who you are and how you act toward your fellow humans it won’t garner a lot of sympathy. I have been just fine with Mr. Gibson dropping out of prominence and staying off the screens I watch for entertainment. Then I bumped into this Looper article that said he was having something of a resurgence to his career. I’m not a fan of that, but I wanted to listen to the reasoning. What I did not expect was praise and was more shocked at the film that was being heralded as something positive for him. Boss Level is a Hulu original film – and yes, Mr. Gibson is in this movie. I decided based on this positive review that I needed to at least check out a science fiction/action film to see for myself.

In this movie Frank Grillo (you may remember him from his stint as Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) plays Roy Pulver, a former special operations soldier who is caught in a time loop. He wakes up every morning to the same thing. He moves through his day hitting the same beats and changing up little parts in order to see what happens. It is every bit the same concept as any other time loop movie ~ think Ground Hog Day (Bill Murray) or Edge of Tomorrow (Tom Cruise), just add more crazy violence. As the name implies there are a lot of video game like things going on in this movie. There are other notable characters (played by the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Ken Jeong) but Frank Grillo is the main focus. He carries the movie and does it well. This kind of action is exactly the sort of film somebody would expect to see him in. It was tight, the clues and keys to the loop were clever and the action just didn’t stop.

As for the previously mentioned Mr. Gibson, yes, he was in the movie. I won’t deliver any spoilers on the part he plays (it’s very obvious, very quickly) but it does seem to be a fitting part. It’s not a long-acting stretch from the days when he starred in a movie called Payback, but he does it well. The reviewer from Looper seemed to indicate that he should have been given more to do or that his role should have been expanded. I disagree. I think we got just enough of him, and that might be too much as far as I’m concerned.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

March 2021

RESIDENT ALIEN

Alan Tudyk is an American Treasure.

One of the dangers of putting one of the best comic actors of our generation into a vehicle to showcase his gift for quirky, sardonic weirdos is to deliver material worthy of that talent.

2021’s “Resident Alien” does not, unfortunately, live up to that challenge, at least not consistently.  A Syfy Original series, “Resident Alien” follows the misadventures of an alien who falls to Earth and has to fit in with the very human residents of Patience, Colorado while locating pieces of his spaceship.  While based on the Dark Horse comic that debuted in 2012, the series is as significant departure from its source material as other adaptations like “Men in Black” or “Wynonna Earp.”

The show echoes quirky rural comedies “Northern Exposure” with the familiar fish out of water theme, focusing on a self-proclaimed superior species struggling with life in the form of a human and his growing fondness for the very people he is sent to destroy.  After finding shelter in a hunting cabin occupied by Doctor Harry Vanderspeigle, the alien accidentally(?) kills the man and has to assume his identity to remain hidden from the authorities.  After learning our language and customs through marathon viewings of “Law & Order” faux-Vanderspieigle is drafted by local law enforcement to examine the body of the recently snuffed town doctor.  Without a doctor, our antihero is drafted to become the town doctor until a permanent replacement can be found.  Wacky shenanigans ensue.

The show relies heavily on quirky supporting characters who give the alien reasons to be socially awkward and confused.  As his new human body presents him with new feelings and experiences, the sitcom hijinks pile up with only Tudyk’s completely manic performances saving the stories from feeling like every other show of this type.  Often his delivery of observational monologues with odd pronunciations and inflection turns exposition into oratory. 

Imagine Tudyk delivering the line, “They stole my ship. They know I’m stranded here. They must be searching for me. I would grow a mustache as a disguise, but then I’d have to get a job as a firefighter or a pedophile.”  That’s the show’s icing.  The cake is made up of layers represented by the alien’s effort to complete his mission, the military’s attempt to locate the alien, and the mysterious death of the town’s original doctor.  The personal stories of the supporting characters are cleverly interwoven, so I never feel like we’re lingering on one character for too long just to make another joke.

“They have a term on earth for men who work on engines: ’Sexy Beast.’ That’s me. If these humans ever saw me flying my spaceship, I’d have women beating me off with a stick.”

Unfortunately, most of the supporting cast gets boring fast, but with the amazing exceptions from Elizabeth Bowen, playing the long-suffering deputy of the town’s eccentric Sheriff, Judah Penn as Max – a young boy who can see the true form of Vanderspeigle and becomes his formidable adversary for the season, and Alice Wetterlund who is my new comedian crush.  Her timing and delivery rival that of the great Bill Murray. I continue to watch the show mainly for these performances.

It is a predictable plot through the first half of the season.  If you guessed that conspiracies, government spies, and wacky misunderstandings are on the menu, you would be correct.  It’s a little darker than what might end up as a show on Fox or the CW, but it isn’t as insufferable as most of that fare. Being on Syfy allows the show to cater to a smaller but more discerning audience.  There are those dramatic subplots with a strong human foundation, but those stories serve to humanize Vanderspeigle.

It’s worth checking out the first two episodes to decide if it’s the right show for you, though it is enough that Alan Tudyk is in it and he is every bit as good as he was in “Firefly.”

By Jay Smith

February 2021

DUST

I attempt to keep the recommendations for this article series away from one specific network or subscription service. A focus that lands entirely on Netflix would rapidly exclude and push away any reader that didn’t have or didn’t want a subscription to that particular service. In that spirit, this particular article covers one short film individually, but I want to highly recommend going to the channel itself. Dust is on YouTube. It features dozens of films ranging in length between two and twenty minutes. They’re great for a quick hit of science fiction. As long as you can get to YouTube, you can watch them all for free. As I scrolled the various videos available there, I realized I’d seen at least one of them before, some years ago. The short film “The Black Hole” lasts just under three minutes and is just as good now as it was four years ago. There’s a lot to see and recommend this channel to science fiction fans.

I was spurred on to writing this by a recent article over at IO9 pointing out the short film “Avarya”. I won’t go into depth on this film because it is certainly short, and I don’t want to give too much away. I will say that as science fiction fans, and particularly those familiar with the three laws of robotics, this one is really well done. Fantastic animation, great voices and just the right length (coming in at 19:31) to fill a quick lunch time bump or give some inspiration between binge watches. It does take a bit of a dark turn as the article title suggests, so be warned!

Go and subscribe to Dust and see all the excellent films available there!

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

January 2021

The Lost Star Wars film

Diving into 2021 does not mean we’re charging forward and looking at something new. In fact, this is a retro view that I had somehow missed along the way. Like 40 years missed along the way. I admit I’m not a super fan when it comes to all things Star Wars. Yes, I saw the original films when they came out. Yes, I had a ton of the toys. No, I’m not a member of the Jedi church. I love them and they hold a place within me even if I don’t keep up with every single release. It’s a film (and TV show and book and toy…) franchise like no other and it turns out that something really interesting was tacked onto it. Fantasy.

That’s right, fantasy. George Lucas commissioned a fantasy film. He wanted this fantasy film to be shown before or in association with Empire Strikes Back. You read that right. Empire Strikes Back – tied directly to a swords and horses fantasy film. It was made, it was shown, then it was lost.

Recently, during the preparation for a discussion about the influence of films on fantasy gaming I was digging for clips and information about various movies I’ve watched or heard about over the years. There are a lot of excellent films out there is you love fantasy. Then I stumbled onto a thread about fantasy and Empire. That’s how I came to know about Black Angel.

The age of Black Angel is part of why I wanted to put it here, along with the story of how it was made, lost and subsequently recovered. It is a very moody piece. The scenery is amazing. The background music is haunting. There is a look and feel to this film that is undeniable. In the notes about the film, it was revealed that parts of the crew for the movie Excalibur watched this and took copious notes. The look and feel of Excalibur and Black Angel are quite similar. Some of the techniques used in Black Angel were picked up and used in Empire as well.

As a fan of the history of science fiction and fantasy it’s a neat treasure that’s available for free. The mood, the look, the sound all makes Black Angel worth the short run time.

Watch it here – Black Angel

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

NOVEMBER 2020

YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING

TITAN

As we wrap up our final fanzine of 2020 I wanted to move away from some of the things I have been recommending lately that definitely skew younger and generally more positive. Saying you ‘should’ be watching this one will be considered a stretch by more than a few folks.

The Titan is a cerebral science fiction film that appeared under the radar back in 2018. Starring Sam Worthington, Taylor Schilling and Tom Wilkinson. The film, set in the relatively near future of 2048, is the story of scientific research to save the human race by expanding into space. Normally when you see this theme it involves either finding a Goldilocks planet (and getting there) or going to a distant planet and changing it to meet our physical needs. This film does neither of those things, but rather comes at the problem of adaptability by attempting to change the biological function of the people going to the planet.

The characters in the film are all forced to look at and deal with what physical adaptation means, how that effects many of the aspects of life and how to change their lives here before departing the planet. There are a number of times where one could draw comparisons to somebody like Frankenstein attempting to manipulate the core of what makes us live. There are also a number of questions about what actually makes us human. Do humans have to breath oxygen? Are you still human if you can’t speak? If you can’t see the way others do? If you can’t remember the people you love?

The movie is not action based. The characters are diverse. The special effects and body prosthetics toward the end of the film are very well done. Yes, there are a number of plot holes and unanswered questions when we get to the end of the film. I can’t say that this was one of the best films I’ve seen, but it certainly meets the criteria of giving a lot of things to talk about. If you have access to Netflix, you should be watching The Titan.

October 2020

You Should Be Watching

Vampires Vs. The Bronx (Netflix)

It’s October and ‘spooky’ season is here. This year is looking like it’s going to play out differently than years past. I suspect there will be a greater number of folks than normal staying in and looking for some entertainment that matches the spirit of the season.

I happily recommend the horror / comedy Vampires vs. the Bronx. This movie is the story of three friends living in a neighborhood that is rapidly changing. They’re faced with routine challenges of daily life combined with the encroachment of a corporation that is trying to buy out all the business and people they know. The heroes are attempting to save the local shop they’ve grown up in from being pushed out. While canvasing for an upcoming party they discover the truth – vampires are behind the big business and need to be stopped!

by Eric V. Hardenbrook

September 2020

Unknown Origins (Netflix)

I gave sincere consideration to putting the Netflix movie Project Power in here this month. It seemed like pandering to me. Diversity is extremely important. Representation in science fiction, fantasy and comic book-based stories matters. Project Power is a great science fiction action movie – go watch it – but it’s not what I’m going to emphasize today. Today we talk about the Spanish movie Unknown Origins.

Unknown Origins is the story of a detective who must find a serial killer. The serial killer is recreating comic book origin stories as his murder scenes. The detective’s best hope in cracking the case comes from the nerdy comic book loving son of a fellow officer. It’s part buddy cop film and part love letter to comics and cosplay. As the story unfolds, we get to dig deeper in to the lives and relationships that drive each of the people involved in this case while trying to solve the mystery.

This movie has a lot of very fun moments in it. I’m not going to give any specific examples as I don’t want to give any of the best lines away – and there are a couple of very good lines in there. It’s not a long movie, clocking in just around an hour and a half, but it packs a lot of stuff into a very short time. The creators have a few bits that land in the area of stereotype, but then they knock the edges off of them and create a few touching moments in the film. It definitely has a viewpoint that could be called ‘defensive’ as far as comics and cosplay goes.

            The mystery itself is very, very well written. I thought I had it all figured out and was completely wrong. I had used some of the clues laid out in the movie, but I didn’t pick the right ones. I asked my wife to tell me her theory as soon as she thought she had it figured out. She used a different set of clues that were laid out in the background and came up with an incorrect answer as well. I have seen at least one other review out there that said they’d figured out the mystery right away, essentially as soon as they saw that one character. Perhaps I need to watch more mysteries, but to me it was refreshing to have a mystery that kept us guessing right up to the big reveal.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

AUGUST 2020

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.

            I will admit that hearing a statistics type description for this show might make it sound unappealing. It’s an animation with a Y-7 rating, meaning it’s generally aimed at an audience of ten year old kids. That does not tell the story at all.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is a Dreamworks production that currently has two seasons on Netflix. It is the story of Kipo and her adventures in a post apocalyptic world. Humans do not dominate here as they did some two hundred years ago – they are now the bottom of the food chain and have moved into underground ‘burrows’ to survive. On the surface of the world mutations have created outlandishly over-sized plant life and many powerful ‘mute’ factions. If you want to survive in the world you’ve got to stay on your toes. You’ll need to deal with all manner of mutes roaming around and staking out territory. The world is a dangerous place for humans.

Kipo’s adventure begins when she finds herself suddenly outside of her burrow. She begins to wander the surface world and has to deal with a knowledge loving wolf pack, timber cats that love pancakes, giant two headed flamingos, mod frogs, scooter skunks, deathstalkers and of course a giant six armed monkey. That really just scratches the surface of the weird. Kipo is also musically inclined. There are a number of episodes that contain songs, musical inspirations for characters and (yes, sadly) even Karaoke. Eventually Kipo teams up with a number of other surface folks to help her along her journey as she attempts to find her way back home.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

JULY 2020

You Should Be Watching – The Old Guard

Netflix has been dominating in the production and release of new works. It has recently released two comic adaptations, and I am going to recommend one of them. Warrior Nun was released at the beginning of July and it has committed the most egregious of transgressions. It just stops. You invest, you watch, you reach the 10^th episode and it just stops. There is no ending and there is no part two. Netflix as a network churns shows at a massive rate and even reasonably successful shows never get more episodes made. I can’t in good conscience recommend Warrior Nun. Instead, I can and will say that you should invest two hours and watch the movie The Old Guard.

The movie tells part of the story of Andromache the Scythian (Andy), an immortal warrior and the other immortal warriors that make up her small team. These warriors join various battles across time working toward some unknown, unclear goal. They fight, sometimes they are killed and every time they survive to move on to another battle in another place at another time. There is no competition between them, there is a connection and a drive to find others. They may not understand the goal, but they do understand the battles. The film itself takes place in modern times. A new immortal warrior is found and the team sets out to fight a new, modern battle.

The movie is self contained. The story, the clips of history, character motivations and action all fit neatly into the allotted time. The acting, the action and the emotion is all extremely well done. The writer of the comic was also the writer that adapted the story for the screen. I believe that genuinely helped make this tight package successful. The actors were all fantastic. Fair warning for those that don’t like action / violence / fighting – there’s a lot of it in this movie. They are after all warriors. Fighting is what they do, and they are very good at it.

Another part of what makes this story work is that we buy in on what the characters are feeling. They are numb to the violence that surrounds them, but they’re all still searching. Living for hundreds and hundreds of years has not dulled the need for them to connect. They have each other, but connections to others slip away as people age and die while the warriors stay as they have always been. Pain and loss are constant companions. Searching for family and a place to fit with others gives this decidedly action flick enough depth to keep non-action fans on board.

JUNE 2020

More precisely, you should watch again.

Netflix has recently made the Nickelodeon show Avatar – The Last Airbender available for viewing. Airbender is an animated series following the journey of Aang, the last of the air nomads as he travels a world where adepts have the ability to change the elements around them using a form of martial arts known as bending. Aang is the Avatar, a person who has the ability to blend all forms of bending (earth, water, air and fire) together. His quest? Save the world.

I originally watched the show with my daughter when it first aired back around 2008. As soon as the show became available, we grabbed it up on DVD so we could revisit it when we wanted to. As happens with many discs, the show languished for us at the back of a dusty shelf. We did revisit an episode now and again, but less frequently than we might have. Since the show has popped up on Netflix we sat down and re-watched the entire series in order. It might be more than a decade old, but the show holds up.

This show is one of those rare animated series that combines so many parts that anyone in the family can enjoy it. The world building shows a fantasy world with a number of cultures. There are matters of daily life, holidays, politics and any other sort of thing you’d expect in a world. It’s a place that feels lived in. The characters are as varied as the cultures they visit. Diversity is on display without making a big deal about said diversity. Characters with physical differences and abilities were not treated as if they were somehow lacking, it was the spirit that mattered. As the heroes journeyed through three seasons of shows they dealt with corruption of those in power, sexism, love, loss vulnerability and the use of true power. Heroes can make mistakes. Villains can redeem themselves. Mistakes can be forgiven. I will even say that the ending was one of the most satisfying I’ve watched for any series.

If you’ve seen Avatar, it’s worth a re-watch. If you haven’t seen it, you should seek it out.

“I’m not looking for anyone’s approval, I know who I am…” Toph Bei Fong

(aka the Blind Bandit)

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

MAY 2020

There has been a lot of binge watching out there since folks have gone into isolation. The global pandemic has put a whole new focus on finding something to watch that doesn’t exacerbate the anxiety of the real world. A number of shows have leaped in popularity that might never have gotten the chance in the past simply for the lack of other entertainment. Many of those shows likely won’t last, but parts of them might endure. It’s difficult to predict. The same has always been the case with the big screen. Movies that “flop” in the theater become cult classics. Movies that people had modest hope for endure for generations. These movies can have an impact that lasts long after their run in the theater is done.

That lasting impact, in the form of physical objects, is the focus of the show Prop Culture now streaming on Disney+. The show hosted by Dan Lanigan digs into the physical props that remain from some Disney films that have had a significant impact on pop culture. The first season includes: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Mary Poppins, Tron, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Muppet Movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Chronicles of Narnia, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

Dan digs in behind the scenes and hunts down various creators and actors to reconnect them with the objects that helped make these films great. Hats, swords, puppets, matte paintings and all manner of samples. Not all props are small either. Ten-foot-tall models, cars and tall ships are part of this as well. Seeing these real-world things give both the creators and the viewer a very strong sense of nostalgia.

At a half hour in length these episodes are just the right length. They don’t drag and they don’t hold back for the sake of false anticipation. There are expected pieces along with little things that evoke strong emotions for all. Along with strong emotion there is a fun sense of humor. You get quotes like, “There’s a lot of bald yaks out there…” from an effects studio head. It hits all the right notes to help the viewer feel good after each episode.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

APRIL 2020

October Faction

I am writing this recommendation despite knowing the end result. When I wrote up my recommendation for Daybreak, I did not know that the series had been canceled. You should know up front that October Faction has not been picked up for a second season. One season, ten episodes is all you get. No, it doesn’t wrap anything up. This was clearly set up with the idea of becoming an ongoing series. IF that’s a thing that doesn’t work for you, I actually suggest giving the rest of this a miss.

IF you’re still here then you’re not put off by the known limitations.

October Faction is what I would call urban fantasy brought to television. Based on a comic book series put out by IDW it is a story of modern-day monster hunters. The network described the show this way:

          … globetrotting monster hunters Fred and Deloris Allen who, after the death of Fred’s father, return to their hometown with their teenage children Geoff and Viv. As the family adjusts, Fred and Deloris must hide their identities as members of a secret organization, and they quickly discover that their new small-town setting isn’t as idyllic as it seems.

— Netflix (September 2018)

The show has something I consider a tired trope at the core, but I was willing to ride along with the secret government organization one more time. Going to a small town is slightly different from most urban fantasy – the key to that being the ‘urban’ part. There would be no big city lights, no skyscrapers, no dark alleys to hide behind. I could go with it.

I struggled at first to buy into the relationship between Fred and Deloris. I didn’t understand Fred as a monster hunter. I certainly didn’t buy into them being so gifted as parents that they had been able to hide the nature of their work from teenagers. It was difficult to get into the first episode or two for me. The story tellers did a good job of bringing character development along through the course of the episodes. All of the things I was worried about were actually things that came up as important as the story unfolded. The longer you watch, the more reason you see for the pair to be together and doing what they do.

I was pleasantly surprised by the antagonist. Alice Harlow (played by Maxim Roy) is a distressing and scary part of this story. Without giving spoilers she is powerful. Perhaps too powerful… but that was among the many threads left hanging.

I also enjoyed a number of the supporting characters, but none more than the sheriff. Far too many times we see small town law enforcement portrayed as bumpkins, slow to react and easily confused. Not the case with Gina Fernandez (played by Nicola Correia-Damude). She was onto our main characters right away. There were certain aspects that were still very much “made for TV” about the sheriff’s office, but it was nice to see a local person not played off as incompetent.

The monsters, the secret agency, the twisted and often broken relationships made for very interesting television. IF you can live with the knowledge that this is all you get, this is a quick ten episodes worth giving a look.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

February 2020

RAGNAROK – (Netflix-Norway) {6 episodes}

Two brothers and their mother return to the small Norwegian town, Edda, where they were born. Magne discovers radical changes are occurring to him that shift him from someone who was always considered to be slow and ungainly to a force to be reckoned with. He learns that their town is suffering from a number of ills that can be traced back to the family who owns most of the industry, the Jutuls. Why watch? The performances by David Stakston (Magne) and Jonas Strand Gravli (Laurits) are excellent, as well as the supporting cast. Each episode has at least one truly startling moment and they are well set up. The scenery and backdrops are fantastic. Yes, it is overdubbed and occasionally you’ll see it, but the action will overwhelm the annoyance. You really will find yourself cheering for Magne, there are also some great moments that are also sweet and endearing, but mostly you’ll stay for the what could possibly happen next and can Magne win?

YEARS AND YEARS – (HBO-Britain) {6 Episodes}

Follow Manchester family, the Lyons, for 11 turbulent years starting in November 2019. That’s right this is a show that is grounded in the present and about the future. Written by Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T. Davies, unflinchingly takes on the issues of today and then in Black Mirror fashion, extrapolates how changes will affect the lives of the Lyons in many surprising ways. With the focus on how technological and political alterations effect the world, Years and Years remains determinedly tied to the human aspect. Viewers will quickly recognize some of the ensemble cast. Despite it’s peering into the darker possibilities, the show also has some very funny and also touching moments. The Lyons triumph and fail magnificently against the backdrop of the future.

OMNISCIENT – (Netflix-Spain) {6 episodes}

Tiny drones follow everyone and record everything in the city, so crime is almost non-existent. Nina is on her way to securing a full-time position at Omniscient monitoring as a programmer. When returning home, she discovers her father was shot in the back. But the police aren’t treating it as a crime. To them, if the monitoring system does not recognize the murder, it cannot have occurred, since the system is infallible. As she and her brother try to deal with this horrible change to their lives, Nina becomes convinced that the evidence exists to identify the killer and she can, at great risk, gain access to it. This is another dubbed show, but it’s a lot more subtle and again with the action here, you’re less likely to notice. There’s a lot going on here in 6 short episodes and its clever and sharp in delivery. Slightly technical and definitely dystopian, Omniscient doesn’t forget to deliver on the human aspects.

by JYSciFiGuy

January 2020

Zombies. The Apocalypse. Sounds sort of boring and perhaps just another remake of something from the last century.

I’m here to tell you that Daybreak on Netflix is a post apocalyptic zombie-esque story BUT it’s got enough of a twist on the old idea that it is absolutely worth your time to go and check the first season out. It’s not zombies the way you think of zombies either.

I’ll endeavor to avoid spoilers in everything I present here. The first episode has a larger than average number of tips of the hat to Ferris Beuller’s Day Off. I noticed a bunch of them right away. I think the style matches the tone of that movie and gives you fourth wall breaks in just the same way. That wasn’t the first time I’d seen this, but the connection to a certain somebody’s day off was clear and the helped bring me in.

We follow the story of Josh, a survivor of the event that has ended the world as we know it. Josh is a high school student. In fact, rather than any old zombie movie story tactic the writers might have used, the only people to survive are high school students and younger. That’s right – high school kids literally take over the world and remake it in their image. Josh teams up with Wesley the Samurai and Angelica the middle school age genius to track down his girlfriend Sam. They have swords and flame throwers and exactly the sort of nonsense you’d expect from kids trying to survive. The fourth wall breaks often and that brings some absolutely hilarious moments.

Don’t let the fun stuff fool you, there is a lot of serious story line, character development and world building in there too. The characters grow over the course of the show. They learn and you definitely get the feeling that they could be kids you know. There’s more than one plot move that comes at you sideways and then twist at the end of the season was actually something I didn’t see coming. Didn’t see it coming! That simple thing alone made it worth the investment and was totally refreshing. I can’t wait to see what they do with the next season.

If that’s not enough to convince you, head on over and check out the trailer for the show here.

By Eric V. Hardenbrook

THROUGH THE GATE : STAGATE SG1’S VILLAINS

JYSciFiGuy

STARGATE – THE GATE

               There is an oft repeated joke among those who enjoy the genre, “I won’t decide what my kids are going to believe until they grow up. When they’re old enough, they can choose between Star Wars and Star Trek.” I’m here to tell you, there’s another option, a third flavor to this Neapolitan mix of ‘Star’ orientated franchises, one even grounded a bit more in the current and that is Stargate. Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at some of the aspects of the Roland Emmerich production that started everything, because there are certainly things that went way over the top, but at its core was an idea that launched a franchise that contains three separate TV series, an online streaming series and even an animated series.

               The concept of a gate that allows travel to another world has probably been around since the first cave was investigated. Our imaginations do their best to keep us safe by considering the worst could lie on the other side of that dark opening. But when we started considering that stepping from one spot to another could take us to heaven, hell or another place something changed and so did our storytelling. For the sake of argument, let’s consider that gate as a fixed aperture that transports one. C.S. Lewis built his gate in the depths of something in many homes of the time, a wardrobe. He took his characters to a fantastic world with talking animals. Lewis also considered that time might change through the transition as well. There are certainly plenty of other instances of gates in genre literature – C.J. Cherryh’s Books of Morgaine, Jack Williamson’s The Stonehenge Gate and Andre Norton even wrote a book called Star Gate. These instances suppose that the gate is fixed to a world’s surface. Babylon 5 took things one step further and envisioned the Jump Gates situated in orbit about worlds that allow interstellar travel. The Stargate franchise encompasses and utilizes both concepts.

               In the movie Stargate, the gate is discovered in Egypt along with a cover stone containing hieroglyphs that explain its purpose and use. Enter one archeologist Daniel Jackson whose translation unlocks the full potential of the Stargate. Since its discovery, the gate has been acquired by the US military and removed to a secure location. With Jackson’s input, the gate is opened, and an expeditionary force is sent to the world later identified in Stargate-SG1 as Abydos. Here they find humans enslaved by an alien that takes people as hosts to extend its life. The idea of using the gate as a travel device to explore other worlds gave birth to the extended Stargate universe. Jackson’s translation points to seven symbols on the gate that represent coordinates in space (six) and a destination, the seventh. Traveling to a new gate, represents to opportunity to access other symbols and visit additional locations. However, starting from Earth still provides many possible destinations. So, the military starts to explore other worlds by via the gate.

               The extended Stargate franchise explores gates in space, linked gates to translate travelers from one galaxy to another, super gates designed to transfer fleets of ships, time travel via gate and even eventually the gate builders themselves who seeded the galaxies. Stargate takes a very intelligent stance when it comes to the technology of the gates and while there is plenty of handwavium involved in their construction, the writers make a definite effort to explain why something works instead of expecting their viewers to take things on faith. With such a powerful technology, the writers were also wise enough to impose limits such as the infamous 38 minute maximum before a gate shuts down. The fertile idea of a gate allowing instantaneous travel from one location to another is what allowed the Stargate universe to continue to grow and good storytelling with compelling characters is the impetus that keeps it alive.

JYSciFiGuy

The Uncanny Orville

There is a term known as the “uncanny valley”, which references the disassociation and revulsion felt by human beings that encounter an android that is built close to but not at human standards. What you are seeing causes a disruption of your expectations. It doesn’t mean that what you are seeing is a failure but rather that it has not achieved the perfection necessary to satisfy what is often an unconscious reaction. The Orville presents itself as a comedy, but at the same time it is deliberately designed to provoke comparisons with Star Trek and other scifi shows of a serious nature. If that wasn’t enough, The Orville has also decided to take on some decidedly non-humorous topics such as gender reassignment, genocide and indoctrination of children. Now here’s the odd part, I actually enjoy the show so far. But as I watch, I see all of these things: the interior design, the uniforms and the background music pointing the audience toward an association with Star Trek and often specifically to Star Trek : The Next Generation. There’s nothing wrong with that, since associating your show with a known success in terms of a parody is just good marketing and shows Seth McFarlane’s fascination with the franchise. Sometimes, it comes across really strongly though. The little laugh together moments at the end of an episode, crew-bonding moments over dinner, the pseudo holodeck – I’m just waiting for the poker game to start up with Bortis dealing. Then there are the jokes, and they sometimes feel like they are invading a familiar space. Now STNG had its humor too, but it was a different brand, less crass and spontaneous, almost formal in nature. There are shows that have found a way to encompass both humor and serious issues, such as Farscape and Stargate. Farscape always had a small element of the ridiculous to it and a great deal of John Crichton’s dealing with the overwhelming nature of his new life was through wisecracking, laughter and sarcasm. Stargate on the other hand contained Jack O’Neill’s wry humor playing off of T’ealc’s deadpan delivery, Daniel’s too smart for his own good confusion and Carter’s frustration at having to explain complicated technobabble to O’Neill who would simply reply with, “Sure, whatever.” Neither of these shows were billed as comedies, but their scope was broad enough that something comedic could be added and the audience typically didn’t flinch. Let’s face it; the ones who are pigeonholing The Orville as a comedy are the marketing people. It could be that McFarlane is taking a page from Gene Roddenberry and using a vehicle to comment on social issues and it may simply be that what our expectations are comes too close to what we are seeing, but do not take that final step. It may be that The Orville is a broad enough comedy to entertain as well as take on heavier fare. Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide if they are entertained or bemused and we can only hope that for once Fox doesn’t swing the act prematurely.

By Jeff Young