Blade Runner 2049 Trailer, My Thoughts

Blade Runner. One of the greats in the sci-fi film genre. Based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The film was a bit of a flop at the box office when it was originally released in 1982. However, after the film's original theatrical run ended, it has become a bit of a cult classic, and has gotten hailed as a science fiction classic. It's been regarded as a highly influential film thanks to its characters and look and mish-mash of themes, and even got inducted into the National Film Registry in 1993.

The film has spawned a small franchise, including games and books. However, it never really got a sequel (the 1998 film Soldier with Kurt Russell was considered a "side-story")...until now. Welcome back to the world of Blade Runner. Welcome to the year 2049. This is Blade Runner 2049.

The trailer begins with a vehicle that is steaming and with one of those scrolling signs warning everyone to keep clear of it. We then hear Harrison Ford's "Replicants are like any other machine" speech from what I think is the first Blade Runner. I admit, I'm not completely sure, as it has been a while since I've seen it. I own the Final Cut on DVD, but the disc is a bit messed up. A man is walking behind the vehicle. I wonder who that is.

We get a brief glimpse of a man walking on what I think is a desert. I think it might be a desert. Let's just say that the environment is not in the best of shape in the world of Blade Runner. We then see the man walk possibly cautiously towards what appears to be the head of a statue? It's a big head with some exposed support wiring. What is that giant head?

The man then walks towards a door of what looks like a large building. He goes inside, and the interior is amazing. It looks like the interior of a fancy hotel. Maybe that's what this building is, or was. I can't imagine it being a private residence. We finally get a decent look at the man's face, and...it's Ryan Gosling.

Yup, Ryan Gosling. According to the film's official synopsis, he plays a character only known as Officer K. Officer...K? Really? Okay, I know there are people out there who like to give their kids unusual names, but seriously! What kind of parents did this man have? What did he do in a past life to deserve being named "K"? I'm hoping it's just a nickname.

Anyway, Officer K is on a little quest. He's looking for the original Blade Runner. One Rick Deckard. You see, ol' Ricky kind of has...well, decided to play magician and make himself vanish for 30 years. Evidently, according to the synopsis, K Gosling has found something that what is left of society did not want him to find. The discovery has caused K to seek out Rick.

Going a bit off topic, I have to give my thoughts on the famous debate on Deckard's humanity. Basically, there has been a debate going among fans whether Rick Deckard is a replicant or not. Ridley Scott said he was one, but Harrison Ford has said he was. Hampton Fancher, one of the writers of the Blade Runner screenplay, has said he wrote Deckard as human, but likes the ambiguousness of the film. Me personally, I consider Deckard human.

Why? Well, I agree with Harrison Ford. The film does need at least one human character the audience can develop an emotional attachment to. And since Rick Deckard is the character who does get the most screen time, it makes sense the audience would attach themselves to him the most. So yeah, when it comes to that debate, I'm with Ford.

Speaking of Deckard, he finally appears. K taps a couple keys on a piano. Evidently, the piano has the power to summon Deckard when it's played, as Deckard appears, pointing a gun at K. Clearly, living in this place for thirty years has addled Deckard a bit. Maybe this hotel is the one from The Shining. That would explain it.

The final shot is of K being shown from behind walking through a crowd of what we can assume is LA, as the first film was set there, and K is an LA cop. The view of the city around him is brief, but it does have that feel of the original Blade Runner, so that's good.

There is a possibility that occurred to me. What if K is there to 'retire' (Translation: kill), Deckard? It's certainly a possibility, considering the first film never outright stated Deckard himself was a replicant, even though the film did leave open the possibility.

This teaser was pretty neat. It doesn't outright reveal everything, and it's gotten me very curious about a lot of things? Who is K? Why is he looking for Deckard? Where has he been for thirty years? What's happened in the world of Blade Runner in the intervening decades? I am eager to find out, and I can't wait for October!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year's Day, everyone!

This is the first blog post of 2017! As such, I thought it would be nice to talk about my plans for this blog in the upcoming year.

First of all, I do want to actually review some old comics. I don't think I did any of that last year. That was the original reason I started this blog in the first place, really. However, it...really strayed from that. I have so many old comics I want to look at.

I don't just want to write about old comics, though. I also want to try and get more timely when it comes to trailers and the like. I don't want to watch the trailer and then type about it around two weeks later. I really want to be more on top of that.

I also want to use this blog more to talk about things in general that I like.

In 2017, I want to be more active with this blog. I hope you enjoy my future entries.

2016, The Positives

2016. Been one heck of a year, hasn't it? The Grim Reaper has been busy, politics have takes a much more right-wing turn, and a lot of people are tired and scared.

However, I fancy myself an optimist. So, for my final blog post of this year, I wanted to show some good things did happen in 2016.

- Sri Lanka is free of malaria. That's pretty awesome. It's great to see that

- Giant Pandas no longer on endangered species list. They technically still are considered vulnerable, but their population is growing. So that's fantastic to see. Giant Pandas are cute. But Giant pandas are not the only animals making a comeback...

- Tiger populations are increasing. This is awesome. I love tigers. It's great to see these majestic animals making a comeback.

- The Juno probe reaches Jupiter. Yup, after five years, Juno has arrived at its destination. It's come to Jupiter, and it's sending information about our solar system's biggest member.

- Tim Peake is the first English ESA astronaut. This is really cool to me as I was born in Great Britain. It's awesome to see an Englishman reach the stars. The Brits are getting back into space exploration, baby!

- India plants 50 million trees. India shattered a world record as part of a commitment to reforestation. This is really neat.

- A solar-powered airplane flew across the Pacific Ocean. This is big. This means that solar power could replace fossil fuels for transcontinental flights in the future.

It's not much, but these are just a few of the really neat things that happened this year. Yeah, a lot of bad stuff happened, but so did a lot of good. And hopefully, 2017 will bring more positive things in the future. Happy New Year!  

The Literary Lair: The Ashes of Eden

When I want to relax, I like to fire up YouTube and watch review videos. I have my favorite web shows, and one of them is Michael Gleason's Literary Lair, a series in which he reviews books. It's a great show, especially if you are an avid reader.

This review, one of William Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens' Star Trek novel The Ashes of Eden, is one of my favorite episodes. I'm not sure why, to be honest. Maybe it was because I have read some of the "Shatnerverse" novels (I think I do own The Return, I'll have to hunt it down), but I have to consider this one of my favorite episodes. I'll have to hunt this book down. Looks like a fun read.

Give it a watch, and check out the rest of his Literary Lair reviews. You can find them here.

Rogue One Review

The Star Wars universe has officially gone rogue! Rogue One, that is. Yeah, I know, bad joke, I apologize. Rogue One is the first of the Star Wars Anthology films, films that are intended to tell side stories in the Star Wars universe. In Rogue One's case, it tells the tale of how the Rebel Alliance got the plans for the original Death Star, the one with the Alderaan-destroying superlaser. So, how did this film do? Was it a worthy entry in the Star Wars universe, or was it a galactic-scale disaster? Let's find out!

The film centers around Felicity Jones's Jyn Erso, the daughter of an Imperial scientist. The Rebel Alliance has been hearing about a new superweapon that the Empire has been working on, under the command of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) And one of the scientists behind it is her father, Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkaelsen. Jyn Erso joins Rebel Alliance intelligence agent Cassian Andor and K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk) to find her father and get the plans for the superweapon. Along the way, they meet the mercenary Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), the warrior monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), and a defecting Imperial cargo pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed).

My favorite characters in the film were Chirrut and K-2SO. They were two of the most fun characters in the whole movie. K-2SO was such a wonderful source of snark, and you did get the impression that Imwe was a little bit nuts.

The film was rather well made, and I liked the cast. It had some good players. The film was fun to watch from beginning to end. It had a good pace, and the battle scenes were amazing to watch. It also featured a couple of surprise cameos I never expected. Let's just say that the tech used to pull them off was impressive.

I've heard some say the darker tone is a bit off-putting for this film. I didn't mind it in the least. In fact, I found the darker tone appropriate. This is a war film, after all. I like that it showed a more realistic take on the Rebellion. These are people who had to do what it took to fight the Empire, including stealing and killing. The world of Star Wars is more gray than one realizes. I also did enjoy the fan service in the movie. Some may not like it, but me personally, I had no issue with it. It did not feel forced to me. In fact, one appearance in particular really amazed me with how well it was pulled off.

I can't really think of much to complain about with this movie, to be honest. Except for one thing. Minor spoiler here, I'd have liked to have seen more with how Galen convinced Brodi to defect. Otherwise that, I have no real issues with the movie. I did have one other issue, but I can't discuss it here for spoiler reasons.

Rogue One is an amazing film. Give it a watch. If you're not, WHY ARE YOU NOT?! If you're a Star Wars fan, it's a given you'll love this film. If you ever were really a nut for the franchise like I was, give it a watch anyway. It's still great.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone out there! May your day be filled with cheer and joy!

Movies to watch on Christmas, My Updated Thoughts

Hey, everyone! It's that time of year again! As the song goes, "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." A couple of years ago, I did a blog entry in which I talked about my favorite movies to watch during the Christmas season. Since I'm feeling a bit lazy, I thought I'd show the list again, and do my updated thoughts on them. Yeah, I'm George Lucas-ing this thing.

As I have said, I'm a bit of a film nut, so I enjoy watching movies on Christmas. As such, I recommended some films to watch on Christmas Day...if you celebrate it. You don't have to celebrate Christmas to watch these movies, they're still great.

Gremlins (1984)



Released the same year as Ghostbusters (it seemed that at the time, combining horror and humor was a thing in movies), I do feel that Gremlins sometimes does get overshadowed. Think about it. Ghostbusters has been going strong for over thirty years as a franchise, getting movies, two cartoon series, comics, video games, and a recent reboot that got mixed reception and has the power to make fanboys throw temper tantrums. Gremlins...not much. I know there was a Game Boy game based on the second one, and there were a couple of games for the Atari 2600 and 5200 based on the first one, but that's about it, as far as I know. Would love to see a comic book.

The film is about an inventor's son named Billy Peltzer who gets a creature known as a mogwai, which he names Gizmo. However, mogwai come with three rules of care: Do not expose to light (because light can kill mogwai), do not feed after midnight (because mogwai turn into monsterous gremlins), and do not get a mogwai wet (because it makes them reproduce and create more mogwai). You can guess what happens next. Yup, gremlins wreak havoc all over a small town at Christmas time.

Why do I consider it a Christmas film? Well, it's set on Christmas. It's a good film if you got a bit of a twisted sense of humor, or if you are tired of Christmas specials that can get a bit sappy and/or schmaltzy and want something a little different.

I love this film for many reasons. The Gremlins' antics are hilarious to watch, and as someone who doesn't really have the stomach for horror movies, the comedy gives me a reason to watch. To me, the funniest part is how the Gremlins unintentionally give the mean Mrs. Deagle her comeuppance. The rest of the film is enjoyable, too. The actors do great work with their roles, and it's very well-made. There's also a cameo by Chuck Jones. Old-school Looney Tunes fans should look out for him.

As long as I'm talking about this one, I do want to recommend that you give the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a viewing as well. It's more light in tone, but it's still a funny movie, and I think it's a great sequel with some great laughs.

 

A Christmas Story (1983)

 

 

This film has become a classic Christmas film. In fact, TNT broadcasts the film in a marathon for 24 hours every Christmas Day. It even got into the National Film Registry in 2012. Yup, this film was considered important enough to be preserved by the Library of Congress. I think it's one of the only films in this list that was given such an honor.

Based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (Which was a collection of short stories) by Jean Shepherd, it tells the tale of a young boy named Ralphie Parker of Hohman, Indiana, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, and his family in the days leading up to Christmas Day. The original stories were semi-autobiographical, based on Shepherd's own childhood in Hammond, Indiana. In fact, the narrator in the movie? That's the late Jean Shepherd himself. Yup, that's his genuine voice. He made his name in radio.

I think it's a film that's required viewing on Christmas. Many elements and scenes from the film have become rather iconic, from the leg lamp the Old Man lusts over, the Old Man vs. the neighbor's dogs and his battle with the heater, to Ralphie's pink bunny suit, "You'll shoot your eye out", and Flick's tongue getting stuck to the pole. Classic stuff.

I never thought about it as a kid, but now, there is something about the film I have thought about recently. You see, I always thought the film was set in the 1950s. However, in the DVD commentary, Bob Clark (the film's director), revealed that he and Shepherd wanted the film to be seen as set in a time around the late-30s, early 1940s. I imagine it's a source of debate among fans of the movie.

 

If you haven't seen it, give it a watch. It's fun, and rather sweet.

 

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

 

 

 

Much like A Christmas Story, this film focuses on a family's misadventures during the holiday season. In this film's case, it focuses on the ever-hapless Griswolds, especially their mishap-prone patriarch Clark Griswold, played by of course, Chevy Chase.

Based on the short story "Christmas '59" from the National Lampoon magazine, which was written by the same man who wrote the film, John Hughes. That's actually really neat, that he got adapt his own story to other media. That's pretty neat.

Clark Griswold just wants to have in his own words, "A fun, old-fashioned family Christmas", but it seems that fate has other plans in mind for that. Bickering relatives, Christmas lights being hopelessly entangled, yuppie neighbors, Cousin Eddie, and even a rampaging squirrel threaten to wreck Clark's dreams. Through it all, Clark realizes what Christmas means to him after all.

This film has been regarded as a modern Christmas classic, and it's not hard to see why. It's funny, well-made, and it's genuinely heartwarming at times. My favorite scene in the whole film? Clark Griswold's epic cursing out of his boss after his Christmas bonus turns out...not quite like he hoped.

The theme song, Mavis Staples's "Christmas Vacation", never fails to make me smile. Give it a listen here.

 



Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

 

 

 

You know how many superheroes have origin tales? Superman, rocketed to earth from the doomed planet Krypton. Batman, death of parents leads him to take of the life of a crime fighter. Spider-Man, bitten by radioactive spider and learns a lesson about power and responsibility from a tragedy. This film was an attempt to tell the origins of Santa Claus, produced by the team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind, who also produced the 1977 Superman film.

 

The film tells how a peasant named Claus ends up becoming the Santa Claus we know of today, and also tries to explain other aspects of the Santa Claus mythos, like how his reindeer fly, and how he manages to ascend chimneys. Honestly, I like the idea of it. I do like the idea of exploring how Santa became the Santa we know and love. Grant Morrison has been doing something similar recently with his comic Klaus. I would love to pick it up, heard it was pretty good.

The film also focuses on an elf named Patch, played by the late, great Dudley Moore. An inventive elf, and feeling unappreciated, Patch goes out on his own, and falls under the wing of an evil toymaker named B.Z., the step-uncle of a rich girl Santa befriends. B.Z., played by John Lithgow, seeks to displace Santa as the provider of children's toys on Christmas, and with Patch as his pawn, he just may do it.

My major criticism is really, with the villain. John Lithgow does the best he can with what he's got to work with, and his scenery-chewing is fun to watch, but it's clear that not a lot of thought was put into the character. For example, the toys B.Z. makes. They're shoddy. I get that he wants to displace Santa as the premier provider of children's toys on Christmas, but it would make more sense to make high-quality toys. Sheesh. Not to mention...what does B.Z. stand for?!

Despite the flaws, the film has become a bit of a cult classic, and it is worth a watch, especially on this time of year.

 

Die Hard (1988)

 

 

Yes. Yes, I consider this a Christmas movie.

Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, albeit heavily altered in ways, it stars Bruce Willis as NYPD cop John McClane. McClane has come to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly Gennaro, portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia. However, the visit turns into a nightmare when a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (the late great Alan Rickman) take over the building they were in. It's up to McClane to stop the terrorists, whose motives may not be what everyone thinks...

 

This film showed that Bruce Willis, who was mainly known for comedic performances on TV (One word: Moonlighting), could not only be an action star, but be a bankable one. Die Hard was a critical and box office smash, creating a franchise that has encompassed five films, with a sixth in preproduction. Yeah, it's about ready to start competing with Star Trek for amount of sequels.

I love this film for many reasons. Rickman and Willis steal the show, and Reginald VelJohnson is underrated, in my opinion. Everyone does some great work in this movie, and it has some great dialogue and action sequences. It also does some clever things with action film tropes. If you're looking for something more...action-packed for Christmas, give this a watch.

There's my list of recommendations for Christmas time film-watching. Heh, they're all from the 80s. Who'd have thought that? Maybe that decade was a bit of a Golden Era for these kind of movies? I have no idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old blog entry that I George Lucas'd up.