Happy Monday, peeps, and here's another cause and a pause for celebration as today's page -- May 21st -- has reached its benchmark 50 citations!  Way to go, me ... and, of course, you for remaining one of SciFiHistory.Net's faithful readers.

Check out May 21st's citations right here.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

I'm an old school Superman fan from way back in my youth, and that's why the news of Margot Kidder's passing hits me hard on this day in SciFiHistory.  For all intents and purposes, she was my first Lois Lane as I was never quite a fan of the popular 1950's television incarnation.  (For the record, I didn't hate it; it just never quite struck me as all that interesting.)  For a handful of Super-movies, she paired up opposite Christopher Reeve, delivering what many thought to be a wonderfully contemporary version of a feminized non-Superhero, always ready with a quip to help put that dullard Clark Kent back on his heels.

I do recall from some reading that she'd fallen on hard times -- a fate which befalls many actors and actresses who can't secure work in their later years -- but here's hoping that, in the end, she accomplished everything she wanted as a fellow human being.  Certainly, her legacy will live on so long as there are movies featuring superheroes and those who share their space, and that looks to be for many years ahead.

​May she rest in peace ...

I'd recently received an email regarding why there hadn't been any updates to the FrontPage area of SciFiHistory.Net, and the short and sweet answer is two-fold: (1) I didn't have anything I felt strong enough to post and (2) I've been working a side gig helping a fellow friend get his business back on track after some corporate chaos.  But with May 14th I'm back on the feed -- so to speak -- and I noticed that the 14th is the first 50+ citation day for the month, a definite cause for celebration!

So keep your eyes out for some new content.  I have a few items in the hopper, but never forget that the days are really what this site is all about.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Like so many, I was fascinated with the whole ‘Mayan Prophecy’ of our alleged ‘End Times.’  (Yeah, that one that didn’t quite come to pass.)  I’ve always argued that there’s something innate about humanity’s fascination with our own demise, be it weather-driven, computer-driven, or Zombie-driven catastrophes.  There’s something deep within each of us that compels us to contemplate “the end of life as we know it,” and it’s that same compulsion driving us to gaze over at car crashes and such: we just can’t help but hope to catch a glimpse of ‘The Big Sleep,’ and so much of what the Mayans prophesied taps into those dark corners of our collective consciousness.

All too often, however, storytellers try to cash in on said fears: they’re perfectly willing to break bread with our impending doom yet sadly bring not so much as a dish to pass to the potluck.  They cheat by drawing us in, daring viewers to wait for the big finish, only to disappoint, doling out dog-worthy scraps instead of a shared meal.  Such is the case with Joaquin Rodriguez’s Curse Of The Mayans, a direct-to-DVD release (so far as I’ve been able to find) tempting mankind to explore one more diversion into what could’ve been … or may even yet to be.
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From the product packaging:
“In present day, Dr. Alan Green, an American professor discovers the manuscript and the ark during his studies and believes he has found the key to the lost Mayan culture.  He travels to Mexico and hires an expert team of cave divers led by Danielle Noble to explore an underwater labyrinth where he hopes to unearth more secrets about how the Mayans lived and why they disappeared …”

There’s more, but not much of it provides sufficient excuse for audiences to invest serious time in this Curse.  Suffice it to say, writer/director Rodriguez hasn’t made a bad film: rather, it’s more like a travelogue wherein the plot of a B-flick suddenly broke out.

For those of you who have never experienced a legitimate travelogue, here’s an explanation: back in the days of my youth, worldwide travelers used to be invited to the local high school auditorium or gymnasium for the purposes of putting on an informational slide show about a particular trip of theirs.  Educators used to think this was a way to bring the trials and tribulations of the Ugandan people to their students, but – being perfectly honest – all of the ones I attended (some required, some for extra credit) were relatively uninspired if not downright snore-inducing.  No matter how they try, it’s hard to capture the beauty and majesty of the Third World in two-dimensional flickerings projected onto small silver screens, but kudos to all of those who gave it the sailor’s try.

And no matter how hard he tried, Rodriguez barely achieves the same results with his Curse: the rich culture of the Mayans – what little of it gets airtime here – feels less authentic and more staged for the purposes of a future audience.  Oh, the production quality is there – much like the travel shows of my teens – but it isn’t all that interesting, nor does it sufficiently add depth of his paper-thin monster story of how they left behind a monster that’ll prophesize an alien race’s return.

​Admirably, Curse tries to follow in the mold of other features that’ve already provided a foundation for such a tale.  Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise as well as the multiple Predator flicks revolve around various crews hell bent on surviving their respective brushes with creatures, and Curse’s greatest asset lies in lead diver Danielle Noble (played by Carla Ortiz).  She’s athletic and occasionally passionate about her work, giving smart watchers something to focus on other than some nifty underwater photography.  Rodriguez’s script even gives her the requisite emotional baggage which threatens her performance, and – like Alien’s Ellen Ripley – Noble must come to grips with past failures in order to kinda/sorta survive an impending tragedy.  Dare I say: I’ve already seen Ripley in action, milady, and you’re no Ellen Ripley.

​At around 90 minutes in length, Curse is just too muddled by characters who mean little and circumstances that don’t add flavor to an already flat center. I don’t doubt that maybe – just maybe – there’s a nifty li’l 30-minute ‘Twilight Zone’ episode in here, but as this one stands viewers are better suited to fast forward to the second half and spare themselves the agony of inconsequential banter.  The ending promises more to come – much in the way any good ‘Zone’ did – but I, for on, hope this is the only dip into these waters we take.  As it stands, this 'Lara Croft' is all wet.

​Like so many of us who blog these days, I, too, was there in the theatres when George Lucas first promised to whisk us off to a galaxy far, far away.
 
I was understandably captivated with Star Wars.  I had the action figures.  I read the comics.  I listened to the soundtrack album constantly.  I drank it all in, and I swam ably and as often as I could in its cinematic ocean.  True, I had first wanted to grow up to be Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, but Luke Skywalker?  Where Kirk had swagger, Luke wrapped himself in a kind of youthful optimism that made you think he, too, probably relished the prospect of going where no man had gone before.  Young Skywalker was about as admirable a second place as a young guy my age could want, though perhaps a bit too whiny to legitimately be called ‘a new hope’ when he was.
 
In a manner many storytellers have tried to understand and replicate, Star Wars lit the fuse for a generation of moviegoers, exploding into our collective consciousness the way only the best space fantasies always have.  One of those truly inspired by all things Lucas was a young JJ Abrams, the auteur eventually tasked with bringing the franchise back to silver screens everywhere with The Force Awakens (2015).  With it, Abrams paved the way for a new generation of heroes – Rey, Finn, and Poe – to carry the torch for audiences new and old, perhaps guaranteeing The Force will be with us (always) whether we wanted it or not.
 
Still, for all its studio polish, I found Awakens a creative ‘dud’ for many of the same reasons fanboys and girls my age did: it was simply too derivative.
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​Every narrative ‘beat’ felt like it had been fashioned to deliberately harken back to Lucas’s Original Trilogy – the band of upstart rebels, the planet-destroying weaponry, the race to save the galaxy from certain destruction, etc. – and much of the story revolved around these new characters who just (dare I say?) weren’t all that interesting.  While Daisy Ridley’s ‘Rey’ was inspired, John Boyega’s ‘Finn’ seemed like watered-down Will Smith (the actor) circa 1990 and Oscar Isaac’s ‘Poe’ sounded like watered down Han Solo (the character).  The villainous Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver) spent much of his screen time throwing tantrums like some X-generation Bond villain holdover (how did he possibly survive Sith much less Jedi training with this attitude?); and Domhnall Gleeson delivered the best Nazi propaganda speeches since the Third Reich.
 
To make matters worse, Abrams entire script postulated that all of the gains of that bold Original Trilogy truly amounted to nothing in the fate of the greater galaxy.  The Rebellion – that fateful organization which returned freedom and free will to the Galactic Senate – was held in contempt by the surviving government.  To the victors went none of the spoils; instead, Leia and company were forced to spin-off on their own into The Resistance.  And The Empire?  Well, it didn’t go away in the slightest.  In fact, it just opened up shop under a new name, too: The First Order.  Even had its own evil Emperor – Supreme Leader Snoke – at its head with its own Vader Jr. (Kylo Ren) as his enforcer.  They dropped ‘The Sith’ and replaced it with ‘The Knights of Ren’... and you can probably see where I’m going with all of this.  Nothing was new.  Nothing was fresh.  It was, simply, handed down.
 
Despite vanquishing the forces of evil, Luke and his friends weren’t so much as rewarded with a single Republic franchise for their effort.  Abrams’ carefully undid everything the Original Trilogy accomplished: he simply erased the blackboard and started anew, bringing back a few familiar faces to … what?  Make it all somehow seem fresh?
 
Thankfully, writer/director Rian Johnson shed so much of Abrams’ paper-thin ideas and simply focused on telling a story with 2017’s Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.  Heck, he even dispatches a few of those unnecessary creations in pretty grand fashion, trimming the cast and giving the franchise a much-needed makeover for a new generation of Force-lovers.  Now, The Last Jedi may not be perfect.  It may not – at times – make perfect sense.  But it’s the kind of wild ride audiences probably expect from the name ‘Walt Disney.’
 
Essentially what carries this film is the budding relationship between Rey and Kylo.  Although there’s sadly still no explanation offered for Rey’s sudden onset of Jedi mastery, Kylo continues to wrench apart at the seams with each passing failure (and there are plenty).  Though spiritually at odds, they’re somehow connected by what appears to be much more than just The Force.  To their credit, Driver and Ridley have found a shared dramatic center, and Johnson’s script pushes the envelope in a weird kinda/sorta ‘will they or won’t they’ dynamic.  There is goodness and evil pulling them apart in equal measure, and this duo get terrific mileage out of their galaxy-spanning tête-à-tête.

For what it’s worth, The Last Jedi is the kind of film best watched in much the same way many of its exquisite action sequences work best: at light speed.  When it slows down and tries to make broader sense of its characters, situations, and circumstances, it just doesn’t quite work as well as it should.  (Why is it that an entire fleet with light speed capabilities can’t seem to get ahead of the fleeing Resistance ships?  Was it necessary to have the entirely CGI character of Maz Kanata ‘phone in’ a holographic cameo?  How exactly would bombers work in the zero gravity of outer space?  Did we have to spend so much time on the gambling planet?  And is Benecio del Toro stuttering?  Didn't he already do that in The Usual Suspects?)  Johnson’s script is too often clunky as side plots feed into the central premise of The Empire striking back, and many of these diversions require more time, weight, and explanation than they’re given.  Consequently, some of the antics “feel” a bit too much like “antics” instead of necessary AND thoughtful organic developments.
 
If those points aren’t enough, then how about:

• Luke’s motivation for leaving the galaxy high and dry might seem pure, but his personal predicament is a far cry from the young Jedi who just decades earlier would stop at nothing to save his friends and family from certain doom.
• Finn’s mysterious illness vanishes as quickly as it came.  In its place?  A mortal adversary – Captain Phasma – who never quite displays the moxie behind the vaunted reputation either film has given her.
• Poe’s inability to follow orders would likely have him grounded for life, if not thrown out of any respectable military ever.
• Snoke’s background remains shrouded in mystery, and – without ruining it – audiences might know nothing more of him.  Ever.
• The Knights of Ren?  They remain as elusive as our world’s Knights of Columbus.
• And Leia?  Well, she managed to lead The Resistance nearly into oblivion, with no one in the galaxy seemingly noting nor caring.  How’s that for leadership?

 
There are more quibbles, mind you, but I’m trying not to spoil some of what makes the film worth a viewing.  I know, I know.  Nitpicking, right?  Well, if it’s “nitpicking” to want things to make narrative sense, then I suppose I am.
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​Despite these shortcomings, I’ll admit that I still found The Last Jedi a rollicking blast.

Like any good carnival attraction, it’ll have you on the edge of your seat as you ride over the rails.  Unlike The Force Awakens (which I found to be one of the worst big budget examples of fan fiction ever produced), Jedi captures the spirit of high adventure that mostly made the Original Trilogy a bucket of fun.  The Force is back the way it was always meant to be – an almost lyrical current beneath the galaxy at large – and, despite the ominous title, it’s clear to this viewer that those rascally warriors with their laser swords are always only a generation away.

At some point in his professional life and career, Leonard Nimoy underwent a cultural epiphany.  See, not long after his first foray in the realm of Star Trek, the actor penned an autobiographical tome called "I Am Not Spock" in an attempt to distance himself from the popular character he had helped craft on the Gene Roddenberry franchise.  Years later, he kinda/sorta rethought his position, and -- realizing he wishes to correct the record -- wrote and sold another even vastly more popular work called "I Am Spock" in which he came to terms with playing a pop culture icon that will forever be a part of television history.

Ahem.

Enter Wil Wheaton ...

For those unaware, Wheaton found SciFi fame in the role of Ensign Wesley Crusher aboard the revered Star Trek: The Next Generation, but his character didn't enjoy the warm reception that the Vulcan Spock did.  Arguably, Crusher is quite probably as revered as he is hated amongst even the most forgiving Star Trek enthusiasts.  And -- to be perfectly fair -- none of this is really "owed" in any part to Wheaton: Crusher was simply -- in my humble estimation -- an addition to Trek that wasn't well written or conceived.  He was always a little too wide-eyed and nerdy for my tastes, and the writers inserted the young man into situations oft times with dialogue that seemed written for someone half his perceived age.  I think Wheaton probably did the best he could with what he was given, but he's always seemed to take issue and/or umbrage with fans online who sound off on Wesley's awesomeness and awfulness.

In fact, I think it was just this last year that the actor threatened to block any and all persons taking part in the 'Shut up, Wesley' memes that occasionally surface on the web.  (The meme is owed to an episode of The Next Generation wherein Capt. Jean-Luc Picard famously told the boy to do just that.)  Wheaton didn't want the meme to spread any longer, so he took it upon himself to run point on a mission to wipe it from virtual existence.  (I think it was actor Patrick Stewart who -- just as famously -- chimed in with "Shut up, Wil," at this point.)

Word comes from an article on Screen Rant (here) that now Wheaton is focusing his sights on the forthcoming toy issue of Star Trek: The Next Generation minifigs in which his character is blessed with a crying, boyish face.  Though he claims to 'get' the joke, the actor is still calling the effort lazy and uninspired and suggests such foolishness might be turning kids off science.

Might I suggest that Mr. Wheaton take a page or two out of Nimoy's shared epiphanies and be a bit more thankful that he's been given such a perch in TV history?  Is it so bad to be forever linked with a character that's still inspiring the best AND perhaps the worst in us?  Mind you, I'm not trying to sound jealous here, but -- at some point -- actors are just actors playing a role, and maybe it could be left at that?  I don't doubt that maybe there's a bit of personal chiding that goes hand-in-hand public ridicule, but in the grand scope of history isn't this little more than small potatoes?

As always, thanks for reading, live long and prosper, and May The Force Be With You!

As a longtime fan of The X-Files, I wasn't all that thrilled with the weak return of episodes Season 10 provided via Fox TV back in 2016.

Now, I don't say this as any slight to the actors or writers.  I think much of the blame is honestly owed to series showrunner Chris Carter who took the franchise in some -- ahem -- less curious directions after about Season 5 or so.  Once he started undoing the mythology that had been so cleverly crafted with more conventional explanations, X lost a lot of its luster for me, and as much as I love seeing TV's most revered pairing of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson strut their stuff I've always been more of a 'story-guy' ... and X just hasn't been all that interesting in several seasons.

In any event, word has it that Gillian has had enough: the A.V. Club has cited an interview she's provided the media in anticipation of Season 11 starting just this week wherein the actress confirms her days with the franchise are, indeed, numbered.  You can check out the blurb right here.

As always, thanks for reading, live long and prosper, and May The Force Be With You!

Wow: that was quick!

Not long after creating so much controversy with his first foray into the greater universe of Star Wars with The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson is heading back to the galaxy far, far away just this year as Geek Tyrant reports that his new trilogy will start shooting relatively soon right here.

For those who've been asking, the answer is "yes, I have seen the new flick," but I've kinda/sorta held off from penning a review.  As I mentioned above, the feature has been somewhat controversial with audiences and online peeps -- in some cases for reasons I agreed with, in some cases I could dispute -- and I'm trying to come up with something unique to say about it.  The straight skinny is that I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I think I did so for reasons that tie in with my open dislike and disappointment over JJ Abrams' lackluster The Force Awakens.  I give you my word that I'll get something up -- probably soon -- but don't look for it to be anything world-shaking in the slightest.

​As always, thanks for reading, live long and prosper, and May The Force Be With You!

There's a reason I always caution readers to take anything (if not everything) I say with a grain of salt.

Unlike other bloggers, I don't pretend to know everything.  All I do know is based on my own reading and experiences, as well as facts and tips I get passed on to me (occasionally) from others both in the entertainment business and beyond.  And when studio advertising executives try to convince you that they have 'the next big thing' in store for you, don't ever believe it.  Their job -- as a matter of fact -- is to make you accept such a promise (and premise) without a second thought, and I'm just not wired that way, especially when it comes to studio executives.  (Remember: they were the ones that passed on Star Wars so often that George Lucas pretty much had to do anything he could to get 20th Century Fox to give him a chance.)

2014's Ex Machina was a great Science Fiction feature, but -- in my opinion -- it wasn't all that "original."  Alex Garland's deep and personal look at living with Artificial Intelligence is pretty grand and exciting ... but "original"?  Well, it's only original if you haven't seen the treasure trove of films and TV series' episodes that had already explored such an idea ad infinitum.  What Ex Machina did, however, was bring the topic to the attention of the greater entertainment industry AND its critical intelligentsia; and thus a modest-sized blockbuster was born.  (Again, I'm not nitpicking here so much as I'm trying to be brutally honest: I like the film, but I just didn't think it was all that "original" ... so take that, haters!)

Next up for Mr. Garland is Annihilation.  It's based on a novel by Jeff VanderMeer.  The trailer dropped, and I wanted to get it up here on SciFiHistory.Net for those interested in such projects.  Hopefully this one will be (minimally) as interesting as Ex Machina as Garland does do some pretty spiffy work.
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Well, ain't that a kick in the seat of the pants ...

Awhile back, I'd read something about SciFi novelist Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon receiving the small screen treatment, but I honestly thought I'd read it was heading to the Starz Network.  (I say this only because I'm a Starz subscriber, and I recall being jazzed about the potential.)  However, this latest trailer/tease indicates that the property is going the way of Netflix, and -- sadly -- I don't Netflix.  (I realize that, to some of you Millennials, that probably makes me the AntiChrist.)  Still, I enjoyed the book but found it occasionally a bit muddled if not confusing: I didn't quite always understand Morgan's futureworld, but the premise of'sleeving' from body to body for near-immortality is always appealing.

In any event, the trailer looks spiffy in an almost Blade Runner way.  I figure you kids who patronize the anti-American Netflix will have to keep me up-to-date with the show's developments until it drops on home video (DVD).  Check out the tease below if you're interested.
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