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All too often it's been said that ladies can't make for a successful Science Fiction franchise, and -- all too often -- I've said "hogwash" right back. Peeps, I encourage you to take a good, hard look at all of the popular franchises and tell me there isn't more than a fair share of quality estrogen worked in there at some point. In fact, one could argue that many of the best properties rely heavily on the kinder, gentler gender.
What does it take to be a successful SciFi lady? Well, it never hurts that most of them are downright sexier-than-Hell (never a disadvantage), but there's much much more working beneath the surface for these women. It takes Aayla Secura's commitment to justice. It takes Sikozu's cunning. It takes Clarke Griffin's persistence. It takes Diana Skouris's faith. And, yes, it even takes just a wee little bit of Miss Hartigan's deceit.
Why ... who would've guessed that all of this would be available from the ladies of SciFi who celebrate a birthday on October 24th?
Be certain to check out today's full accounting of highlights:
October 24th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
What does it take to be a successful SciFi lady? Well, it never hurts that most of them are downright sexier-than-Hell (never a disadvantage), but there's much much more working beneath the surface for these women. It takes Aayla Secura's commitment to justice. It takes Sikozu's cunning. It takes Clarke Griffin's persistence. It takes Diana Skouris's faith. And, yes, it even takes just a wee little bit of Miss Hartigan's deceit.
Why ... who would've guessed that all of this would be available from the ladies of SciFi who celebrate a birthday on October 24th?
Be certain to check out today's full accounting of highlights:
October 24th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
Well now. It isn't every day of the SciFi year that SciFiHistory.Net gets to celebrates a genius the likes of which Al Yankovic remains throughout his illustrious career, and that's sayin' somethin', peeps. With his hits 'Yoda' and 'The Saga Begins,' Al has helped the cause of Star Wars so much that he's even received affectionate nods from no less than George Lucas. Kudos there, and kudos to the great parodies and satires that have to date sprung from Al's fertile mind.
I'll leave it at that today.
Be certain to check out and share today's highlights:
October 23rd
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
I'll leave it at that today.
Be certain to check out and share today's highlights:
October 23rd
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
One of the truths involving great Science Fiction is that it takes any idea -- no matter how complex -- and makes it accessible for the reader, viewer, or general enthusiast. Like Steven Spielberg did in bringing Michael Crichton's bestselling Jurassic Park to big, bold, brash cinematic life. In it, Jeff Goldblum gives a great little verbal dissertation about Chaos Theory in such a way that it becomes part and parcel of the main story. That's exactly what I'm talking about, and that's exactly why we'll give Mr. Goldblum a big shout-out today for his birthday.
Be certain to check out all of the day's SciFi highlights:
October 22nd
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
Be certain to check out all of the day's SciFi highlights:
October 22nd
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
As I've mentioned before, Science Fiction stylistically looks different with each successive generation. Much of this is obviously owed to the evolution of big- and small-screen special effects, but it goes further than that. For example, take a look at the vehicle above -- the massive rover featured in 1977's Damnation Alley (which premiered on this day back then) -- and just compare it in your mind's eye with the vastly more gritty, functional, and complex vehicles of the most recent visit to the Mad Max apocalypse -- Fury Road.
Designs change, and what works in motion pictures changes. That alone is one reason why I've always been captivated by the various worlds created in our beloved genre, and that alone keeps me coming back for more, more, and more.
Be sure to check out today's highlights:
October 21st
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
Designs change, and what works in motion pictures changes. That alone is one reason why I've always been captivated by the various worlds created in our beloved genre, and that alone keeps me coming back for more, more, and more.
Be sure to check out today's highlights:
October 21st
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
Memories can be powerful instruments to drive personal change. They teach us. They guide us. They serve as cautionary speed bumps as we travel down the road of life, always present to remind us of where we’ve been as well as what we did that caused us pain, remorse, happiness, and even unbridled elation. But the sad sorry truth is that, inevitably, recollections of events not only help shape us into the people perhaps we were all destined to be but also not necessarily that who we wished we were.
This is the realm which writer/director Jose Nestor Marquez fathoms with his melodramatic SciFi potboiler – Reversion – which opens theatrically this October 9th.
In it, actress Aja Naomi King (ABC TV’s How To Get Away With Murder) stars as Sophie Clé, senior marketing executive to her father’s company on the verge of revolutionizing the tech industry with the release of the Oubli, a wearable device that highlights and deeply enhances a positive personal memory of the user’s choosing. By amplifying all the best that remembrance has to offer, the tool becomes a means to perfect the individual’s ability to achieve a kind of personal harmony, thereby maximizing the possibility to lead a better life.
As a Science Fiction film, Reversion rather easily taps into a world “just around the corner,” familiar enough to encourage a more mainstream audience to take notice but willing to ask more than a few cerebral questions about reality that’ll keep the nerdier of us interested. In fact, the Oubli operates via an APP interface on the user’s tablet or SmartPhone not all that unlike the Bluetooth-enabled ‘fitness’ tech that’s all today’s consumer rage. Marquez’s script is smart and timely, offering audiences a glimpse into one of the popular ‘what if’ scenarios that drives so much of the better stories that dabble in futurism. At all times, this tale remains one with a decidedly human focus, but it’s a yarn that relies on the technological inclusion in order to unfold the way it does.
This is the realm which writer/director Jose Nestor Marquez fathoms with his melodramatic SciFi potboiler – Reversion – which opens theatrically this October 9th.
In it, actress Aja Naomi King (ABC TV’s How To Get Away With Murder) stars as Sophie Clé, senior marketing executive to her father’s company on the verge of revolutionizing the tech industry with the release of the Oubli, a wearable device that highlights and deeply enhances a positive personal memory of the user’s choosing. By amplifying all the best that remembrance has to offer, the tool becomes a means to perfect the individual’s ability to achieve a kind of personal harmony, thereby maximizing the possibility to lead a better life.
As a Science Fiction film, Reversion rather easily taps into a world “just around the corner,” familiar enough to encourage a more mainstream audience to take notice but willing to ask more than a few cerebral questions about reality that’ll keep the nerdier of us interested. In fact, the Oubli operates via an APP interface on the user’s tablet or SmartPhone not all that unlike the Bluetooth-enabled ‘fitness’ tech that’s all today’s consumer rage. Marquez’s script is smart and timely, offering audiences a glimpse into one of the popular ‘what if’ scenarios that drives so much of the better stories that dabble in futurism. At all times, this tale remains one with a decidedly human focus, but it’s a yarn that relies on the technological inclusion in order to unfold the way it does.
From the publicity materials: “Reversion centers on Sophie Clé, a delighted user of the Oubli, a wisp of high-tech jewelry that wraps behind the ear and uses neuroscience to help users experience their most joyful memories as if they were happening for the first time. In addition to being the head of marketing for the company that makes this revolutionary memory-enhancing wearable device, she is also the daughter of its inventor, Jack Clé (Colm Feore). Sophie’s most joyful memory is the last day she saw her mother alive, fifteen years earlier. But on the eve of the Oubli’s worldwide launch, a stranger named Isa (Jeanette Samano) kidnaps Sophie, setting off a chain of events that remind us all, you can’t escape what you can’t forget.”
In traditional mystery fashion, Sophie finds herself drawn further and further into what appears to be a case of mistaken identity behind a fateful occurrence between her parents. On this quest for the truth, her only confidante remains Ayden, her company-provided chauffeur and bodyguard. Ayden is played by Gary Dourdan, formerly part of the ensemble of players aboard CBS TV’s powerful CSI franchise. For my tastes, Dourdan was pretty perfectly cast as the soft-spoken outsider who knows more than he’s willing to let on; as he begrudgingly realizes Sophie will stop at nothing to reveal facts she finds in conflict with reality (or even what she believes it to be), all he can do is walk that fine line between service and loyalty even at the risk of his own life.
As a potboiler, however, Reversion isn’t perfect, much like the science it depicts.
In traditional mystery fashion, Sophie finds herself drawn further and further into what appears to be a case of mistaken identity behind a fateful occurrence between her parents. On this quest for the truth, her only confidante remains Ayden, her company-provided chauffeur and bodyguard. Ayden is played by Gary Dourdan, formerly part of the ensemble of players aboard CBS TV’s powerful CSI franchise. For my tastes, Dourdan was pretty perfectly cast as the soft-spoken outsider who knows more than he’s willing to let on; as he begrudgingly realizes Sophie will stop at nothing to reveal facts she finds in conflict with reality (or even what she believes it to be), all he can do is walk that fine line between service and loyalty even at the risk of his own life.
As a potboiler, however, Reversion isn’t perfect, much like the science it depicts.
While the premise remains solid, Sophie rarely drives the story forward with her own convictions. Instead, her character is more often the recipient of other’s efforts – she practically stumbles into revelation after revelation here rather than uncover anything organically – always playing the victim instead of a detective hell bent on getting to the bottom of it … whatever ‘it’ may be. And actress King occasionally looks perhaps a bit too young at times to convincingly pull off all shades of Marquez’s troubled creation. Still, that lends itself well to the infomercial-like portrayal Reversion gives to the Oubli: she’s always the beautiful, wrinkle-free face of consumer-sought blissfulness.
Both Feore and Dourdan’s performances are reliable – if not occasionally predictable – as it’s clear fairly early on that their motivations were always intended to remain suspect from start-to-finish. Are they the guilty parties, or are they merely covering up some even darker secret? As an actor, Feore has always maintained a workmanlike charm even in his more obscure roles; and – though the tabloids have had a field day with his personal struggles – Dourdan remains a bankable talent who easily inhabits alpha males with a tortured undercurrent like his ‘Ayden’ here. Personally, I’d love to see both of them get more work, but the industry it what it is.
In the end, Reversion reverts to what some may find to be solutions all-too-easy, but I’d argue that’s exactly the human condition the film best explores: in our core, we’re all creatures of habit, and those habits will always (always!) take us back to moments of clarity … much like the Oubli’s central purpose. What we choose to do with that information will define as well as haunt us because we can never fully escape the humanity – or inhumanity – that’s as much a part of our past as it is our future. Thankfully, there’ll never be an APP for that.
Both Feore and Dourdan’s performances are reliable – if not occasionally predictable – as it’s clear fairly early on that their motivations were always intended to remain suspect from start-to-finish. Are they the guilty parties, or are they merely covering up some even darker secret? As an actor, Feore has always maintained a workmanlike charm even in his more obscure roles; and – though the tabloids have had a field day with his personal struggles – Dourdan remains a bankable talent who easily inhabits alpha males with a tortured undercurrent like his ‘Ayden’ here. Personally, I’d love to see both of them get more work, but the industry it what it is.
In the end, Reversion reverts to what some may find to be solutions all-too-easy, but I’d argue that’s exactly the human condition the film best explores: in our core, we’re all creatures of habit, and those habits will always (always!) take us back to moments of clarity … much like the Oubli’s central purpose. What we choose to do with that information will define as well as haunt us because we can never fully escape the humanity – or inhumanity – that’s as much a part of our past as it is our future. Thankfully, there’ll never be an APP for that.
- Published on
Oh, bless my lucky stars, September 17th is bringing us a wide variety of SciFi properties, smilers. Several of today's highlights might be a bit older than most of today's young pups are used to, but such is the case with our beloved genre: it's been around a very, very long time, and -- as your dutiful steward -- I do what I can to try to bring even the older back to life in these humble web pages. Hopefully, you'll have no problem indulging me, and maybe we'll all learn something just a bit along the way.
In any event, I'll dispense with the waxing-on-waxing-off, and I'll link you to the straight dope:
September 17th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
In any event, I'll dispense with the waxing-on-waxing-off, and I'll link you to the straight dope:
September 17th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
One never knows where inspiration will inevitably be drawn from ... does one?
Last night, I had the good fortune of attending the Fathom Events presentation of the two-part season (eight) finale for BBC's Doctor Who: "Dark Water" and "Death In Heaven" were seamlessly joined together in one glorious 3D presentation. And, yes, it looked marvelous. Storywise, it still had some off the misfires I remembered from its airing on BBC America ... but let me tell you: it sure looked wonderful up on the silver screen. I left wondering why the BBC didn't fashion every two-parter into some theatrical 3D event, or at the very least plan one per season for hungry fans like the rest of us.
(FYI: For those of you who missed it, Fathom Events is repeating it in this same limited theatrical engagement this evening, so why not head over to their website if you're interested to check if it's showing near you?)
I've read elsewhere that television early in its history ended up hurting the movie houses. Now that the movie houses are struggling, could it be that TV events like this could save the motion picture industry? I know the folks at BBC pour their heart and soul into Doctor Who, elevating even the lesser episodes to better-than-average affairs, so why not utilize what you have in the can in order to boost the franchises popularity with an annual repeat on the silver screen? Seems like a no-brainer to this man with no brain.
In any events, that's not why you're here: rather, you're here for today's highlights, so let's dispense with the meandering and get down to the brass tacks:
September 16th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
Last night, I had the good fortune of attending the Fathom Events presentation of the two-part season (eight) finale for BBC's Doctor Who: "Dark Water" and "Death In Heaven" were seamlessly joined together in one glorious 3D presentation. And, yes, it looked marvelous. Storywise, it still had some off the misfires I remembered from its airing on BBC America ... but let me tell you: it sure looked wonderful up on the silver screen. I left wondering why the BBC didn't fashion every two-parter into some theatrical 3D event, or at the very least plan one per season for hungry fans like the rest of us.
(FYI: For those of you who missed it, Fathom Events is repeating it in this same limited theatrical engagement this evening, so why not head over to their website if you're interested to check if it's showing near you?)
I've read elsewhere that television early in its history ended up hurting the movie houses. Now that the movie houses are struggling, could it be that TV events like this could save the motion picture industry? I know the folks at BBC pour their heart and soul into Doctor Who, elevating even the lesser episodes to better-than-average affairs, so why not utilize what you have in the can in order to boost the franchises popularity with an annual repeat on the silver screen? Seems like a no-brainer to this man with no brain.
In any events, that's not why you're here: rather, you're here for today's highlights, so let's dispense with the meandering and get down to the brass tacks:
September 16th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
Ah, the SciFi Franchise!
Is there no greater realm in which to craft otherworldly stories?
For the SciFi franchise introduces readers to a growing mythology: not only is this particular universe equipped with a cast of characters for readers or viewers to idolize but also they're given the opportunity to see how they grow and change as all-new tales continue to unfold throughout the tenure of the property. And when you're dealing with tapestries as deeply woven as Star Trek, Buck Rogers, and Mad Max, the possibilities are -- indeed -- endless.
Here's what you need to know to enjoy HumpDay for the month of September:
September 15th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
Is there no greater realm in which to craft otherworldly stories?
For the SciFi franchise introduces readers to a growing mythology: not only is this particular universe equipped with a cast of characters for readers or viewers to idolize but also they're given the opportunity to see how they grow and change as all-new tales continue to unfold throughout the tenure of the property. And when you're dealing with tapestries as deeply woven as Star Trek, Buck Rogers, and Mad Max, the possibilities are -- indeed -- endless.
Here's what you need to know to enjoy HumpDay for the month of September:
September 15th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
As regular readers here have often listened to me expound, Science Fiction is a genre so vast it can combine so many varied elements ... from the reanimation of once-dead species in Jurassic Park to the attempt by Hardwire's robotic killer to make mankind extinct! And the talent?! Our beloved field draws the interest of folks who come and make a home of it (as did Star Trek's Walter Koenig) to just the casual fan and observer (as did Tyler Perry).
So on this September 14th let's celebrate the good, the bad, and the ugly for what they are: the ever-expanding universe of possibility that is SciFi!
Here's what you need to know for today:
September 14th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
So on this September 14th let's celebrate the good, the bad, and the ugly for what they are: the ever-expanding universe of possibility that is SciFi!
Here's what you need to know for today:
September 14th
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
- Published on
As I've mentioned many, many times before, I am no gaming enthusiast. I know that comes as a shock and/or surprise to so many, mostly because there appears to be some die-hard internet rule that those of us who worship at the altar of 'All Things Sci Fi' are supposed to be magically and mystically drawn to computer games. Never was, and I probably never will be.
Still, I appreciate a good game-based cinematic adaptation as well as the rest of you, especially when they are pulled from the realm of SciFi ... and as I've been led to believe the gaming Borderlands definitely is.
This morning, Variety is reporting that the ever-reliable Lionsgate has put a film based on said franchise in development, and I suspect that'll have gamers (and SciFi junkies) everywhere frothing at the mouth ... or is that " with an itchy trigger finger?"
Still, I appreciate a good game-based cinematic adaptation as well as the rest of you, especially when they are pulled from the realm of SciFi ... and as I've been led to believe the gaming Borderlands definitely is.
This morning, Variety is reporting that the ever-reliable Lionsgate has put a film based on said franchise in development, and I suspect that'll have gamers (and SciFi junkies) everywhere frothing at the mouth ... or is that " with an itchy trigger finger?"