It's been said that life is full of surprises.

Despite what naysayers would have you believe, we're not meant to understand all of it -- the "it" there being "life itself."  Simply put, life is.  It just is.  It is what you make of it.  It is what you put into it.  It is what you get out of it.  Any meaning we get from it along the way is entirely dependent upon what we choose to attribute there in that moment, whether it be happy, sad, or numb.

I can remember being a little boy -- back in the glory days of extreme youth.  It's a singular scene in my mind's eye.  I don't recall exactly where I was -- my parents I believe had taken me over to a friend's house, and I think I was being deposited there on the living room floor as the adults were going out, or maybe they were going to play cards in the kitchen or some other such adult activity with adult beverages.  Like I said, I was plopped down on the carpet, and I distinctly remember that the television was on.

Something there caught my eye.

Given my age -- what was I?  Three?  Maybe four years old? -- I know even now that what I saw didn't quite make perfect sense to that young brain in my head.  Still, it's an image that's stuck with me for years.  I've always wanted to write something on it, but it didn't seem relevant until today.

Anyway, there was this "man" on the TV set.  He was pale, but he didn't look sick.  He had stern eyes.  He had dark hair.

And he had these ... ears.

Yes, I was young, but I knew that these ears weren't right.  Clearly, they didn't match what I'd seen on others, those around me, those in my family, and those whom I played with.  Those ears told me this fellow was different, that this fellow wasn't the same as you and me even though he looked otherwise like he should be.  Those ears drew me closer to this character -- the Vulcan named Spock -- and I've always been mystified how something so simple as a pair of pointed ears could signify so much to those who watched.

The New York Times has reported that Leonard Nimoy -- the man who brought Spock to life -- surrendered his mortal coil earlier today.  Drudge has let the story slip, so I'm guessing that's as good as confirmation as anything on the World Wide Web.

Rather than regret his passing -- sad though it may be -- I encourage Trek enthusiasts everywhere to somehow celebrate his life today.

In the very least, it's what Spock would want.

To be perfectly honest, I was a bit too old to catch the original Power Rangers bug when it bit, and I've never looked back.  A year or two ago, I had received via a home video distributor a one-off 'Red Ranger' title that I watched and penned a review for, but it just wasn't my 'thing.'  However, the franchise certainly has demonstrated some staying power, and that says something in this day and age.

Well, lo and behold some secret fan of the whole Power Rangers shebang went and financed his own version of a Rangers reboot.  As is the demand of the marketplace these days for more dark and edgy material, Joseph Kahn's film (a presentation by Adi Shankar) casts a pall of doom over the entire affair.  Heck, it even gives the grown up superheroes more than a few F-bombs to sling healthily about ... so consider yourselves warned.  The language is definitely NSFW.

Still, there's a winning charm to the whole encounter.  It's gritty.  It's reasonably action-packed.  It even has a fair sense of black humor what with the blood splatter and maybe even a few in-jokes for those who followed the Rangers much closer than I.  As I said, I didn't, but I still caught a few zingers directed out toward the audience and who they worshiped as heroes.

Enjoy!

Once your friends know your a fan of Science Fiction, I'm sure you've all experienced that phenomenon of the "film recommendation."  You know what I mean?  "Oh, you like SciFi?  Then you just have to see 'Glory Hookers From The Planet BoomBoom'!"  You check out the listing on IMDB.com, and you're quick to learn that there's very little SciFi about those lovely ladies.

I've always said that this phenom tends to happen quite a bit because Science Fiction -- as a genre -- is so broad.  Critics have long incorporated alien invasion, UFO flicks, monster movies, and even superheroes in with films like Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Europa Report.  Fans and purists long ago surrendered pushing back, and -- instead -- we've embraced the odd, the quirky, and the borderline insane as part and parcel to what our beloved genre has to offer.

One such movie academics have long said to be SciFi is John Frankenheimer's Seconds.  Released in 1966, Seconds stars a young Rock Hudson as Arthur Wilson, a banker who discovers a second lease on life when a secretive Company makes him an offer he can't refuse.  Literally.  The Rock ends up filling out the shoes of a newfound artist who resides in a beachfront property.  Just when it looks too good to believe, he finds out it isn't ... but that's when the film truly achieves Frankenheimerian greatness.

To be fair, it really isn't Science Fiction any more than Scooby-Doo is horror, but that's another story.  However, I did check it out on home video recently, and I wanted to share with you why SciFi fans might still be interested in checking it out.

     Seconds: Criterion Collection release

Nothing screams "don't get your hopes up" more than the news that Carlton Cuse is doing yet another new television program.

You're familiar with Carlton, no?  He was one of the 'geniuses' who brought us the technically accomplished Lost for six seasons, promising time and time again that these plane crash survivors weren't dead only to renege on that vow in the seventh season and have them end up ... well ... kinda/sorta dead.  I know, I know -- he and Damon Lindelof are sticking to the excuse ("what really mattered were these characters"), so shame on me for actually expecting legitimate closure with my SciFi/Fantasy programs.

His last truly inspired creation was Fox TV's The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.  I stuck with his Bates Motel program throughout its first season, but when it became clear there really wasn't all that much new being added to the franchise other than some solid acting from the principles, I wrote that one off, too.

In any event, Deadline is today reporting that Cuse's latest creation -- Colony -- has been greenlit by the USA Network.  As for the premise, the article states that the setting is Los Angeles of the near-future wherein some occupying force (alien) is now sharing power with Earth authorities, but that's really all I'm gleaning from the scuttlebutt.  Deadline also states that Josh Holloway (Lost) and Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) have been cast, so there's something to be said for small miracles after all.  (I think both are quite good when they're given quality material.)

Well, another Hunger Games has come and gone ... oops!  Sorry.  I mean to say "Another SUPERBOWL has come and gone," and -- for those of us who really don't have all that much interest in football -- it boils down to another year of "amazing" commercials ... if you find feminine hygiene products "amazing," that is.  Film like a girl!

Anyway, the only thing I honestly look forward to are the blockbuster movie trailers, of which I thought the Jurassic World was (hands down) the best.  Feel free to watch it above, but always keep in mind one of my key rules about the movie business: don't make that much investment in trailers 'cause they're usually not manufactured by the creative folks involved with the film.  Generally -- from what I've read -- they're products of the marketing department, and that means they're designed to generate hype.

Like most, I'm willing to suspend disbelief and take another tour of the Jurassic universe.  It certainly can't be any worse than Jurassic Park II, can it?