Godzilla vs. Destroyah (Fan-Made Trailer)

pretty solid

What's your favorite Godzilla movie?

What's your favorite Godzilla movie? I'm a huge Godzilla fan and I'm not even sure if I could pick just one. Although I would have to go to the original by default and because it's the best. But I have fond memories of each and every one.

If I had to choose my top 10, this is how it might possibly look, but I wouldn't say it's final;

10.Destroy All Monsters
9.Godzilla 2000: Millennium (Godzilla 2000)
8.Terror of Mechagodzilla
7.Godzilla VS Destoroyah
6.Godzilla VS King Ghidorah (1991)
5.Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster
4.Godzilla VS Biollante
3.Godzilla, Mothra And King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
2.The Return Of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985)
1.Gojira (Godzilla King Of The Monsters)

Work again...

Work has put me in another department, produce. Although this time they actually have a reason, as two guys walked off the job. So that makes four departments they throw me between; dairy, grocery, frozen, produce. Still have no idea what my job description is anymore, it seems to simply be; extra guy.

........

With the news that NASA is beginning to prep another rover for launch to Mars in 2020, I've begun thinking that on top of more rovers we need to send some airships too. That would be an amazing sight, rovers driving around, airships filling the sky, incredible to think about.

My Kaiju...

Been developing my own Kaiju and universe around them for a little while now, needs more time, but its coming together in a cool way.

Work

Work is....frustrating, to say the least. Having to look at more and more schedules just to see when I'm supposed to be in, being the only one working at any given time, being thrown around to different departments, answering to multiple people at once. Its all very annoying. I honestly can't think of a  title or description for what I do there anymore. But I guess I just need to hang in there for a while, after all, I'm not going to be working there forever.

work...

I officially have a new job, I've been working there a couple of weeks now. Its at another grocery store, and I'm pretty much doing what i did before. Sort of. Before I was a night crew stock person. Now I'm, supposed to be, a night crew dairy person. But they've suddenly changed everything so now I'm working days doing whatever random people tell me to do. Yep, there is virtually zero communication between them and I unless they want something from me. Oh, joy. But I have to just hang in there. I'm not going to be doing this job forever. And the first chance I get, I'm out doing what I want to do. That is to say, when the opportunity comes to be.

PROMETHEUS...

I just sat down and watched 'PROMETHEUS'. It took me a while, but here I am. I was quite excited for the movie, ok, very excited. But then it came out, and the reaction across the internet was a mess of mixed emotions and outright disappointment. I let it get to me. I didn't see the movie in a theater.

So here I am, at home watching it on DVD. I have to say, its not nearly as horrible as so many have said. But the flaws it has are right there for you to see. I won't go into spoilers, but they're there.

The design work was really solid, and the visuals were beautiful. The creatures were fascinating, and the connections to the ALIEN mythos were more than obvious. Fassbender, Elba, Theron and Rapace are all really strong in the movie. Unfortunately everyone else sort of blends together. And overall the ideas presented are interesting enough.

What annoys me a bit is the ending, its a sequel setup ending instead of an ending period. Yes, 'PROMETHEUS' is a prequel to 'ALIEN'. But that doesn't mean it can't stand on its own. Add to that the constant talk of a sequel, or two, to 'PROMETHEUS' which would lead directly to 'ALIEN' and it seems that thoughts of a franchise were coming before most other things.

In the end, I think there's enough to like about 'PROMETHEUS' that it shouldn't be written off completely. But its not the strongest 'ALIEN' related movie out there. If they do eventually make a sequel, or two, it should be interesting to see where they go from here.

People and Space;

                    The overwhelmingly positive response to 'Curiosity's' landing on Mars, and seeing the Space Shuttles fly overhead on their way to their final homes, proves two things;

1) People still care, a lot, about the exploration of space.

2) People want to see something physical.

People want to see things happening. the more physical results you have, the more excited and vocal in their enthusiasm they will be. You can't get excited by suggesting what might happen in a few years. You have to do things NOW. Not later, right now.

As the shuttle flies over LA, on twitter I'm seeing people react with both love and by saying space exploration is over. Its NOT over, not at all. Space exploration is only over if you let it be so. NASA, while criminally under financed, isn't stopping. And the number of space ready groups in this world is only increasing. So the Space age isn't over, it's only just begun. And how dare anyone say otherwise.

Michael Clarke Duncan

.....

RIP

social media...

Social media is a beautiful thing, it connects us like we never have been before. And it's changing the world in incredibly profound ways. But it kind of blows when it seems to suggest the idea that nobody you want to talk to actually wants to talk to you.

Its sort of a macrocosm of my love life in a really funny way.

Both absolutely hilarious and incredibly depressing.

Please help;

I am a human being, I believe in peace, love, hope, possibility, choice, respect, growth, change, learning, and life.

The shooting which occured at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin only a few days ago, absolutely broke my heart. These were innocent people, gathering for services in a safe, warm, and loving place. And they were attacked by someone who believed in all of the worst things in life.

A website has been set up to help raise money for the less fortunate victims of this horrible event. Please visit it and give what you can; http://www.neverendinglight.com/index.php/we-are-sikhs

Check out the wikipedia page on Sikhism here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhism

And the page on Sikhs; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikh

Curiosity has LANDED!!!!

She made it!!!!!!!!! Curiosity has landed on the surface of MARS!!!!!!!!

After surviving this;

Its an amazing and wondrous thing, that fills you with hope after some of the horrible things that have happened lately. I love space, and the exploration of space is my greatest passion. Here we have yet another amazing step forward toward our ultimate future.

A bit about just some of what makes Curiosity so special;

We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot (HD)

Fight For Space - Documentary Film Trailer (INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT)

........

I saw a beautiful woman at the grocery store. I smiled at her, she was courteous & smiled back. I wanted to talk to her, but I knew I'd only be talking to myself.

Gun Control

By now you know what's happened, so I don't need to explain. In situations like these our first responsibility is to the victims and their families.

However as the tragedies of the past have done, this new horror has once again brought into light the shadow over the United States. Gun control, like so many topics these days, is instantly polarizing. But I think that Jason Alexander has said exactly what needs to be said at this moment, follow him on twitter, @IJasonAlexander , or please read below;



"I'd like to preface this long tweet by saying that my passion comes from my deepest sympathy and shared sorrow with yesterday's victims and with the utmost respect for the people and the police/fire/medical/political forces of Aurora and all who seek to comfort and aid these victims.

This morning, I made a comment about how I do not understand people who support public ownership of assault style weapons like the AR-15 used in the Colorado massacre. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15

That comment, has of course, inspired a lot of feedback. There have been many tweets of agreement and sympathy but many, many more that have been challenging at the least, hostile and vitriolic at the worst.

Clearly, the angry, threatened and threatening, hostile comments are coming from gun owners and gun advocates. Despite these massacres recurring and despite the 100,000 Americans that die every year due to domestic gun violence - these people see no value to even considering some kind of control as to what kinds of weapons are put in civilian hands.

Many of them cite patriotism as their reason - true patriots support the Constitution adamantly and wholly. Constitution says citizens have the right to bear arms in order to maintain organized militias. I'm no constitutional scholar so here it is from the document itself:

As passed by the Congress:
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
As ratified by the States and authenticated by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State:
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

So the patriots are correct, gun ownership is in the constitution - if you're in a well-regulated militia. Let's see what no less a statesman than Alexander Hamilton had to say about a militia:

"A tolerable expertness in military movements is a business that requires time and practice. It is not a day, or even a week, that will suffice for the attainment of it. To oblige the great body of the yeomanry, and of the other classes of the citizens, to be under arms for the purpose of going through military exercises and evolutions, as often as might be necessary to acquire the degree of perfection which would entitle them to the character of a well-regulated militia, would be a real grievance to the people, and a serious public inconvenience and loss."

Or from Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Definition of MILITIA
1
a : a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency
b : a body of citizens organized for military service
2
: the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service

The advocates of guns who claim patriotism and the rights of the 2nd Amendment - are they in well-regulated militias? For the vast majority - the answer is no.

Then I get messages from seemingly decent and intelligent people who offer things like: @BrooklynAvi: Guns should only be banned if violent crimes committed with tomatoes means we should ban tomatoes. OR @nysportsguys1: Drunk drivers kill, should we ban fast cars?

I'm hoping that right after they hit send, they take a deep breath and realize that those arguments are completely specious. I believe tomatoes and cars have purposes other than killing. What purpose does an AR-15 serve to a sportsman that a more standard hunting rifle does not serve? Let's see - does it fire more rounds without reload? Yes. Does it fire farther and more accurately? Yes. Does it accommodate a more lethal payload? Yes. So basically, the purpose of an assault style weapon is to kill more stuff, more fully, faster and from further away. To achieve maximum lethality. Hardly the primary purpose of tomatoes and sports cars.

Then there are the tweets from the extreme right - these are the folk who believe our government has been corrupted and stolen and that the forces of evil are at play, planning to take over this nation and these folk are going to fight back and take a stand. And any moron like me who doesn't see it should...
a. be labeled a moron
b. shut the fuck up
c. be removed

And amazingly, I have some minor agreement with these folks. I believe there are evil forces at play in our government. But I call them corporatists. I call them absolutists. I call them the kind of ideologues from both sides, but mostly from the far right who swear allegiance to unelected officials that regardless of national need or global conditions, are never to levy a tax. That they are never to compromise or seek solutions with the other side. That are to obstruct every possible act of governance, even the ones they support or initiate. Whose political and social goal is to marginalize the other side, vilify and isolate them with the hope that they will surrender, go away or die out.

These people believe that the US government is eventually going to go street by street and enslave our citizens. Now as long as that is only happening to liberals, homosexuals and democrats - no problem. But if they try it with anyone else - it's going to be arms-ageddon and these committed, God-fearing, brave souls will then use their military-esque arsenal to show the forces of our corrupt government whats-what. These people think they meet the definition of a "militia". They don't. At least not the constitutional one. And, if it should actually come to such an unthinkable reality, these people believe they would win. That's why they have to "take our country back". From who? From anyone who doesn't think like them or see the world like them. They hold the only truth, everyone else is dangerous. Ever meet a terrorist that doesn't believe that? Just asking.

Then there are the folks who write that if everyone in Colorado had a weapon, this maniac would have been stopped. Perhaps. But I do believe that the element of surprise, tear gas and head to toe kevlar protection might have given him a distinct edge. Not only that, but a crowd of people firing away in a chaotic arena without training or planning - I tend to think that scenario could produce even more victims.

Lastly, there are these well-intended realists that say that people like this evil animal would get these weapons even if we regulated them. And they may be right. But he wouldn't have strolled down the road to Kmart and picked them up. Regulated, he would have had to go to illegal sources - sources that could possibly be traced, watched, overseen. Or he would have to go deeper online and those transactions could be monitored. "Hm, some guy in Aurora is buying guns, tons of ammo and kevlar - plus bomb-making ingredients and tear gas. Maybe we should check that out."

But that won't happen as long as all that activity is legal and unrestricted.

I have been reading on and off as advocates for these weapons make their excuses all day long. Guns don't kill - people do. Well if that's correct, I go with @BrooklynAvi, let them kill with tomatoes. Let them bring baseball bats, knives, even machetes --- a mob can deal with that.

There is no excuse for the propagation of these weapons. They are not guaranteed or protected by our constitution. If they were, then we could all run out and purchase a tank, a grenade launcher, a bazooka, a SCUD missile and a nuclear warhead. We could stockpile napalm and chemical weapons and bomb-making materials in our cellars under our guise of being a militia.

These weapons are military weapons. They belong in accountable hands, controlled hands and trained hands. They should not be in the hands of private citizens to be used against police, neighborhood intruders or people who don't agree with you. These are the weapons that maniacs acquire to wreak murder and mayhem on innocents. They are not the same as handguns to help homeowners protect themselves from intruders. They are not the same as hunting rifles or sporting rifles. These weapons are designed for harm and death on big scales.

SO WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM? WHY DO YOU NOT, AT LEAST, AGREE TO SIT WITH REASONABLE PEOPLE FROM BOTH SIDES AND ASK HARD QUESTIONS AND LOOK AT HARD STATISTICS AND POSSIBLY MAKE SOME COMPROMISES FOR THE GREATER GOOD? SO THAT MOTHERS AND FATHERS AND CHILDREN ARE NOT SLAUGHTERED QUITE SO EASILY BY THESE MONSTERS? HOW CAN IT HURT TO STOP DEFENDING THESE THINGS AND AT LEAST CONSIDER HOW WE CAN ALL WORK TO TRY TO PREVENT ANOTHER DAY LIKE YESTERDAY?

We will not prevent every tragedy. We cannot stop every maniac. But we certainly have done ourselves no good by allowing these particular weapons to be acquired freely by just about anyone.

I'll say it plainly - if someone wants these weapons, they intend to use them. And if they are willing to force others to "pry it from my cold, dead hand", then they are probably planning on using them on people.

So, sorry those of you who tell me I'm an actor, or a has-been or an idiot or a commie or a liberal and that I should shut up. You can not watch my stuff, you can unfollow and you can call me all the names you like. I may even share some of them with my global audience so everyone can get a little taste of who you are.

But this is not the time for reasonable people, on both sides of this issue, to be silent. We owe it to the people whose lives were ended and ruined yesterday to insist on a real discussion and hopefully on some real action.

In conclusion, whoever you are and wherever you stand on this issue, I hope you have the joy of family with you today. Hold onto them and love them as best you can. Tell them what they mean to you. Yesterday, a whole bunch of them went to the movies and tonight their families are without them. Every day is precious. Every life is precious. Take care. Be well. Be safe. God bless.

Jason Alexander"


Really brilliant.

............

contact with extraterrestrials is inevitable. one day we will live side by side with peoples from other planets. their appearances will likely be very different from our own, but they are our brothers and sisters. at some point your children, or grandchildren, will bring their girlfriend or boyfriend from another world to meet you. welcome them with open arms.

in the future, countries will no longer exist. we will have evolved beyond such an idea and embraced our true nature as one species. from there, we will truly be able to move out to other worlds, to other solar systems.

for a species that has been wiped out in the wild, it's only sanctuary until its native home can be made safe again, is captivity.

the evolution of technology is to become smaller, while organic life usually becomes bigger. in the future technology will have become so advanced that a powerful supercomputer will be the size of a single cell, and that single cell will begin to grow and develop like an organic life form.

I'm incredibly fascinated by genetic engineering. i think it will become quite common in the future. as a species, I'm sure we will reach a point of development where each one of us could be categorized as a species of our own. very intriguing.

can we please stop using the word 'reboot'? its starting to bug me as much as the word 'gritty'.

....

you should never try to live up to your heroes, you should always endeavor to surpass them.

to believe that there is no life beyond Earth is so narcissistically arrogant that it borders on psychosis.

.....

At the end of the day, people try to do what they think is right. And what is right is a matter of perspective. There is no one way, or one answer

Check this out...

There's a really cool web series out there called 'Super Knocked Up'. Its about a superhero and villain who have a one night stand and as you might expect from the title some knocking up occurs. It's quite well done and really heartfelt, so give it a look; http://superknockedup.com/

A Dentist and A Hospital....the sequel?

So I stayed with my original dentist and got the root canal. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had built it up in my mind. It was actually quite uneventful. It's been a little over a week, but I'm remaining cautious about that side of my mouth. As you may. or may not, know a root canal actually weakens the tooth. That's why you have a crown put on. I did not have a crown put on, so caution is the name of the game for the future. However, to the point, there is no pain and I am feeling well.

On Thursday I went to apply for the job at the hospital. Showered, got dressed up, lil sis drove me down there, dad took me to the office. Yes, I felt like a loser. I filled out an application, and was told that while they were interested in having me I probably won't hear anything for two weeks as the company is in a period of transition. So the waiting begins I suppose.

I've been feeling down, quite a lot, lately. I mean, I'm not off crying in a corner or anything. I'm still laughing and smiling and enjoying myself occasionally. But in the background there's this sort of constant negativity. I guess I'm just at a point in my life where I want certain things, and not having them is getting to me a little bit. That negativity is just bringing me down. To be more specific, the romantic part of life, yunno, the nonexistent one. I'd like to be with someone, but that voice in my head seems to have its say; "NEVER going to happen" "What would they want with you?". I don't know. Things can always change, so you never know. But that voice is pretty loud. Taking a look at myself, maybe I just need to grow up when it comes to things like love. I've gotten better at certain things; I make sure to bury my feelings and keep my mouth shut, and I understand that just because someone is nice to me it doesn't mean they want anything to do with me. So that's good. But I'm sure I could do better.

Dentist....s....and a Hospital...

After having a toothache for a while, last week, I finally went to the dentist. They found that I need both a new filling and a root canal. I also have no insurance and little money. Went to a second dentist at Dad's request, as he believed they could do the job for less. Short explanation, it was the opposite. So I'm sticking with my dentist and tomorrow I'll be having what I need done. This should be fun.

The little money I have has also forced my hand in my job search. I can't wait any longer, and so I took Dad up on his offer to get me a job at the hospital he works at. I officially feel like a worthless piece of shit. But if there's a paycheck I suppose it's worth it. Dad suddenly brightened up a little, somehow outlining my future in the space of a few minutes. Quite uncomfortable to sit through. He even said that I'll probably meet someone special. While I'm sure there are many attractive women working at the hospital, I seriously doubt any of them will want anything to do with me. But like I said, a paycheck.

The next week or two should be interesting, and probably a lot of negative things. Let's see how it works out.

Mixed Emotions

This morning Space X launched its Dragon craft into space, it will now head for and dock with the International Space Station. Becoming the first private craft to do so. As it happened, what seemed like a huge wave of positivity came over the internet. Which is good, you want people to be positive about space, you want them to be excited, you want them to want to move beyond Earth. But for me, the reaction was a little bit more mixed.

This is a private company we're talking about. In fact most of the group's heading for space now are private companies. They keep talking about making space available to the masses, but the fact is, they're private companies. They're businesses, their goal is to make money. And you can go to space, so long as you pay them to take you there.

Call me crazy all you'd like, but I don't think space should be for sale. I think the ability to leave Earth should be available to everyone, and they shouldn't have to pay a dime to do it. Like I said, call me crazy all you'd like.

The fact is, while the move towards space may be happening, its happening in sort of a screwed up way. The official space agencies of the world are jokes, held back by governments who don't know what they're doing and who refuse to pay for them. Private companies are taking the lead, playing the hope for tomorrow card as they do it. It just feels like the bullshit that has taken this world down to what it is, is just extending out beyond this planet. Greed, politics, these are things that should die on Earth.

Space is a lot bigger than those sorts of superficial things. Space is, it's knowledge, it's understanding, it's hope, and it's freedom. No countries or companies have claim out there, no human being has dominion over anything out there. When you're in space, you are totally, completely, and absolutely free. And that's beautiful. And that shouldn't have to come with a price tag or a flag.

I know I sound like a complete idiot, who isn't "living in reality". But so what. What I would like, and that will never happen, is for all of these companies to design and prove their crafts, and than release the schematics to the public so anyone could build them. I'd like the companies who plan on charging people for low orbit flights to becomes nonprofits and do it for free. I'd like the companies and politicians to actually give a damn about someone other than themselves. The exploration of space is one of the single most important things in the history of the human race. It's time to start acting like it.

Oh and why are we still using rockets? Let's move on.

Random Thoughts, The Predators...

I don't think Predator society is as organized as some may think. I think, at most, the Predators live in scattered nomadic clans. And clans only really associate with each other when in conflict over territory or in visitation of neutral sacred ground. In my mind the "Super Predators", or 'Berzerkers', are the same type of creatures but a different species, like neanderthals & homo sapiens. The "Super Predators" being neanderthals compared to the Predators, homo sapiens of course. But unlike the neanderthals the "Super Predators" survived. They would have lived within the more advanced Predator society, but ultimately splintered off after a time. Taking technology & blood lust with them.

COMMENTARY: PREDATOR 2

Thanks for sticking around as I play with this idea. Today is part 2 of the 3 part series. And here we go;

PREDATOR 2 was released on November 21st, 1990. It received largely negative reviews and a poor box office return, but has since developed a cult following.

PREDATOR 2.

OPENING; Right out of the gate it's different from the first, no space shot. Instead it visually transitions from the Jungle to the city which is a cool idea. Los Angeles 1997, its fun to know that since this movie came out in 1990 it was set in the future. Jumping into heat vision, the new hunter is listening in on the city.

GANG WAR; Two things that are present in this movie; gang wars and media coverage, both completely over the top. But its not hard to imagine no one noticing a Predator cutting through town with all of this going on. The writers of both films Jim and John Thomas were really pushing the heat and violence aspect of the hunt with the heat wave and city blowing itself up. Instead of a special forces team, we get a group of LAPD detectives. Harrigan is our primary heroic figure. I can't help but think of PREDATOR 2 as an alternate universe sequel to LETHAL WEAPON 2. Driving the car through to create a barricade, nice. The Scorpios have an armory that would make most gun nuts shit themselves. Harrigan with a shotgun, taking out everybody. Its interesting to note that originally Schwarzenegger was going to come back as Dutch but ultimately decided to go with TERMINATOR 2 instead. The script was than rewritten. Heat vision, the new hunter watching the roof. Harrigan being afraid of heights is a small detail, but a nice one. We, and Harrigan, see the hunter cloaked right up front. The idea being that we already know what the Predator is, so now we can cut out the most of the discovery of the character and go straight into exploring him. Its important to know that Harrigan already has the hunters attention at this point. As they investigate the slaughter of the gang, you get to see little details, like the hunters claw marks in the wall where he dragged the gang member up to the ceiling.

FALL OUT; The badass cop being yelled at by his superior. Where PREDATOR played with the war/action movie, PREDATOR 2 plays with the cop/action movie. Here we're also introduced to another aspect of the sequel which is the government knowing about the Predators existence. Its a very natural thing that they would be after anything having to do with it. Back at the police station which is overflowing, a lot of the "future" LA is the writers essentially projecting and jumping at possibilities. Keyes as played by Busey as only Busey could play him. The trinity of Harrigan, Leona, and Danny is terrific, you can tell there's nothing but love there. Maria Conchita Alonso crushing Bill Paxton's balls is great, its also fun to say Maria Conchita Alonso. Harrigan giving the we're all f*cked but we're a team speech, you believe that he's tired of what he does but he'll keep doing it.

PENTHOUSE; Full frontal nudity, something PREDATOR did not have. That particular actress would go on to become a fairly successful porn star. Jamaicans vs Colombians interrupted by the hunter. This penthouse attack establishes a number of new weapons like the net gun and the spear and brings back the iconic wrist blades. Its also our first look at the new hunter design by Stan Winston. Feds starting to take over everything having to do with the hunter, but Harrigan's not having it. The skinning of prey back in a big way, penthouse turned into a meat locker. The woman has been left alive by the hunter, cementing the idea that there is some sort of code at work. Keyes establishes dominance as fast and as unsubtle as he can. The media has an incredibly aggressive presence in this movie, everything is in a much more exploitative tone which was a commentary on the sort of trash reporting that had begun to be more prominent on television at the time. Harrigan being a detective, is not an idiot.

BEGIN INVESTIGATING; Bill Paxton always seems to have fun with his characters. Harrigan told Danny to wait for him, but he's a detective too, he's going to do what he can when he can. That "spear tip" is cool little piece, but how it got stuck in that vent cover is beyond me, ricochet? You see a lot more of the hunter, a lot sooner in this one. But like I said we don't need to discover the Predator because we already know about it. With Danny gone Harrigan starts to fall apart. Bureaucracy is something that was present in the first movie, but only barely. Here its right out there because you're in a major city, and you can't get away from it. You know exactly what Keyes is looking for, very obvious. Leona and Jerry bring Harrigan back to Earth and focus him back on what needs to be done. Keyes operation seems pretty well thought out, but we'll see. This forensic examiner is a natural part of the detective element of the story, but is she using an electron microscope? The hunter on the eagle is a beautiful image.

KING WILLIE; I really like the old world aspect of Willie, like a spirit warrior out of time. You almost forget that he's the head of the Jamaican gangs, but you understand why. Bringing a spiritual element to how the prey views the hunters is a nice play on the expansion of the Predators themselves. There's more going on than we've seen. The hunter walking in the water is a terrific visual. Willie drawing his sword, and the two warriors facing off is another. This bit where the hunter cleans his trophy and places it in his case is amazing. Amping up the hunting aspect to its natural next level, also our first hints of other trophies he's taken.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES; More bits of information, small but helpful. Now the team is focusing in on the slaughter houses. Harrigan looking at the trophies in the store front, he knows, he doesn't articulate it but he knows what's going on. The hunter and the kid scene, carrying the concept of a code forward. In this movie the Predators mythology is expanding in every direction. The lonely music from the first movie fades in here, humanity comes back into the picture. Harrigan jumping around with his gun always felt off to me, but I think that was the point. Harrigan is shaken up.

THE SUBWAY; EVERYONE on the train is packing, you know whats coming. The hunter's attack on the subway seems random, but when you consider what he's done before, he's working his way up to Harrigan. So it's only natural that he goes after those closest to him. "Want some candy?" another often repeated line. Bill Paxton has been killed by a Terminator, by Aliens, and by a Predator, think about that for a minute. Leona goes back to help Jerry, but everyone is already dead and hung up. Heat vision, Leona is pregnant, leading to another demonstration of a code. I know there are people who have a problem with the Predators having an honor code of any kind, they think it makes them weaker and overall less threatening. But I love it, it brings character to the characters culture and sets them ever further apart from every other killer from outer space.

CHASE; Harrigan interrupts the hunter as he removes Jerry's spine and skull. Harrigan also punches out Tony Pope, which depending on your feelings either makes you cheer or doesn't affect you in the least. Harrigan keeps stumbling on things as he drives right into the area Keyes has under observation. The hunter being hit by lightning on top of the building is just a primal image, power. Keyes calls back to the first movie. If you look closely you can see Anna on one of the screens. They actually did film a full interrogation with Elpidia Carrillo but didn't use it. Keyes as Basil Exposition as he explains every little detail known about the Predators that we have up until this point.

SLAUGHTER HOUSE; Now here PREDATOR 2 goes ALIENS on us. Admittedly it may or may not be intentional, but the comparison can still be drawn. If you think about it Keyes' plan was pretty intelligent. They think they have the hunter figured out, but he knows somethings wrong. Adaptation is the hunters greatest advantage, he faces a problem he works around it. Changing the vision on his mask, another new detail, but not a surprising one. It's hard not to cheer for the Predator in this movie, he's just so cool. Is Harrigan going into the slaughter house because he wants to help Keyes or because he wants the hunter, a little bit of both I think. I love this scene because it does show more of the warrior aspect of the Predators. Its a different mode of combat from the hunting, its more direct and destructive. He levels Keyes' team in seconds. The look the Predator gives Keyes when Keyes is all alone is really hardcore, almost between a 'how dare you' and 'what a joke'. The water disabling the Predators cloaking technology has always bugged me just a little, you would think they'd find a way to deal with that. Harrigan takes out the hunters shoulder cannon, but the hunter responds with a wrist launcher, a great little weapon. Harrigan with a shotgun equals destruction. Does anyone at the LAPD know about Harrigan's personal armory? I'm just wondering. I really love the design of the Predator in this movie, Stan Winston outdid himself. And I really appreciate his logic in the redesign; this is a different individual so of course it would look different. The 'mother f*cker' quote coming back is alright, not a fan of that moment. Keyes comes back but is promptly cut in half by another new weapon, the smart disk, awesome. Weird note; you never see Keyes' torso fall to the ground, but his legs do. Harrigan hates heights, and birds, although the birds thing may come from not want to die. Since he lost his mask, the hunter has a backup air supply, very smart, but leaving your spear so anyone can use it, not so much. We revisit the self-destruct as the hunter and Harrigan hang off a ledge over an alley. But cutting the hunters arm off Harrigan just saved millions of people, think about it.

CHASE ME; The hunter in the bathroom scene is another interesting moment of development. Yes there is advanced technology at work, but the imagery is distinctly primal. The Predator hover over the flame, adding ingredients, rubbing the gel on himself. It all gives the feeling of an ancient world come to life. Of course its undercut with the little old lady and Jeopardy theme. Harrigan manages to crawl his way into the bathroom with nothing but the hunters smart disk. falling down the elevator shaft is sort of beautiful in its symbolism, Harrigan is entering the underworld. And lands, on a Predator ship. Starting he begins my favorite part of the movie, possibly my favorite part of any Predator movie.

THE SHIP; This design is GORGEOUS. The lighting, the detailing, the mist, the monoliths, the ceiling, there is a culture here. And it is amazing. The trophy case is wonderfully detailed. Notice the various skulls of alien species'. The Alien skull being in there was a nod to the dark horse comic 'Alien Versus Predator' which was out at that time. But the thing I'm not clear on is why the Alien has a bone skull when its clearly biomechanical. Anyway. The final showdown between Harrigan and the hunter feels short because it was spread out over two locations. Here it ends quickly but not before a brief exchange of blades, Harrigan using the smart disk, and the hunters confidence, to his advantage. Than SURPRISE, the best moment in any Predator movie; the reveal of the clan. That elder Predator is most badass version of this species every put to film. Simply incredible. Stan Winston's crew actually called it the Grey Back, similar to a silver back Gorilla.

Fun fact, the elder and the hunter from this film were both played by Kevin Peter Hall who played the original Predator in the first film. He made sure to make the two Predators he played this time as distinct in their movements as possible. Things like the elder holding his necklace, add to their characterization. Another fun fact, the elders face was made using the Predator from the first film. They took that Predators face and aged it, fading the colors and adding piercings and spikes. Stan Winston then told the rest of his team to really go for it with the rest of the clan. Each person was allowed to design the clan members from scratch, which is why each is so unique from the rest. The problem came in casting, Kevin Peter Hall was 7'2" and there simply aren't many tall performers working, so Danny Glover went to the Lakers basketball team. That's right, the clan you see is portrayed by the Lakers.

As the clan carries away their fallen comrade, the elder acknowledges each member who than cloaks as they leave the room. He turns to leave as well, but stops, looking back to Harrigan, he thinks for a moment. Pulls a flintlock pistol from his belt and throws it to Harrigan, "take it". Harrigan examines the pistol, it reads; "Raphael Adolini 1715". A version of the story of how the elder gained that pistol is seen in the comic 'PREDATOR 1718'. The elder walks away, sheaths his sword, and cloaks. The code of honor, again, is something that does divide a lot of people. I actually think there's room for both views to coexist. But the overriding rule of continuity in these sorts of series is it doesn't count unless its in the movies. After the ship takes off Harrigan emerges from the tunnel like Dante out of hell. Covered in ash, and much like Dutch in PREDATOR, changed. Danny Glover sells it with his eyes. "Don't worry assh*le, you'll get another chance.", Harrigan knows it'll never be over. The hunters will always come.

CREDITS; PREDATOR 2 is the one that I remember most prominently from when I was a kid. PREDATOR was a ride that introduced me to the character, but PREDATOR 2 took that character and developed it in ways that I didn't see coming and that I love very dearly. I remember as a kid seeing the clan emerge in the ship and my mind was blown. That image had never left me, the elder has never left me. This movie could've so easily been just a horrible sequel to a great movie. Copying everything that came before, but it wasn't. it did something different and added to the mythos. And that's what a sequel should do. I know a lot of people hate PREDATOR 2, but a lot of that hate seems to come from the uniquely fanboy place of "its not like the first one". Its a complaint that comes up with every sequel of every movie, or of every adaptation of every comic book character. Its not exactly like whats come before so its not good. I actually think that may be an issue of most people have when it comes to something that's different. You're taking them out of their comfort zone so they hate it. I love PREDATOR 2, and I know there are other people who love it too. To the cast and crew, I say thank you for all of your hard work. Director Stephen Hopkins came in and was faced with the challenge of making a sequel to PREDATOR, and I think he did a terrific job.

But I should also single out Kevin Peter Hall, who gave life to the Predators in PREDATOR & PREDATOR 2. He was an actor who happened to wear creature suits and it showed. His performances were incredible and were a huge part of why the characters have lasted. If you go over to IMDB please look him up, chances are you've seen his work in other films and TV shows but didn't know it. Here are two links for you;
WIKI; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Peter_Hall
IMDB; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001310/
Tragically Hall announced he had contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion, and on April 10, 1991 he died from pneumonia at the age of 35 years old. His loss is still felt today.

Thank you for reading, this has been interesting for me, even though it was likely painful for you. Tomorrow will be the third and final part of this experiment as I watch PREDATORS.

COMMENTARY: PREDATOR

And here we go, my first scene-by-scene written fan commentary.

PREDATOR was released on June 12th, 1987. And while unpopular with critics at the time was a big success with audiences.

PREDATOR.

OPENING; Space cold open pretty similar to Carpenters THE THING. That ship design was always nice, but its there and gone.

ARRIVAL; How do you know a piece of music is iconic, when you hear it you think of your favorite parts of the movie and hum to yourself. Alan Silvestri's music on PREDATOR is fantastic. First time seeing the team in the movie, Dutch smoking the cigar. The movie really starts out giving the feeling of most action movies you've seen.

BRIEFING; Continuing the action movie feel. Dillon and Dutch arm wrestling and calling back to the 'good ol' days'. Your first hints that this mission is not going to be like the usual job, as the briefing continues.

FLYING IN; Some Little Richard is always welcome. This is a great scene, setting up each of the team one by one. Of course its owned by Jesse Ventura, taking the Alpha Male type to new levels. And its all fun until the drop off, where you see the personalities switch to fight mode.

INTO THE JUNGLE; The drum music fading in and out, a staple of the PREDATOR movies. Adding just a little bit of the mysterious. They find the downed chopper and the drums come back. Right out of the gate the mission is going to hell, and you can see the team knows it. The CIA subplot is a nice bit, slowly working against them. Dutch bringing back the action movie feel, pushing everyone forward. Billy finding the skinned bodies, the beginning of the subversive element in this movie. Right up until now it's been just another action movie, but here it starts the turn into something else. One of the strengths of PREDATOR is that it takes the action movie and both lives up to and completely destroys what is expected of them. This was the moment when I think many people would've started to wonder what they were seeing. This is also our first time seeing the Predators vision. Now we're taking the hard turn into unknown territory, I really would've loved to see this movie with an audience back when it first came out. As the team pushes on we get to know the team even more and more. Its not all smiles with these guys. And we get hints of the darker realms that they'll be heading into.

THE CAMP; The first action set piece of the movie pulls back into action movie territory in a huge way. The team spreads out to take down the camp. Classic action movies here, complete with massive explosions and one liners that have been quoted ever since. Blain's mini-gun has been on every holiday wish list ever since PREDATOR was released. I know Dutch and Blain take this scene, but the other guys get some great bits of action too. The whole team is great here. Also our first introduction to Anna, I fully admit to a crush on Elpidia Carrillo. CIA subplot blows up in this scene. In a average action movie this bit might've been closer to the end of the movie, but its right up front here. Dutch showing that not only is he not an idiot, but also an honorable figure. "Anytime" is not only an often quoted piece of dialogue but over the years has also become the nickname of the hunter seen in this movie. Billy's laugh is fantastic. Predator vision, scorpion in the clawed hand with the playback of the voices, just a really terrific setup for the hunter.

MOVING OUT; I love that the team is looking up into the trees as they move out, its a little thing, but its cool considering how the hunter gets around. The jungle they're in is in Mexico while the film is set in Central America. Billy really is this other element in the movie, yes he's a big action character but he functions as this midpoint between the audience and the team. We know there's something after these guys, and so does Billy. But while we know what it is, he doesn't. As Anna tries to escape we get our first major death in the movie. Also our first view of the hunters camouflage. Really solid effect done with camera tricks. Hawkins death, really his complete disappearance, followed almost immediately by the death of Blain, is the start of the teams downward spiral. And the leveling of the jungle by gunfire is essentially the beginning of the end of the action movie. You saw how well they did their job in the camp, but now they're powerless. They hit nothing.

THE NIGHT; The team sets up for the night, the lonely music fading in is the first piece of humanity we really get in the movie. Its really moving. And now we get our first look at the hunter as he decloaks and begins dealing with his injuries. I like this bit, it gives some humanity to the hunter as well, he's mortal and he feels pain. Slowly but surely the team is twisting, and its given form by Mac, Bill Duke is absolutely amazing in this role. And Billy just destroys the hope left in the team. Using the pig as a distraction was pretty brilliant on the hunters part, but I dare anyone to actually name the species of pig Mac takes out. I dare you. The hunter takes Blain's body during the chaos. The next morning, Dutch starts putting the pieces of the larger mystery together. He is not an idiot, this might be Schwarzenegger's smartest role.

A STAND; The team sets a trap for the hunter using classic techniques. One of the things about PREDATOR is it almost takes us on a trip back down the developmental line of humanity. Slowly over the course of the movie, weapons and tactics begin to devolve from the modern for the time, automatic weapons and bombs, to nets and trip lines, to bows and arrows, than hand to hand. One of the great bits when the net is tripped as Dutch goes to head back to the team. You see nothing, and than bam. Now the whole thing goes to hell. Ponchos hurt, Mac takes off, the group splits. Dillon going after Mac and everyone else headed for the chopper. Carl Weathers is solid as Dillon, he doesn't get enough credit.

TWO ROADS; Dillon and Mac try to ambush the hunter, you know how its going to go. With Mac's death you realize just how good the hunter is. He knew, he knew the whole time. Dutch realizing that the hunter is in it for the sport, he let the unarmed Anna live, is one of the jumps where you really don't know where it comes from, you never see Dutch thinking about it, but it makes sense once you hear it and you move on. Dillon's death is one of those over the top moments that does stick with you a bit. Each of these characters gets a memorable death. Billy's last stand for example, you don't even see what happens. But the character has been such a presence through the whole movie, once he pulls out that knife and marks himself you know its over so you don't need to see anything. The most often quoted line of PREDATOR; "...get to the choppah!!!". When I say PREDATOR delivers on the expectations of an action movie, it really does, the one liners are a big part of that. Who would take the time to say something like "oh shit!" as you're sliding down a hill toward a cliff? Or "stick around" after you've impaled someone with a huge knife?

BATTLEFIELD; After going over a waterfall Dutch comes to one of the the most amazing locations i've seen. The massive tree is stunning. The hunter follows him and emerges from the water now decloaked after his camouflage shorts out. This is our first really clear look at the hunter. An amazing design, and suit, by Stan Winston. The mud covering his body heat bit is one of those leaps you have to make with the movie. If you can't than much of the finale won't work for you. Now we have our two characters essentially suiting up for the showdown. Dutch is setting up for his last stand, the ropes and weights didn't work before, but he'll try it again. The hunter is taking his trophies from the dead team. Bow and arrow created by Dutch, this is what I meant by the devolving of weapons and tactics. Dutch, out of options, is falling back to the most primitive states of man. The moment where he puts on the mud and raises the torch, he looks like a caveman. So you have a caveman fighting a futuristic hunter from another planet. And the geek boner begins.

THE LAST STAND; Dutch setting a massive fire to lure the hunter in. I love the bit with Dutch hiding on the tree, and the hunter moves past him. Its a point of transition between the two. As the hunter moves down to the fire seen easily by Dutch, Dutch moves around the tree tops unnoticed. Beautiful. The explosive arrow of course Dutch's version of the hunters shoulder cannon. And the hunter replies by shooting wildly into the trees, just as the team did after Blain's death. Now the hunter begins to fall back, first losing his camouflage. But he adapts, triangulating Dutch's position after he throws the rock. The beginning of the final battle really is a shorter version of what the hunter has been doing to the team, but from the other side. The two are now just trying to outsmart each other because its all either of them really has at this point. The hunter examining Dutch and letting him go to engage in a hand to hand battle is one of those turns that sets PREDATOR apart. Why would the hunter do that? Because that's who he is, its a terrific character moment. The reveal of the hunters face, is iconic in every sense of the word.

Stan Winston created something very special with him. And yes, James Cameron had a hand in it as well. The story goes that Winston has working on the design while on a flight, playing around with the dreadlock look, when Cameron, who was sitting next to him, said; "I've always wanted to see something with mandibles." The original hunter design was so completely different its actually quite funny. Before Winston came on it was a long necked, long armed, insect, with a cycloptic dog skull face and it was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The director John McTiernan filmed a few pieces of footage with it, went back to the studio, and said "You don't really want me to use this do you?" and the studio said "NO! WAIT! STOP!". Winston came on not long after and performer Kevin Peter Hall was cast as the new Predator. Hall, who stood at 7'2", had experience in dance and looked to African dances for inspiration for the Predators movement.

The hunter sees through Dutch's traps again but Dutch turns it on him. Dutch showing mercy to the hunter, now crushed under a log, is really interesting. He went this far, but he stops, of course the hunter responds by activating a self-destruct device. The chopper flying with Anna on board, that's Kevin Peter Hall as the pilot FYI the director wanted to get him into the movie because he did such a great job as the Predator. Dutch standing in the ashes and smoke is a stunning visual, as the human music fades back in. It brings us back down to what I think is quite an important thing; even if the world goes up, and hell breaks loose, strip everything away and we're still just people.

RESCUE; The General and Anna look at Dutch as Dutch looks out the chopper. Schwarzenegger is terrific in this movie. I know a lot of people look to Conan or Terminator 1 & 2 as his iconic roles. But PREDATOR is the one that I think really delivered on Schwarzenegger as an actor. The last shot of him has a weight to it. You can see that the man who was throwing around one liners as he casually took out guerrilla fighters is changed in a profound way.

CREDITS; PREDATOR is a movie that's been with me since I was a kid. I've always loved it, more specifically I've always loved the Predator himself. I'm a monster guy. The best creatures have characters, and the Predator has that in a big way, so the Predator sticks with you. The entire cast and crew really worked their asses off to make something worth peoples time, and I think they succeeded in a huge way. To this very day PREDATOR is looked at as one of the great moments in action films. And has gone on to become one of the best loved movies of the past 30 years. Thank you to everyone involved.

And thank you for indulging me, I know it was rough, but it was interesting for me. Next I'll be doing the same for PREDATOR 2.

COMMENTARY: A Prologue

I've decided to try a little experiment, I'm going to try a fan commentary. However seeing as how I don't have the necessary equipment for recording my voice, and that I also can't stand the sound of my own voice, and I'm the only one here, the commentary will be written. A scene by scene commentary, highlighting my thoughts and feelings about a film as I go. I should say that I have not studied film, and my experience is confined to simple viewership and fandom.

And I've decided to try this little experiment with three very specific films; PREDATOR, PREDATOR 2, and PREDATORS. Each offers its own positives and negatives and, aside from my love of them, offer a chance talk about some interesting things. Or at least what I consider interesting. So lets see how this goes.

A trilogy of fan ramblings just for you...

Thoughts...

'Sometimes you come into the middle of a conversation and you're completely lost. for instance, "...so than i put on the 1960's Cesar Romero Joker makeup and danced around naked to Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' while 'Sharktopus' played on the TV." Of course this effect is magnified when you walk into the room and the person is talking to themself.'

'Show me someone who says they don't like Godzilla and I'll show you a liar.'

'How is there not a band called the 'Geordi's'? Just imagine it, everyone dressed in black and yellow, wearing visors over there eyes. That would be awesome. Now what sort of music would they play?'

'I think jousting could make a serious comeback in popularity if you replace the horses with some sort of flying/hovering personal transports like in 'Green Lantern:The Animated Series', and eliminated most of the rules. Could you imagine? And what if that lead to the rebirth of some other ancient sports? Might be interesting.'

'Kevin Costner and Princess Diana were developing a sequel to 'The Bodyguard'? Wow.'

'I want George Takei to record an R&B album. Is that strange?'

'I want cake.'

>8-)

I'm a Piranha!!! NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

The CW's 'ARROW'



Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in the CW's new pilot, 'ARROW'.

 Above you see the first official image released of the CW's take on the Green Arrow for their new series pilot 'ARROW'. The costume was designed by three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood. Developed by writer/producers; Greg Berlanti (No Ordinary Family, Ei Stone), Marc Guggenheim (FlashForward, No Ordinary Family, Eli Stone) and Andrew Kreisberg (The Vampire Diaries). 'ARROW' follows billionaire playboy Oliver Queen after he's returned home, having been stranded on an island for five years, and takes up the bow and quiver for the first time to battle crime.

Some details about the series leaked out a few months ago, mostly casting breakdowns. While fan favorites will appear, including Dinah Lance, who isn't quite her fishnet wearing self just yet. It seems that this series will be making a number of changes and additions to the mythos. For example, Oliver now has a little sister and his mother is alive. He also isn't the head of his families company, and his home of 'Star City' is now called 'Starling City'. A name change that just puzzles me with its complete randomness.

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow as he appeared on 'Smallville'. His costume from seasons 6-9 is on the left, season 10 is on the right.

This isn't the first time the network has utilized the character. Their previous DC Comic outing 'Smallville' featured the Green Arrow in a supporting role during the last five seasons played quite well by fan favorite Justin Hartley. 'ARROW', being completely unrelated to 'Smallville', has cast Stephen Amell in the role for this, the characters very first solo television series.

Overall I'm quite thrilled with the costume, granted its not the most illuminating picture we could've gotten. The 'Smallville' costume was bright and pop, which was very appropriate for that series. But early word has it that 'ARROW' will be very different in terms of tone and style. With some throwing around comparisons to the Bourne action-film franchise. Statements of more of a focus on seriousness, reality, and action, makes this costume feel right. It includes a street style, a utilitarianism, and just looks like it was put together by hand. I am very much looking forward to this show, and I hope it turns out well.

.......

The sexual tension during the GOP debates is palpable. You can almost imagine the candidates passive-aggressively groping eachothers genitals backstage.

'Before WATCHMEN' is happening...

I honestly, truly, can't articulate my feelings on DC Comics 'Before WATCHMEN' project. And this is a long while after it was announced. I think that they have really great people involved, and I wish them well. But that's about as far as my positive feelings on the subject go. The history of WATCHMEN is a complicated thing and is tied up in a number of legal, economic, and creative details. Quite a bit of which is out there for people to read about so I won't try and make sense of it here. When it comes to my feelings on the subject I guess I could try to simplify it just by saying; I really wish this didn't exist. And in all of the interviews and all of the press releases I've seen there has been a lot of talk about what they're going to do, about they're love and respect of the original, and a bunch of other PR lines. But not a single person involved on any level has answered the most basic question; Why?

'Before WATCHMEN' is happening, that much is fact. With even the announcement of it, the comics community is split. Not just readers but, from what I've read, creators as well. 'Before WATCHMEN' is happening.....

Will we Time Travel?

I should first say that I have no degrees beyond a high school diploma. I have no training, no associations, and no experience, that would make me specially qualified to say anything. I'm just writing how I feel and from my own imagination.

The short answer is, yes, we will time travel. Of course the nature of Time Travel depends on your definition of it. Is it so simple as just popping back and forth to different times? is it more of a metaphysical concept? if you crush a butterfly are we all screwed?

Through recent experiments we've confirmed that time travel is indeed possible, but for now to a point. But I think if the technology is pushed, it may take decades or even centuries and a number of leaps and discoveries, than actual time travel will become an inevitability;

Energetic; We become able to detect and identify various forms of energy from other time periods.

Audible; Moving forward we are able to tune into the broadcast signals of other times and listen to events. This will eventually lead to listening in on sounds outside of artificial broadcast.

Visual; Focusing in on observation, we find a way to receive broadcasts of visual mediums.

3rd Person; We gain a stationary, window into the past, or even the future, through some sort of means. And view it as we would a TV show. From our singular screen we can observe events as they unfold. In time this technology develops and we can alternate between multiple views.

1st Person; We move forward allowing our view to be that of a specific individual. We experience the time period through their life, but still we cannot interact.

Dimensional; We can now project ourselves into a time period. Though we still cannot physically interact with the world around us, and cannot be seen by the inhabitants of the time, we may move freely and explore as we will.

Atomic; We are able to create an atomic replicant of a time explorer, who may move about the world and more importantly, interact. Once exploration is complete the replicant would than cease to exist.

Navigational; Not satisfied with atomic replicants, we design a machine that may be able to carry passengers through time itself opening doorways and jumping back and forth.

Of course these are just ideas in a shallow attempt to achieve what authors have been writing about for years and years. Reality may actually be much simpler than anything dreamt up. As we know the faster you go the less time passes. And as you approach the speed of light even more so. If you travel faster than the speed of light than the effect is even more profound. If you travel to the nearest star at faster than the speed of light time will have very little effect on you. But in that travel, enormous amounts of time have passed on Earth. You would return to a world nothing like you left it. But than again, when you ask someone what their definition of time travel is, that's not what comes to their mind. They'll want to go back and forth and that's where it, ironically enough, is going to take time. But I do think we'll get there.

Go see JOHN CARTER right now

As I have said before, I am in no way qualified to give movie reviews, all I can do is speak to my experience. Arguments about titles shall not appear in this post, but i will say I fall on the "Of Mars" side of the argument, but if you have seen the movie than you know that argument is completely unnecessary. I will also avoid mention of advertising, because that's an entirely different discussion.

Anywho.

I love the John Carter of Mars universe. Its beautiful in every conceivable way. So I've been quite excited to see the film JOHN CARTER for a while now. With every glimpse I found myself counting down the days. I remember reading the first book in the series a few years ago and being unable to put it down. I dreamt of living on Barsoom. I still do. My sister and I went to see JOHN CARTER. She was passively interested in seeing the movie, but she certainly wasn't enthusiastic. That changed however. After the credits rolled and the lights went up she was a fan. She was smiling and happy. She finally understood what I had been talking about. The film is a wonderful adaptation of the books and a love letter to the story of Carter. The romance is beautiful, the action terrific. The physical design of Barsoom and its peoples may not have been what I imagined them to be, but they were still fantastic. The movie has suffered it seems from a number of sources. But I ask you, forget all of what you're hearing, and just go see it. If you're expecting a disaster you will be proven wrong, if you're expecting nothing you'll see something, and if you're expecting just another summer movie you'll be wonderfully surprised. JOHN CARTER is a movie that deserves to be seen.

Please go see it.

Prometheus - Peter Weyland TED 2023 [OFFICIAL CLIP] - HD -

This is beautiful, this is amazing. As part of the promotion for PROMETHEUS this video has been released featuring Peter Weyland, yes that Weyland, speaking at a TED conference in the year 2023. For anyone who doesn't know what TED stands for Technology Entertainment Design. Every year the leading minds in countless fields come together to share and discuss ideas that shape the world and future. Here Peter Weyland gives the opening remarks to his vision of tomorrow.

He may be the leader of one of the most evil corporations in film history but dammit he can rock a speech. Speeches like this excite, they truly do. Pure vision and ambition in the pursuit of science. No fear, no hesitation. In one speech Weyland has inspired every feeling you could ever have, both good and bad. In one speech you become wrapped up in his words and want to hear more. In one speech, the future itself is born. Powerful.

Abrams Trek, an alternate reality with little difference...

I should say first, I am a huge Star Trek fan, and I have been all my life. I won't sum up my feelings about Abrams Trek, really because if I did this post would fall into a mess of nerdiness. Instead what I want to write about is the nature of its alternate reality. In the case of Abrams Trek the concept of an 'alternate reality' is used as a cheat to allow for a 'reboot'. But as the upcoming sequel is currently in production we will see possible growth and diversion from the original Star Trek universe. I love alternate universes, the concept is actually one of my personal obsessions. So here are some things I'd like to see in this new reality to further set it apart from the prime Roddenberry-Verse. I acknowledge that some of these are superficial, but just go with it.

1. Facial Hair; Even the smallest changes help. The crew is young in the Abrams-Verse. Maybe set somewhere just before the original series timeline. When the original crew made the jump to feature films, they started experimenting. The first time you see Bones in 'The Motion Picture' he's sporting an impressive beard, which he promptly shaves off, and Scotty sports a mustache through the rest of the films and in his appearance on 'The Next Generation'. So in this young Abrams-Verse, throw a beard on Kirk, a mustache on Bones, a goatee on Sulu, and keep them for the rest of this crews run.
2. Uniforms; The Abrams-Verse uniforms are already different from the original series. Why not take it further, why not make some bigger changes. Instead of shirts and pants you could change it to spacesuits, or tech driven jumpsuits, or whatever you'd like.
3. A new non-human hero; Spock has, among other things, represented the possibilities of Star Trek. His mother a human, his father a vulcan, he was the enigma of the future. What can be if we embrace the non-human life we will one day meet. Spock brought a hope and was a real jump from the evil aliens so often seen in popular entertainment. So bring someone else into the fold. A new addition to the command crew to really hit the point home. Since there's only the singular female voice in Uhura, maybe the new addition could also be female.
4. Kill off one of the characters; Seriously. If you want to set what you're doing apart as an alternate universe, you have to make a jump. And killing a major character is a hell of a jump. Doing this could even open the door to #3 above.
5. Change the Enterprise; The design of the Enterprise in the Abrams-Verse was quite different. Change it even more, go nuts.
6. Conflict; The destruction of Vulcan, the presence of Spock-prime, knowledge of advanced technology, these three things provide enough of a push to shake up the status quo in big ways. The Gorn, the Klingons, the Orions, Romulans, Tholians, potential for some big differences abound.

This is an alternate reality, start changing things.

Take a second and imagine;

Me. Wearing a sombrero & a clown nose. Eating a donut. Naked. Riding a dragon. Singing 'I'm A Little Teapot'. Backwards.
...........
You're welcome.

.....

I bet the people of Nantucket, have fantastic senses of humor.

Robonaut ISS Checkout Overview

YES!!!! AWESOME!!!!! :-) yet another one of the billions of reasons to want to go to space, you get to work with Robonaut :-) . With ORION we're going back to deep space exploration, our goals are back to traveling through the solar system and beyond, and we are developing robotic crew members to help us along the way. Slowly but surely we're approaching what the future should be.

I remember reading a quote from an Astronaut a couple years ago, he talked about what NASA's problems have been when it comes to getting the public excited about space again. He said something to effect of; we need to be more like Star Trek. Well we may not reach Star Trek levels of wonder just yet, but we're making giant leaps forward :-) .

The Avengers are assembling...

If you watched the Super Bowl yesterday, or jumped on the internet later on during the game, than you got our best look yet at the Avengers movie. Things are looking good so far, although there is still some negativity surrounding the footage. With some comparing it to a TV movie, because of the seeming lack of scale being presented. But it's early, I'm posting this in early February and the movie doesn't hit until early May. So there is plenty of time for MARVEL and Joss Whedon to finish whatever they've still got to go.

The spot itself, even in its extended version, doesn't show much but at the same time shows quite a bit. Mostly comprised of money shots and fill-ins it did what it needed to do and that was to make the largest television audience in America aware of the movie if they weren't already. We see glimpses of the threat to Earth, the various heroes in action and a glory shot of the team together. We also get our first real look at the Hulk, finally.

Of all of the characters being presented I'm actually most looking forward towards the interaction between Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Two characters who in their various incarnations in the books have always been incredibly similar yet very different at the same time. Any moment that the two are around each other they give the feeling of being long lost brothers. And I can't wait to see how it's played in the movie. Beyond that more Nick Fury is always welcome in my book.

A Swarm of Nano Quadrotors

A lot of people will look at this video and see nothing but doom and death. I see it and see something incredibly beautiful. A swarm of machines functioning as one, the possible applications for this technology are endless. And that may be what scares some people. While I completely understand their concerns, I can't help but imagine the wonderous, and positive, things that may be on the way.

NASA's Orion: From Factory to Flight

The ORION is on its way, NASA is putting so much work into the worlds next great spacecraft. If you care at all about the exploration of the universe, check out this video.

May we always be explorers, going boldly into the unknown.

2012 State Of The Union Address: Enhanced Version