Make Shit Up

Okay, so with the exceptions of the Drag Me To Hell and the upcoming District 9, it seems like all of this summer's sci-fi type entertainment have been re imaginings, remakes, sequels, interpretations of a toy based marketing opportunity, or some combination there of.

Don't get me wrong, I like some of this stuff (new Star Trek was awesome, and I'm sure the new Harry Potter is just fine), but how about a little bit of originality? Or, filming a book who's themes haven't been done to death? Let The Right One In & True Blood are great and all, but they are still vampire stories.

Of course a lot of this stuff is drek. The Transformers sequel was stunningly bad, and my expectations were pretty low. Between the racist caricatures in robot form, testicle jokes, rampant sexism, nonsensical & self contradictory metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, and the most obvious McGuffin in the history of McGuffins, I'm surprised it wasn't a George Lucas film (Okay, that's not fair, Lucas doesn't do testicle jokes). You will of course have to drag me kicking and screaming into the GI Joe movie. If I am to be forced to watch it, I must be made pliant with alcohol before, during, and after the film.

I see that Joe Haldeman's Forever War is in the planning stages with Ridley Scott attached, and that's promising. However: he has now signed to do an Alien prequel. I'll probably like it (anything is an improvement over AvP: Requiem), but it's ground that's been covered.

District 9 does look good though. It's plot sounds engaging, it has power armor/mechs, and Peter Jackson's involvement is usually a good sign. Beyond that we have 9, which could be great, or a big build up to nothing. It's premise is interesting and it's voice cast impressive, but it's produced by Tim Burton and I hope he kept his grubby little hands out of the visual design.

Forgotten Sci-Fi: Enemy Mine

Breaks over, time to get back to it.

Enemy Mine is on the TV right now. For those that aren't familiar with what I consider to be one of the best Sci-Fi films of the 80's, it goes like this: the it's the late 21st century Humans have finally made peace with each other, and while exploring the galaxy came upon a race of advanced sentient reptiles known as the Drac.

Being Humans, we went to war. With the conflict in full swing a Human and a Drac crash land their respective fighters on a barely hospitable planet. To survive, they must rely on each other.

It's a deeply moral tale of the value of tolerance, friendship, and acceptance. Strictly speaking, it's a story that didn't have to be told with a science fiction setting, and in a way that's what made it so good.

It has an elegant simplicity. There were special effects to be sure (decent, although not great ones for the period), and the Drac makeup was excellent, but they didn't overwhelm the rest of what was going on. The actors (Dennis Quaid, Lou Gosset Jr., and the always menacing, but dearly missed Brion James) didn't let the fantastic setting throw them, and delivered genuine performances. Gosset is particularly good as Jeriba, the Drac. He's portraying a completely alien being, dramatically different, yet very much like a human.

Netflix it. You won't be disappointed.

A New Experience

I've found myself in a position I haven't been in before: I like my job.

While it's true that the hours could be better, and I could do with more of them, (I'm on a 31 hour schedule) but it's easy to get more when I want them.

I don't really mind the public that much. Most of them are just friendly little conversations I have with strangers while I take their money. I especially like German tourists: every one of them I've encountered (5 or 6 in the short time I've been at BLB01) have been patient, good humored, and grateful.

This feeling of job satisfaction is totally alien; at GNW I was unappreciated and treated like property by my so called Marxist boss, EFTC was a soul crushing wave of corporate busy work, and all the others were fairly lousy dead enders that I had to self medicate myself to tolerate.

I'm sure my current position will wear thin after a few months, but as I'll be most likely transferring to another department before to long, that likely won't be to much of a bother. Viva la BLB01