Series review: From the Earth to the Moon

From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
From the Earth to the Moon poster Rating: 9.0/10 (6,503 votes)
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Stars: Tom Hanks, Nick Searcy, Lane Smith, David Andrews
Runtime: 60 min
Rated: N/A
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Released: 05 Apr 1998
Plot: Dramatized portrayal of the Apollo manned space program.

I kind of can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this HBO mini-series before – I think I stumbled across it after it was mentioned in a Band of Brothers review. Immediately I knew I had to see this, since I’ve always found everything to do with space exploration immensely thrilling, especially of course the short years during which humankind actually went out there and landed on the moon.

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Series review: Sense8

Sense8 (2015โ€“)
Sense8 poster Rating: 8.1/10 (5,066 votes)
Director: N/A
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Stars: Miguel รngel Silvestre, Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai
Runtime: 60 min
Rated: N/A
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Released: 05 Jun 2015
Plot: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order.

On Saturday, Netflix suggested a new show by the Wachowskis and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5), and because its premise sounded interesting, I gave it a shot and watched the first 3 episodes in one sitting (which is funny, since that’s exactly what a lot of the early reviewers out there did, too). The premise is interesting, the way these 8 very different people suddenly connect well-depicted (and it sure helped that they’re all very, very pretty *g*). Still, I wasn’t completely hooked, since only a couple of the storylines (most of all Nomi’s) really gripped me, although things definitely picked up towards the end of my first session – at least enough so I kept watching. And boy, am I glad I did, because in episode 4 I properly fell in love.

I’ll try not to spoil too much, but let me share some of the reasons why.

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Series review: The Inside

The Inside (2005โ€“)
The Inside poster Rating: 8.1/10 (953 votes)
Director: N/A
Writer: Howard Gordon, Tim Minear
Stars: Rachel Nichols, Adam Baldwin, Katie Finneran, Nelsan Ellis
Runtime: 42 min
Rated: TV-14
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Released: 08 Jun 2005
Plot: A rookie FBI agent is recruited as the new violent crimes task force profiler to solve murder cases.

This show was created by Tim Minear, who’d also worked on another short-lived Fox series, Firefly. That’s where the similarities end, pretty much, because The Inside is a dark and twisted crime procedural. Seriously, it makes Criminal Minds look fluffy and happy – and somehow the gore is extra-gruesome, making me feel actively nauseous several times. So why did I just re-watch it in its entirety?

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Movie review: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron poster Rating: N/A/10 (N/A votes)
Director: Joss Whedon
Writer: Joss Whedon, Stan Lee (comic book), Jack Kirby (comic book)
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hayley Atwell, Chris Evans
Runtime: 142 min
Rated: N/A
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Released: 1 May 2015
Plot: When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

I adore the Marvel Cinematic Universe to pieces, and the first Avengers movie rates very highly in my own personal ranking (a tie for second place with the first Captain America, following Winter Soldier). Also, I love Joss Whedon (mainly for giving us Firefly), and I was very excited to get more Black Widow and Hawkeye (alone or together, I love these two for being normal humans fighting alongside superheroes). Accordingly, I went into Age of Ultron with very high expectations indeed – which turned out to be a mistake, because I walked out of the theatre with a bad taste in my mouth, feeling frustrated and disappointed. (No spoilers follow, I think, except what one could learn from a plot synopsis or trailers.)

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Movie review: Boy Meets Girl

Boy Meets Girl (2014)
Boy Meets Girl poster Rating: 6.5/10 (149 votes)
Director: Eric Schaeffer
Writer: Eric Schaeffer
Stars: Michael Galante, Michelle Hendley, Jean Devereux Koester, Ethan Major
Runtime: 95 min
Rated: N/A
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 6 Feb 2015
Plot: Boy Meets Girl is a funny, tender, sex positive romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman, and how important it is to live a courageous life not letting fear stand in the way of going after your dreams.

Objectively speaking, this movie has its weaknesses – some of the acting feels forced (especially when the movie tries hard to make a point), and the storytelling sometimes seems rushed, making it hard to believe in some of the emotional beats. (For example, I never really believed in the obvious main couple until the very end, no matter how many characters pointed out that Robbie was smitten with his best friend, spunky trans girl Ricky.) However, overall I was so thoroughly charmed, I find those flaws easy to forgive.

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Movie review: Pitch Black

Pitch Black (2000)
Pitch Black poster Rating: 7.1/10 (177,171 votes)
Director: David Twohy
Writer: Jim Wheat (story), Ken Wheat (story), Jim Wheat (screenplay), Ken Wheat (screenplay), David Twohy (screenplay)
Stars: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David
Runtime: 109 min
Rated: R
Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Released: 18 Feb 2000
Plot: A commercial transport ship and its crew are marooned on a planet full of bloodthirsty creatures that only come out to feast at night. But then, they learn that a month-long eclipse is about to occur.

The first ‘Riddick’ adventure is my favourite of the trilogy and one of those movies I can re-watch over and over again. It’s was shot with a relatively small budget, and the plot is simple: a space transport crashes on a desert planet, leaving only a handful of survivors who quickly discover that an eternal night is about to set in – and that there’s evil lurking in the dark. What follows is a tense race to reach a shuttle to get them to safety, complicated by the tensions in the disparate group.

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Movie review: A Mormon Double Feature

The Falls (2012)
The Falls poster Rating: 6.4/10 (609 votes)
Director: Jon Garcia
Writer: Jon Garcia
Stars: Quinn Allan, Brian Allard, Zach Carter, Natasha Duvall
Runtime: 91 min
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Drama
Released: N/A
Plot: The Falls is a feature film about two missionaries that fall in love while on their mission. RJ travels to a small town in Oregon with Elder Merrill to serve their mission and teach the ...

Anyone who enjoys gay-themed movies knows Latter Days (2003), the story of a Mormon missionary who falls in love with an out-and-proud party boy. “The Falls” takes a different approach – here it’s two young Mormon missionaries who discover a love that puts them in direct conflict with the faith they still deeply believe in.

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Yes, this is a Pacific Rim post

Pacific Rim (2013)
Pacific Rim poster Rating: 7.0/10 (309,826 votes)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Writer: Travis Beacham (screenplay), Guillermo del Toro (screenplay), Travis Beacham (story)
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Diego Klattenhoff, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi
Runtime: 132 min
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Released: 2013-07-12
Plot: As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Why do I feel the need to write about a popcorn action movie from 2013? Because, in internet parlance, this movie gives me the feels!

After seeing the trailer, I only went to see it because friends of mine wanted to, expecting some trashy robot-on-monster fights and no depth whatsoever. I ended up enjoying it so much I went to see it again, and have since then easily watched it 20 times or more. I love it as much as Avengers, and that’s saying something (not quite as much as Winter Soldier, but that’s because I’m obsessed – my Bucky Barnes feels know no bounds *g*).

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Quick layout change

In honour of the beauty that is Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dancing, I decided to change my WordPress theme. The image is from their 1938 movie Carefree, from the delightful The Yam, one of only four musical numbers. They’re well worth it, though, and the rest of the movie is thoroughly enjoyable, too, showing off Ginger’s comic talent at its best and poking fun at Freudian psychoanalysis.

I also switched from daily to weekly Twitter digests, because the blog felt unnecessarily cluttered.


My current obsession

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? With one thing or another (most importantly, of course, I’ve become the godmother of my adorable little nephew Elias) this year has flown by – and today Christmas season has officially started, wow!

Somehow fitting the season, these last couple of weeks I’ve gone on a Classic Hollywood kick, mainlining black-and-white movies, mostly screwball and romantic comedies and Astaire-Rogers musicals. I’ve also devoured the delightful “Scandals of Classic Hollywood” by Anne Helen Petersen, both the original blog series and the book, and have lined up some biographies to read next. It’s just such a fascinating era, and a lot of the movies are simply first class!

Long-time favourites:
The Philadelphia Story with Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant & James Stewart

Ain’t No Other Man by Sof – set to Christina Aguilera, this is a brilliant tribute to what is one of my all-time favourite movies! (I cringe at the dressing down from her dad, but other than that, Tracy Lord RULES & both C.K. Dexter Haven and Macauly Connor know it. *g*)

Swing Time with Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

A Love That Won’t Sit Still by icepixie – a general tribute to those two and the way they light up the screen. I’ll pretty much watch them in anything – seriously, even “weaker” movies like Follow the Fleet and Shall We Dance make me happy.

New discoveries:
Holiday with Katherine Hepburn & Cary Grant

You Belong With Me, by Hepburned – another great use of a modern song. From reviews I expected to prefer the other Grant/Hepburn collaboration, Bringing Up Baby, but that was just too frantic & over-the-top for my taste, and I enjoyed this movie much more – again, Hepburn plays a delightful character & Grant is pitch-perfect.

The Awful Truth with Cary Grant & Irene Dunn

Worth seeing for the end scene (here set to music by Edward Boensnes) alone. I preferred it to both My Favorite Wife (another Grant/Dunn collaboration), which drew out the jokes much too long imho, and to His Girl Friday (Grant with Rosalind Russell). The latter was pretty great, though, especially the first scene is brilliant – I just never quite bought that Russell should get back together with Grant’s character, since all he does is cheat and scheme to get her back, not addressing at all why their marriage fell apart the first time.

And I’ve only just started, there’s so many more to discover! After all, I’ve stuck to Astaire/Rogers and Cary Grant movies so far… Next up: It Happened One Night with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, I think. ๐Ÿ™‚