I'm a code monkey and I've been writing web code for over twelve years. People often think that because I work on the Web that I can fix their broken computers. Sure, I probably know how to fix them, but I would really rather not because I know that most people suck. MONKEYS RULE!
Well, I caved-in and saw Terminator Salvation last Thursday night after being badgered into seeing it by my friends.
In my humble opinion, the movie did a greatjob of filling in the back story of how John Connor meet his future father Kyle Reese. Also in the movie, we actually get to see a personfied version of SkyNet as portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter. The homage to the to the original Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was also very cool.
Everything else in the movie seemed very trite to me. The character of Marcus Wright’s struggle to accept the fact that he is a machine who eventually chose the side of humanity was not very surprising to me. I think I would have been more surprised if he sided with the humans. Plus, his self-sacrifice at the end felt like very obvious since it made no sense at all as to why SkyNet would make a robot with a human heart. For what is supposedly a very logical computer system, SkyNet seemed really dumnb for putting in such a flaw into her robotic design. The only reason I could see was that his heart would eventually play some kind element in wrapping up the story.
Overall, it was a decent action sci-fi/action movie and it ties in pretty well with the other Terminator movies. It's not a movie that I would probably see again unlike Star Trek. Terminator Salvation took itself too way seriously with all it's doom-and-gloom vibe as compared to Star Trek which was able to toss in a little bit comedy along side the sci-fi and action.
I'm still pissed off at learning that Fox canceled "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles". Because of that, I have decided to boycott the "Terminator: Salvation" movie.
I know my one person protest isn't going to bring back the show, but it's a matter of principle. I have always believed is supporting the people and things that makes me happy and keeps me entertained. On the other hand, if something makes me unhappy, I make no hesitation at all in taking my business elsewhere.
At this point, I'm going only going to watch the other Fox shows that I like, "House MD" and "Dollhouse", on Hulu. That should essentially kill the effectiveness of any commercials on Fox on me.
Know that I'm not asking anyone to join me. I'm just exercising my right of expression and letting my wallet make my voice be heard.
Last night, I stood in line to see the Watchmen movie like so many others across the country. You could tell from the chatter who were the die-hard fans of the comics, the friends they dragged, and those who just didn’t have anything else better to do. As for me, I fell into that last category.
In regards to the comic, I never really read Watchmen when it first came out since I was living in another country then. Though, I do remember seeing the reprints on the shelves in the comic book stores, but I never really paid much attention to it despite everyone raving about them.
I was content with following my Spider-man, Captain America, and Gen 13 comics. Eventually, I managed to read a compilation of the series during one of my slow nights at Barnes & Noble. It was a decent read. The story line was interesting and intriguing, but I thought it was too serious for a comic book which is probably what made it so popular people.
The movie stayed definitely true to the comic. I won’t mention any details, so, as to not spoil it for those haven’t seen it yet. Parents do be aware. The imagery in the movie, as awesome as they are, does match the tone set in the comic books. Dr. Manhattan is naked as he was in the comic books.
The period music was appropriate, but I was bit confused with the use of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” since I’m pretty sure that was from the 70’s and not the 1985, but the song did match the scene that it was used in.
The acting was a bit rough while the movie was still setting up, but once the story got going, it does smooth itself out. The sex scenes were done tastefully in my opinion. They weren’t anything that hasn’t been done in a movie before. Maybe it’s a first for a costumed-superhero movie, but nothing any normal, well-balanced person should be upset about.
The story was a very interesting study of character, consequences, ethics, and morals. All are wonderful and necessary ingredients in making a good story. The movie shows you the different reasons why these people became superheroes and how they dealt with their changing environment. Different personalities, different backgrounds, and different lifestyles are all touched by this movie. The concept choosing the “Greater Good” or being unwavering with one’s virtues and beliefs is also an integral element in the movie. Also, don’t expect this movie to have the typical “all-is-well-that-ends-well” Hollywood ending. The comic book didn’t, so don’t expect the movie to change.
All in all, I think people should see it. Do keep in mind that it’s a grown-up movie and your kids will probably not like it. This isn’t like Batman, Superman, or Spider-man. This movie deals with complex issues and themes. It’s a welcomed change to the mind-numbing, children-targeted superhero films out there.
Watchmen is for those who loved comic books and have now grown up. It is a movie that expects its viewers to be a bit more mature than the average horny teenager. It’s a movie that appeals to your understanding of history and human nature. It’s a movie that requires be old enough to know that doesn’t usually go the way think it will and that we are all here just dealing with life as it comes.
Last night, I tuned in for the return of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and the premier of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse on Fox. It's good to finally have something decent to fill in the void that Stargate: SG1/Atlantis left in its place when they ended their shows.
Terminator: SCC continues its story towards humanity’s doom in the hands of machines. I’m hoping to see more time travelling robot fighting each other this season. I think the show needs to come up with an effective way to pull in new viewers if they plan to survive. The show assumes that the viewer already knows what is going on and it leaves any newcomers very lost and confused.
As for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, it will be interesting to see how the show plays out. I’m an old fan of Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel series, so I have a high level of expectation from this show. With last night’s pilot, I can see that this show will be episodic with an underlying story arc spanning the series. This will be a great contrast to T: SCC which is basically one long story. So far, the story is intriguing, and cast looked awesome. It’s good to see Elisa Dushku and Amy Acker back on the small screen.
Overall, the two shows were great which means that I’ll be tuning each next week. Both shows tackle the idea of being "reprogrammed" pretty well. Let’s just hope that the writing on the shows keeps me coming back.
