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Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Exo Squad in TV
Nov 27, 2020
One of America's Best Animated Series
Contains spoilers, click to show
Exo Squad was a show that doesn't get the credit it deserves. This show was one of the best American made animated shows. The only show I put above it is the 90's X-Men. The premise is that humans have terraformed Mars and Venus and now can live on these planets. This show centers around a group of soldiers who pilot fighting machines called E-frames. J.T. Marsh is the leader of the group and they are at odds with Governor Phaeton, leader of the Neosapiens. Neosapiens are genetically engineered humans built to be basically slaves to Homosapiens. They are superior in strength and other things. One day, the Neosapiens decided they had enough and rose up and started a war with the Homosapiens. As I said a very well done series. Season 1 is available on DVD. I think season 2 is coming to the soon. The entire series is being streamed on the Peacock channel on roku. Give it a watch!
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Under the Skin (2014) in Movies
Nov 29, 2020
The closest we may ever get to a Biker Mice From Mars movie...
In all seriousness, Under the Skin is quite an experience. It's a film that leaves more questions than it answers, and is purposefully provocative in it's desire to explain a damned thing.
It has a jarring mixture of styles, alternating between almost amateur/hidden camera shots and visually stunning moments on a whim. It has plenty of beautiful vistas, and plenty of simplistic yet surreal moments when things get a little extra-terrestrial.
Scarlett Johansson puts in a solid performance as the mysterious being, managing to come off dangerous and vulnerable all at the same time, certainly sympathetic for a creature the audience know very little about. The climax of the film is hard to watch, and highlights the ugliness of the human race effectively, and the entire film is backed by an incredible music score.
I'm not going to pretend I fully understood Under the Skin, but it's truly otherworldly whilst feeling grounded in its Glasgow setting. A genuinely uncomfortable yet beautiful experience.
In all seriousness, Under the Skin is quite an experience. It's a film that leaves more questions than it answers, and is purposefully provocative in it's desire to explain a damned thing.
It has a jarring mixture of styles, alternating between almost amateur/hidden camera shots and visually stunning moments on a whim. It has plenty of beautiful vistas, and plenty of simplistic yet surreal moments when things get a little extra-terrestrial.
Scarlett Johansson puts in a solid performance as the mysterious being, managing to come off dangerous and vulnerable all at the same time, certainly sympathetic for a creature the audience know very little about. The climax of the film is hard to watch, and highlights the ugliness of the human race effectively, and the entire film is backed by an incredible music score.
I'm not going to pretend I fully understood Under the Skin, but it's truly otherworldly whilst feeling grounded in its Glasgow setting. A genuinely uncomfortable yet beautiful experience.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Ad Astra (2019) in Movies
Sep 20, 2019
Portentous sci-fi film takes some of the less interesting bits from Interstellar, welds them on to the basic idea of Gravity, and adds Brad Pitt and a couple of killer baboons in the hope that no-one will notice (this strategy seems to be somewhat successful). Cosmic rays from Neptune are threatening civilisation as we know it, and so Pitt is rocketed off to the Moon and then Mars in order to try and make contact with his long-lost father, who is in the frame for masterminding this. (This honestly is the plot.)
Visually stunning to look at, and I suppose the central metaphor of the film is well-executed (Pitt's journey into outer space reflects the way he is addressing some of his own internal psychological issues), but it is just a tiny bit dull - they keep having to insert arbitrary moon buggy chases and killer baboons just to pep the movie up a bit. The future world envisioned by the film is neither particularly original nor terribly convincing. Pitt's performance is better than the movie deserves.
Visually stunning to look at, and I suppose the central metaphor of the film is well-executed (Pitt's journey into outer space reflects the way he is addressing some of his own internal psychological issues), but it is just a tiny bit dull - they keep having to insert arbitrary moon buggy chases and killer baboons just to pep the movie up a bit. The future world envisioned by the film is neither particularly original nor terribly convincing. Pitt's performance is better than the movie deserves.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Stranger from Venus (1954) in Movies
Aug 15, 2020
Yet another low-budget British knock-off of The Day the Earth Stood Still, distinguished (sort of) by the fact it's managed to secure the services of one of the stars of the original film, Patricia Neal (the movie never got an American release as it might have drawn a plagiarism suit from Fox). Bloke from Venus arrives in the home counties to deliver a grave message about the dangers of atomic weapons, engages in chaste sort-of romance with a woman who lives locally (Neal), is messed about by the government.
At least it's a little easier to take seriously than Devil Girl from Mars, but the production is even more primitive and it's a lot less fun. Helmut Dantine does the best he can, dispensing cosmic wisdom in a gravelly Austrian monotone, but the punishingly low budget really shows. The purest kind of rip-off - there's nothing here that isn't in the original movie, and everything that is here is less accomplished and less interesting. Not awful, though, nor is it without a certain historical curiosity value for SF aficionados.
At least it's a little easier to take seriously than Devil Girl from Mars, but the production is even more primitive and it's a lot less fun. Helmut Dantine does the best he can, dispensing cosmic wisdom in a gravelly Austrian monotone, but the punishingly low budget really shows. The purest kind of rip-off - there's nothing here that isn't in the original movie, and everything that is here is less accomplished and less interesting. Not awful, though, nor is it without a certain historical curiosity value for SF aficionados.
Woody Woodmansey recommended track Life on Mars by David Bowie in Platinum Collection by David Bowie in Music (curated)
Jenny Houle (24 KP) rated The Wanderers in Books
Jan 13, 2018
Initially, I had received a free copy of this book for an unbiased review, but did not read it in the allotted time. I finally borrowed it from my local library to sit down and read it.
This book is the story of three astronauts chosen to go on a simulation trip to Mars, in preparation for a real trip in the future. It is also, though, the story of the family members left behind during the simulation, and their relationships with the astronauts. Each chapter is written from a different character's view point, and while in some books this is distracting, Howrey manages to perfect the art of it. Each character is distinct, their growth and changes during the 18 months very much their own.
I am typically not a fan of books where the ending is not...a complete ending, but in this particular book it felt like it was the only way to end the book. I found myself, towards the end, fearing the moment when all the answers to questions would come...and that sort of goes against what the rest of the book depicts.
This book is the story of three astronauts chosen to go on a simulation trip to Mars, in preparation for a real trip in the future. It is also, though, the story of the family members left behind during the simulation, and their relationships with the astronauts. Each chapter is written from a different character's view point, and while in some books this is distracting, Howrey manages to perfect the art of it. Each character is distinct, their growth and changes during the 18 months very much their own.
I am typically not a fan of books where the ending is not...a complete ending, but in this particular book it felt like it was the only way to end the book. I found myself, towards the end, fearing the moment when all the answers to questions would come...and that sort of goes against what the rest of the book depicts.
Lindsay (1706 KP) rated Aoléon The Martian Girl (Part 3) in Books
Apr 9, 2019
I know children love action and adventures. Well this book sure has it. I truly know it got a space in it as well. It wonderful. Pictures are done well. They seem to capture you to look at them. Aoleon and Gilbert find themselves trapped when Aoleon is taking her pilot exam.
They start there adventure when they are spying on Luminon. Can they warn her father about Galact saboteur can do any damage. What happens next is just the beginning for their adventure and it live treating. They seem to find something in the moon above Mars. Gilbert leans to sky-board. There more trouble ahead. They seem to have been found or they were being tracked.
They get back to Aoleon home and find it ransacked by who know who. They find Uri who had hidden from them. These people who were there took her mother and father. She tell her sister to stay with her Grandma. Pax shows up and tell him that Aoleon an Gilbert will need to escape while they can and need to go somewhere where they can get the help. Will they escape? You will need to read to find out.
They start there adventure when they are spying on Luminon. Can they warn her father about Galact saboteur can do any damage. What happens next is just the beginning for their adventure and it live treating. They seem to find something in the moon above Mars. Gilbert leans to sky-board. There more trouble ahead. They seem to have been found or they were being tracked.
They get back to Aoleon home and find it ransacked by who know who. They find Uri who had hidden from them. These people who were there took her mother and father. She tell her sister to stay with her Grandma. Pax shows up and tell him that Aoleon an Gilbert will need to escape while they can and need to go somewhere where they can get the help. Will they escape? You will need to read to find out.
Red Otter (340 KP) rated Terraforming Mars: Colonies in Tabletop Games
Jun 5, 2019
The Colonies expansion to Terraforming Mars is an interesting addition to the game. It adds new cards that deals with a new mechanic called colonies. Colonies are represented by randomly selected tiles of small moons/planetoids (Sorry Pluto) that give bonuses such as cards, or resources when a trade fleet is sent out to trade with them. Each player starts with one trade fleet ( possible to get more later) that can be sent out for credits, energy, or titanium. This flexibility in choices allow for multiple engine types to be able to use colonies. A player also has an option to colonize one of these colonies, which gets them an initial colony bonus and an additional one anytime anyone trades with it.
This expansion adds a little extra bloat to the game, but it enable interesting options to help improve your engine or get that little extra push. There are some additional floater cards as well to help support the theme from Venus, and some other cards that make for additonal VPs. I do enjoy this expansion, even if it adds an extra bit of time to the game.
This expansion adds a little extra bloat to the game, but it enable interesting options to help improve your engine or get that little extra push. There are some additional floater cards as well to help support the theme from Venus, and some other cards that make for additonal VPs. I do enjoy this expansion, even if it adds an extra bit of time to the game.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Martian in Books
Mar 15, 2018
The idea of being stranded alone somewhere is certainly a terrifying one, and as such has been used countless times in literature (and film). Moving the location 140,000,000 miles from Earth adds a new twist to the tale though, and adds an increased sense of desperation. When astronaut Mark Watney finds himself trapped on Mars after an accident, he turns out to be more resilient and resourceful than many of us would, and goes about doing everything he can to ensure his survival and up his odds of rescue. Given that rescue is so far away, and the harsh Martian environment is so unforgiving, things don't always go his way. The series of setbacks he experiences keeps readers in suspense throughout the entire book. The story is told largely from the perspective of Mark dictating to his log, which gives it a casual tone, making Mark very likable, and keeping the technical bits easy to understand. As such, this is a fun read, that kept me on the edge of my seat. If the movie is anywhere near as good as the book, it should be one of the best of the year.
Peter Shephard (2821 KP) rated Catan in Tabletop Games
May 26, 2019
Classic family friendly game
I do enjoy Catan, my wife and family enjoys Catan. It is a nice and easy enough game to play. It is challenging enough without being difficult, and I would go as far as to suggest the age bracket is slightly lower than the suggested. It's one of the games we turn to when there isn't enough time left for Agricola or Terrforming Mars or a similar, long length game.
The game itself is varied each time you play, and although there is a lot of commonality between games, it only takes a couple if minor changes (even as random as a particularly lucky or unlucky roll) and the game can take a drastically different direction. Playing a Road card, instead of saving for a settlement, can come back to haunt you when the resource you *nearly* got would have been vital.
Having played the base game for a good few years, we are looking for the expansions, but they are either/both difficult to get hold of, or quite expensive. The base game is a staple which should be in most collections, especially for casual gamers.
The game itself is varied each time you play, and although there is a lot of commonality between games, it only takes a couple if minor changes (even as random as a particularly lucky or unlucky roll) and the game can take a drastically different direction. Playing a Road card, instead of saving for a settlement, can come back to haunt you when the resource you *nearly* got would have been vital.
Having played the base game for a good few years, we are looking for the expansions, but they are either/both difficult to get hold of, or quite expensive. The base game is a staple which should be in most collections, especially for casual gamers.