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Legion: Skin Deep
8.0
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Brandon Sanderson is one of the most significant fantasists to enter the field in a good many years....
science fiction scifi
Hers, Unleashed (Hers #3)
9.0
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Hot. Obedient. And he wants to be hers. What could possibly go wrong? Silenian security guard...
Erotic Dystopian Science Fiction Romance
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Surrogates (2009) in Movies
Aug 9, 2019
Imagine if “IRobot”, “Die Hard”, and Joss Whedon’s television show “Dollhouse” had a child, the result would be akin to “Surrogates”. In the not to distant future technology is developed which gives us the ability to control customizable robots, called surrogates, with our minds. As a result, people rarely leave the house and interact directly with each other as surrogates. This robot filled thriller tells the story of FBI agent, Tom Greer (Bruce Willis), sent to investigate sudden deaths occurring when people are operating their surrogates.
In addition to Willis’s captivating acting, the film shines in part due to well-executed details, from the surrogate’s not quite human enough demeanor, to the underlying bias against people who don’t use the technology. “Surrogates” is a film that will make you reconsider the issue of advancing technology from both sides.
The least impressive aspect of this scifi/thriller based on a popular graphic novel is the fundamentally preposterous premise. One of the film’s main assumptions is that the use of surrogates has eliminated violence and racism. Believing that people, who are in essence operating a real world version of Second Life, would spend no time committing crimes, seems more than a little irrational.
Still, the film is engaging and much more thought provoking than I had expected. “Surrogates” fulfills both sci-fi and Bruce Willis fan requirements and is a visually enticing film. You will see a variety of locations common to a robot filled world, from a surrogate beauty salon complete with drills to the inner sanctum of the robot production line.
Touching on human, technological, and futuristic themes “Surrogates” is a fun film filled with visual effects and a truly engaging plot that is if you can overcome the plot holes that fracture the initial premise.
In addition to Willis’s captivating acting, the film shines in part due to well-executed details, from the surrogate’s not quite human enough demeanor, to the underlying bias against people who don’t use the technology. “Surrogates” is a film that will make you reconsider the issue of advancing technology from both sides.
The least impressive aspect of this scifi/thriller based on a popular graphic novel is the fundamentally preposterous premise. One of the film’s main assumptions is that the use of surrogates has eliminated violence and racism. Believing that people, who are in essence operating a real world version of Second Life, would spend no time committing crimes, seems more than a little irrational.
Still, the film is engaging and much more thought provoking than I had expected. “Surrogates” fulfills both sci-fi and Bruce Willis fan requirements and is a visually enticing film. You will see a variety of locations common to a robot filled world, from a surrogate beauty salon complete with drills to the inner sanctum of the robot production line.
Touching on human, technological, and futuristic themes “Surrogates” is a fun film filled with visual effects and a truly engaging plot that is if you can overcome the plot holes that fracture the initial premise.
Warzone: Clash of Generals
Games and Stickers
App
When city states fight each other over precious resources, they need war heroes to lead their armies...
Restricted Fantasies
10.0
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Are you living in a simulation? If you aren’t now, you soon will be. The technology is fast...
Short stories SciFi
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated First Man (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
Hotter than the sun
#firstman is tense, awe inspiring, #breathtaking & a visually splendor continuing #damienchazelle streak of mind blowing films. I won't pretend I know a lot about the #moonlanding & the #spacerace because I don't so I will be giving my opinion here on the film itself not its historical accuracy. Where First Man really succeeds it its visuals & sound design, there are times when you would actually believe some scenes were archive footage it looks that authentic. Grain covers the screen giving the film an #oldfashioned feel but at the same time the film feels light years ahead & current too. Sound is crisp & punchy with the desolate & intimidating silence of #space to the screeches, roars & rattles heard from inside the space capsule, its scary stuff really putting you in the boots of the astronauts. There's some damn right insane cinematography here too with stand outs being a pov crash & the moon landing its self which is such a #beautiful & impact full scene my entire screening held their breath & cheered just like watching the real thing. #ryangosling is so good here as #neilarmstrong he's a troubled man dealing with loss, #family commitment, dedication to his mission & his own personal #demons. Ryan doesnt say much but his face shows all the pain, tiredness, loneliness, how smart he is & his #passion constantly. The effects the mission has on his & his family's #mental state is explored greatly & #clairefoy is also mesmerising as his worried wife showing the effects from here side too. We all know the basic story of the #moon landing yet Damien makes it a fresh, tense, deep & exciting in a film so full of wonder & exploration into the unknown that as we watch the camera dance around space its dazzling & almost dreamy especially with its #gorgeous almost #lalaland esque score. There's also so much #nostalgia here with scenes reminiscent of #alien, 2001 a space odyssey, #retro #scifi films & even old #musicals. Everyone needs to see this film & see it big. Its award worthy thats for sure. #stevenspielberg #fridaythe13th #fridayfeeling #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmcritic
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
May 14, 2019
Reboot
#upgrade #upgrademovie is insane & possibly the biggest surprise of the year. Its dark, dirty, gritty, raw & I absolutely #loved every second of it. Upgrade clearly wears its influences on its sleeve right from the start, there's elements of #Dredd, #Robocop, #TheMatrix & also #Terminator & its style is a straight #nostalgic mash up of #80s & #90s #scifi. What's so good about it however is amongst all this influence is an intricately woven style of its own. Its a low budget #film but you wouldn't know it as cgi is fantastic/minimal & works so well with some of the best #practicaleffects I've seen in ages. Gore is so realistic/#savage & shocking at one point I almost stood up out my seat in sheer shock. Cinematography is #beautiful/creative & at times wouldnt look out of place in a #bladerunner film. Environments look nasty, hostile & damn right grimy giving the film such a raw & depressing quality like it too is also a character. Ive always loved #loganmarshallgreen his physical acting here is next level. How he moves his body in this movie is out of this world impressive (especially when the system takes over his body). He plays the role perfect making his body act robotic while his face reacts with sheer fear & panic (its not only hilarious but terrible & utterly fascinating too). Camera work when he's moving is seriously impressive too moving in almost a robotic kind of way twisting, turning & jolting with every move #logan makes. With an unnerving/memorable score & an over all message of #technology enslaving us all/how no matter how much we hate machines we all eventually become reliant on them in some way Upgrade is a must see. Its not very often a small film like this comes along so we must all go see it to encourage directors to make more. One hell of a great time & a film I can't wait to own. #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmcritic #filmreview #saturdaynight #horror #gore #violent #cyberpunk #grindhouse
Murder by Munchhausen Trilogy Set
7.5
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A Cyber Crime Thriller Series: Notorious serial killers digitally resurrected to live & hunt again...
Science Fiction sci-fi scifi sci fi thriller police procedural
Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated The Martian in Books
Jun 6, 2018
Fantastic novel! One of my all time favorite books.
Mark Watney is a snarky, foul-mouthed, crude nerd that’s stuck on Mars and forced to survive by himself. He’s beyond awesome. He takes a pounding from Mars right from the beginning. Has to be able to utilize all his skills and fix all his problems by himself (“Martian taters” “Cannibalized it so much it looks like I left it in a bad part of town”), deal with countless months by himself, and basically frantically try not to die. Through it all, he keeps a sense of humor that still (yes, still, I’m on my 12th listen or so) makes me snicker, and is obviously brilliant in a MacGuyver sort of way, yet utterly relate-able. At this point, I’ve listened to The Martian so much that he’s like a dear friend that I’m constantly rooting for. His reactions are utterly believable .
Andy Weir did a FANTASTIC job with this book.
If you like scifi at all, you will love this book. If you need a hero you can root for, you will love this book. Also, if you're looking for an audio book that is fast-paced, great quality, with an easy to understand and wonderful narrator, you will love the audio book version.
Now, to be fair, some people have complained that there's a lot of science in this book, and that it can be kind of hard to get through because of that. Here's my take on that. Is there a lot of science? Yes. BUT, its not overwhelming. Weir doesn't bombard you with pages upon pages of incomprehensible technobabble. He tells you what's going on in a way that, even if you don't understand the precise details behind what's happening, you still know what's going on. I don't believe at any point that its excessive, and most of the time I found it downright fascinating!
I'm sure this book has a few negatives, but... not any that I can identify.
PS: Lots of F-bombs dropped in the book. Don’t read if you’re sensitive to that.
Andy Weir did a FANTASTIC job with this book.
If you like scifi at all, you will love this book. If you need a hero you can root for, you will love this book. Also, if you're looking for an audio book that is fast-paced, great quality, with an easy to understand and wonderful narrator, you will love the audio book version.
Now, to be fair, some people have complained that there's a lot of science in this book, and that it can be kind of hard to get through because of that. Here's my take on that. Is there a lot of science? Yes. BUT, its not overwhelming. Weir doesn't bombard you with pages upon pages of incomprehensible technobabble. He tells you what's going on in a way that, even if you don't understand the precise details behind what's happening, you still know what's going on. I don't believe at any point that its excessive, and most of the time I found it downright fascinating!
I'm sure this book has a few negatives, but... not any that I can identify.
PS: Lots of F-bombs dropped in the book. Don’t read if you’re sensitive to that.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Brightburn (2019) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Super Nasty
Brightburn is a short film that moves at a blistering pace but its the calm moments where the movie truly shines. Brightburn successfully turns the entire superhero genre on its head going almost full horror movie on us & while it does fall into the trap of using to many horror cliches its a really interesting, fun & stand out movie. If I were to compare it I'd say its a mix of A Quiet Place, Midnight Special & The Children leaning towards the horror side of things more than anything else but there are sprinkles of Scifi & obviously dabs of Superhero here & there. Visually its such a looker the screen often painted fully in deep inky blackness with the only thing breaking it up being the warm glow of natural light coming from a lamp or street light. This not only helps create great atmosphere but heightens tension by limiting the viewers vision perfectly. There are neat swaps between camera techniques too eg from an almost raw found footage style to a really cool slightly obstructed first person scene. Action doesnt disapoint & the film makes the viewer wait for its violence & big pay offs making it more impactful when it finally hits. Acting is great & Elizabeth Banks clearly steals the show here. Theres a running comparison of Brandon to predatory animals such as a wasp, jellyfish or Wolf & I found the creepiest elements of the film were the slower paced scenes where we see him discover, adapt & learn how to evolve into a more successful killing machine (ie studying human anatomy) & also the impact of his actions begin to tear up his happy home & constantly disappoint his loving parents. Theres a big metaphore about adoption & the difficulties it can bring for both the new parents & the child (especially when the child hits the age where questions need to be answered) & at one point I wondered if that was really the overall message the film was actually trying to relay because this scene was so full of realistic emotion. Brightburn at times can be very predictable & show its budget constrains too but as a first film I really did dig its format & would definitely like to see a sequel or two to it for sure.