Review the Queue- Earth 2

Earth 2 is about a group of humans who break away for the ultra controlling Earth government to attempt to colonize a planet. They are so desperate because they are the parents of kids that are sick because of the lack of illnesses in the sterile space stations where the majority of humanity lives.

The story has good bones but lacked good writers. Often it borders on cheesiness. Often I found myself wondering how people who supposedly were from space stations knew how to survive on a desolate planet so well. The ending was horribly abrupt and annoying since there is no real sense of closure.

The big reason for me watching it was to see if it was as good as I remembered it being. I was devastated when the show was canceled. I even had a silly teen nerd crush on the character John Danziger (who, by the way, was a minor character on Lost). I was so into the show that I actually wrote some very awful and beyond hideous fan fiction based on the show. Looking back on the show with older eyes I can see why it was canceled. It was not even remotely as good as Firefly and defiantly did not deserve a wrap up movie but it was not painfully horrible if you don't have anything better to do with your time.

Review the Queue- Serenity

This movie wrapped up and gave an ending to the Firefly TV series. It explained a lot of the things that ideally would have taken several seasons to develop. I loved the movie but wished that there was more to come.

Review the Queue- Soylent Green

Netflix has a new feature where you can watch some movies online instead of waiting for the physical copy to be sent to you. I decided to try it out and watched Soylent Green.

This is a movie starring Charlton Heston (aka Moses) who is a detective looking to solve the murder of a very wealthy man. Global warming and over population has wracked the Earth leaving it barely able to support it's human population. The story was written by the great science fiction writer Harry Harrison. I am a big fan of his Stainless Steel Rat series. The story is very much in the style of the older hard core science fiction. There are plot holes that you could drive a truck through (people quite honestly do not make very good food so using them to fuel future generations would not be terribly efficient.) but the basic story is quite entertaining if you try not to pick at the actual science behind the premise.

The acting in the movie while generally pretty good was sometimes rather distracting form the plot. I found the fight scenes especially over done but then that was also the norm for that time. It was rather amusing to see the computers and what not be immensely less advanced (the movie is set in 2022) that what we have now. There is a scene where the love interest is playing a arcade game (it looked like space invaders) on a giant stand up console when there are such things as personal hand held game systems that have far better graphics and more complicated games. I also had to wonder why the main character was always whining about the heat yet he wore a jacket all the time.

Just remember that if you find yourself in 15 years consuming green wafers as your main source of nutrition you might want to take a second and think about what you are eating. Soylent Green is people y'all.




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Review the Queue- Firefly

Firefly is an example of a wonderfully written show filled with great acting getting canceled far too soon. It lasted only a season before being axed due to lack of ratings. I was a bit wary at first about even putting it in my queue but decided to take a chance after hearing a lot of good things about the show.

The show has a very unique concept, it is a western/science fiction show. Serenity is a spaceship (a firefly class ship hence the name of the show) with a rag tag crew of criminals. They tend to spend a lot of time in the outer rim of human space settlements, which is where the western element is strongest. When they wander into more settled space you get a more science fiction feel tot he show.

The acting is done very superbly. The writers managed to avoid the cheesy dialog that is so often found in science fiction movies and tv shows. There are a lot of moments that make you laugh. The characters are real and enjoyable. You truly want to get to know them better and they are not one sided stereotypes. I am very sad that this show was removed from the air far too soon when there are other less deserving shows that are still on the air.

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Review the Queue- Something the Lord Made

Something the Lord Made is a wonderful movie about the people that developed the first heart operation. The movie starts shortly before World War 2 during the Great Depression. Vivien Thomas, a black man, finds work with a brilliant young surgeon, Alfred Blalock, cleaning his lab. This is the start of a great partnership as the two men work to first come up with treatments for shock. Later on they pair up with cardiologist Helen Taussig to work on a surgery to help children that have heart defects.

It is amazing seeing the state of medicine during that time. There was a huge taboo about even attempting surgery on the heart, it just was too risky since the heart/lung bypass machine had yet to be invented. Another layer to the story (which is the movie's main focus) is the relationship between the two men. This was a time of great racial tension and segregation was in full force. Thomas got no credit for the work he did in the laboratory (the name of the procedure is still to this day called the Blalock-Taussig shunt) until much later in his life.

I highly recommend this fascinating movie. I got misty eyed more than once. If you would like to learn more about the operation there is a really neat website that explains things in further detail.

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Review the Queue- Doctor Who: Season 1

I grew up with a father who adored the classic Doctor Who tv show. I could never stand to watch it, the cheesy special effects drowned out what good there was in the plot lines. The theme song however, was deeply imprinted on my brain so when I heard it, memories of teasing my dad flooded back. I think it would make a great ring tone for my cell phone.

The new and updated version of the show managed to keep the pretty solid premise of a lonely wandering Time Lord who was the last of his race and got rid of the worst of the cheesy special effects. I love the actor that was picked to play the doctor. Christopher Eccleston was a master at being serious and sad one moment and then moving on to something a lot more light hearted and making the shift believable. His chemistry with his assistant Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper) was electric even if it was a bit creepy considering the large age gap (The Doctor is 900 and Rose is a mere 19).

I highly recommend this tv show for anyone that loves good science fiction. Fantastic!

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Review the Queue- March of The Penguins

This is going to be a regular feature here so that I can keep track of the movies I rent from Netflix. Hopefully I will be able to help others avoid horrible bad movies as well.

I really enjoyed March of The Penguins. I should have watched it without the kids since they enjoyed seeing the penguins so much that it was hard to get them to not stand in front of the tv. The cinematography was amazing. I really wish that I had been able to see it while it was in the theaters. I also enjoyed that they did not sugar coat things. Sometimes death is really downplayed in nature shows even though it is a huge part of any animal's life. Morgan Freeman was an excellent choice for the voice over. He has such a rich and expressive voice, it really added a lot to the movie. I think that this is an excellent movie all around although some more sensitive kids should avoid seeing it since there are a few scary spots where penguins get chased by seals.

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