Science Fiction

All Things Geekery Podcast S4E1 – Happy Belated New Year

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In this episode, we talk about our recent break from content creation and what we’ve been up to.  We dig into the most recent reputation stain of Blizzard – Warcraft 3 Reforged.  Next, we dive into our inner TREKKIE and discuss Star Trek Picard and look at the newest adventures of the beloved captain! Finishing the episode we chat about our plans for the future of the podcast and new things coming!

 

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Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

Lost in Space Season 2 – Announcement & Official Trailer

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We won’t have to wait much longer for Netflix’s Lost in Space Season 2 as it was just announced at New York’s Comic-Con it’s coming to the streaming service on December 24th, 2019.  Netflix also released the first trailer for season 2 shown below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdwBMPKUV3E

It feels like ages have passed since I finished watching that last episode of Season 1 thinking I can’t wait for Season 2 but that wait is coming to a close very fast.  Season 2 is going to take place seven months after the events of Season 1 wrapping up, and this season is going to have some major plots to work through.  Everyone is a bit older, hopefully wiser, and somewhat battle-scarred from the previous tasks they went through.  So I’m sure we are going to see some of the coming of age drama and the kids taking on a bit more of a grown-up roll.

Netflix also revealed a new cast member is joining the crew for Season 2 which is JJ Field playing the character of Ben Adler, the “Chief of Advanced Systems and Artificial Intelligence”.  This new character seems to have a big tie into the overall larger plot of the story unfolding as a clip shown during the panel had Alder telling the Robinsons of another AI, called Scarecrow which will tie the story together from the mysteries the Robinsons uncovered in Season 1.

lost-in-space-season-2-will-mom.jpgNetflix wasn’t shy about showing new things coming to the show as they also previewed a clip of the Robinsons turning the Jupiter into a “Space Sailboat” to cross a sea on one of the planets they’ve landed on.  It looks like Season 2 will see the Robinsons exploring multiple planets in the five-planet system they discovered at the end of Season 1, and also find out more details about the origins of the mysterious Robot and where it truly came from.   I’m sure throughout the 10 episodes of Season 2 we will see more surprises and mysteries that the Robinsons will have to uncover and of course get themselves out of those tricky situations they are oh so good at.

 

Stranger Things Season 2 – Who’s Coming Back?

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Are you a Stranger Things fan?

I am a huge fan of this show as it’s quite a throwback to the famous movies and shows us 80’s kids grew up with.

Stranger Things season 2 was kicked into gear for production with a lovely new cast photo.

This image was originally released on social media, which contains most of the main cast from the first season.  What I loved about this photo is it also confirmed that Millie Bobbie Brown is back as Eleven.  She was probably my favorite character in the show so super happy she is returning.

 

Along with the original returning cast, there are four new characters coming to season 2. One of those new characters is going to star in the remake of the Power Rangers which looks fantastic as well.

Now the creators of the show put a list of 6 things that we can potentially see in season 2.

  1. Season 2 will be much weirder and much darker!
  2. It will have another self contained plot!
  3. Remember Barb – well the producers said she will have justice in season 2!
  4. Unfolding of Nancy’s little love triangle with Steve and Jonathan!
  5. Dustin will have all the pudding – If you remember in the end of season 1, Dustin found a stash of pudding in the school!
  6. The show has a future and it won’t end with Season 2 but Season 2 will tie up quite a few loose ends!

Season 2 Teaser Trailer

Sword & Sorcery Series: Remembering Krull

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krullapOne of the greatest sword and sorcery fantasy movies of all time!  This is one of my top three films from this genre and it was very hard to remain objective about a film I enjoyed so much as a kid.  Krull pulled from some great influences and that is more apparent than ever in 2016 as I’ve just recently watched it again. It “borrows” freely from Tolkien, Greek and Arthurian mythology and Star Wars.  Even with all the borrowing of themes for this 80’s sci-fi / fantasy cult classic it was hard for me to not have some genuine affection towards this film. Seeing this film in the 80’s as a young boy just sparked that already intense drive I had for my wild imagination for the fantasy realm. Though this film is starting to show it’s age in places, Krull overall is a very well-made film, and far from one of those cheaply made knock-offs that showed up in the wake of the fantasy, sci-fi, and sword & sorcery era of film making.

What’s notable about Krull, is the genre mixing as it draws from the fantasy / sci-fi films mentioned before with all the swords, castles, epic battles, and beasts but it, for the time period had some great laser and lighting effects.  From start to finish this film brings us an epic adventure of good vs. evil and it was never a dull moment to watch.  Krull opens with what seems to be a gigantic ship travelling through the dark of space, but this ship is in fact, the Black Fortress.

krull-black-fortressThis ship is, in fact, the Black Fortress, a massive stronghold for the Beast and his army of Slayers.  This ship touches down on the planet Krull which opens our story for a great battle of good vs. evil like most of the great fantasy films.  We have a hero of the story, a prince named Colwyn who is about to wed a fellow kingdoms daughter, the princess Lyssa.  During the wedding the Beast sends his Slayers to attack the castle where the wedding ceremony was being held to take the princess and bring her back to the Beast in the Black Fortress.

Soon after the battle a very old wiseman named Ynry from the mountains traveled down to find prince Colwyn, and together they head off to rescue the princess from the clutches of the evil beast.  Sounds like an epic story of fantasy proportions right?  Along the way Colwyn and Ynry amass a band of allies to help with their quest.  This band of allies is a rag tag group made up of a wizard named Ergo the Magnificent who can’t get a spell right to save his life.  Then you have Bernard Bresslaw who played the melancholy Cyclops and then you have a band of outlaws in which we get to see a very young Liam Neeson make his third film appearance.

Krull is a film that shines and comes to life in individual scenes rather than as a whole, nevertheless this film is full of quite captivating designs and special effects. Colwyn’s Glaive weapon, which he retrieves from a pool of lava, is one of the most iconic sword and sorcery weapons of all time.

krull4The Slayers, are one of the best parts of the film, though they are silent other than a horrific scream they emit when killed they make a mark onscreen for a foe. Their laser spears and ominous silhouette of armour, and the worm-like creature that erupts from them when they’re defeated, make them far less derivative than they may otherwise have been.  In fact, one of my enduring memories of Krull from when I was a child was just how scary it could be. There’s a great, tense scene set inside the lair of a giant spider, and a creepy sequence in a swamp, where a the Seer is taken over by a shape-shifting clone with black eyes.

The Black Fortress was full of great set designs like moving floors, and that mainstay of action fantasy, walls that sprout spikes.  It’s in Krull’s concluding act, as Colwyn and his loyal band fight their way through the Fortress, that the film becomes most exciting.  With the 70’s and 80’s being the grand era of sci-fi and fantasy themes, Krull is no stranger to this theme as it had some fantastic photography, and set locations to bring all this fantasy to a very fond place in our hearts.

Stranger Things: Season 1 Review

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Did you grow up in the 80’s, or a fan of the 80’s films?  I sure am and if you haven’t seen Netflix’s new series Stranger Things then you are just flat missing out.  This show was so satisfying to watch, I honestly could watch it over and over again.

Stranger Things Season One Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxyRG_tckY

Set in the early 80s, the show is an 80’s influence and nostalgic throwback of the good old days when I grew up.  The series centers around a mysterious disappearance of a young boy, Will (Noah Schnapp), and the finding of a young girl known as Eleven (Millie Brown). Will is one of a group of four friends who make up a very tight knit and adventurous bunch.  When Will’s friends Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) find out he’s missing they go on a desperate quest to find him.  They are also the ones who discover the young mysterious girl only known as Eleven and quickly find out she’s not a normal girl.

Will’s friends aren’t the only one’s looking for him as his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), and older brother, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), are also trying to find him.  Along the way both Will’s friends and his family discover some very dangerous and disturbing moments that this small Illinois town has potentially been hiding.

As soon as Stranger Things begins it sucks you right into the story line, nostalgia of the 80’s and drops you right into a very familiar place with the 80’s films we once enjoyed. The creators of the show Matt and Ross Duffer bring the 80’s influence to this show brilliantly and bring us something new we haven’t seen in a long time…originality!  The depiction of these young kids and the way they speak, interact and, yep, ride bikes together when it’s dark outside, feels just like an old Spielberg movie!  As soon as I saw the kids on their bikes after dark it sparked the childhood memories of E.T. and the adventure scenes of one of my favorite films to date The Goonies, which was also produced by Spielberg.

Stranger Things doesn’t just bring an influence of the 80’s like Spielberg moments, but a much larger cast of our favorite childhood influences!  My favorite thing about the show is the overall feel they gave it with the opening credits, music, and vibes!  You get to see a John Carpenter mash-up of intense suspenseful music and opening scenes which brings a scariness to the show.  This show brings the horror fans of us out as we do get to see some gore and very intense scary moments for one unfortunate soul in the opening.  The Duffer Brothers have even said that Stephen King, Carpenter and Spielberg were very much a primary influences on them and it sure shows in all it’s magical Stranger Things glory!

What I like the best about the show is that it’s not just a copy cat of famous 80’s script writers and directors as the show creates a very intriguing and eye catching world of it’s own.  Well written and thought out, the show is centered around a great group of likable characters which is in part to how well the kids themselves interact and work as a group. The Duffer brothers did a fantastic job of finding a cast who wasn’t a polished set of actors, but brought a realness to the show which helps draw the audience even closer.

So this is showcasing the great 80’s right, well you can’t do that without having some teen drama in the show.  Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is the older sister of Mike who is one of Will’s friends and she also brings a very real feeling to the screen.  The one person who I felt stand out in performance was (Wynona Ryder) as Joynce, which plays the single mother who through the eight episode season grows worrisome, estranged at times, and very volatile with her emotions, understandably of course.  One of my favorite roles in the show is (David Harbour) which plays the local arrogant tough guy police chief.  He’s a very complex character once you get to see his part unfold in the story.

If the show had one area it’s lacking, I would say tying things up from a story standpoint was the only minus I’d give the show.  The show had so many mysteries that unfolded in this season it kept you on edge most of the show, but I just wish it felt more fully formed! But I’m not a director and this may have been done on purpose so they could pull that story line into season 2 if Netflix decides to pick them up for season 2 that is.  This show had so much going on, and they came from all sorts of angles it always kept you guessing as to what was coming next, just like a good horror / suspense film would have.  Some of those things included government and scientific conspiracies, to the growth of relationships the boys had to go through while looking for their friend. All in all at the end of the show I felt we were left with an unsatisfied question of what just happened, but at the same time enjoyment and awe of what comes next.

Overall this series get’s an A+ in my book as the love for the works of all the great 80’s directors that brought us so much joy and excitement in the horror, science fiction realms. The Duffer Brothers have done an amazing job combining all of these different tones and genres together to make us feel right at home.  The show goes from moments of questionable actions to moments of absolute terror all set among a very curious bunch of of kids and does it without making you feel like it’s a knockoff 80’s horror film!

Go check it out and let me know what you thought of the show in the comments.  Would love to hear your feedback on the show, and what you did or didn’t like about it.

Until next time!