Ex Machina (2014) – Alex Garland

Alex Garland wrote and directed this stunning film, his first feature, that explores the concepts of Artificial Intelligence and the desire to live and survive. When a young programmer, Caleb (Domhall Gleeson) wins a contest to spend a week at his boss, Nathan’s (Oscar Isaac), remote estate, he loves the idea, when Nathan reveals that…

Annihilation (2014) – Jeff VanderMeer

Full disclosure: I had never heard of this book until I saw the trailer for this movie from the writer and director of Ex Machina, the visuals looked amazing, and the ambiguity and mystery conveyed by the short teaser drove me out to find a copy of the Southern Reach trilogy right away. Annihilation is…

Star Trek The Bantam Years

The 1970s. Star Trek had finished its original run, and was garnering cult status in syndication, and fans were clamoring for more. This was a long time before Star Wars came along, and even longer before Paramount learned what a hot property that had. The short-lived animated series aired in the 73 to 74 season,…

The Human Adventure Is Just Beginning..

Star Trek: The Motion Picture gets a lot of flak, which is regrettable, as I quite enjoy it. People complained about it being slow and ponderous, and untrue to the original series. I have to disagree. Is the films slow moving? It could be construed as such, but I like to see it as getting…