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Voyagers (2021)

A Sky Original movie featuring a generation ship leaving Earth to seek a new habitable planet.
When the last adult is killed, the privileged and genetically selected youngsters split into factions and become increasingly feral, against the background of a possible monster on board.
Sound a bit familiar?
Yes. It is basically Lord of the Flies in Space.
It's competently executed and looks terrific in UHD, but the lack of originality will grate a bit.
5/10.

It was due to get a cinema release in the UK & RoI but seems to have fallen out of the schedules. I guess Sky bought it for these markets. It was released in the US and took $4.2 million in a limited release. I think I'll track it down online.
 
Voyagers (2021)

A Sky Original movie featuring a generation ship leaving Earth to seek a new habitable planet.
When the last adult is killed, the privileged and genetically selected youngsters split into factions and become increasingly feral, against the background of a possible monster on board.
Sound a bit familiar?
Yes. It is basically Lord of the Flies in Space.
It's competently executed and looks terrific in UHD, but the lack of originality will grate a bit.
5/10.
Sounds similar to "The 100".
 
What films are these that deal with time travel?

I have these recollections of bits of reasonably interesting films but can't recall what films they are.
They might even be the same film.

In one, a character is being pursued by another character, and they both have a device which enables them to jump forward or backward in time. At one point, one of them is in some desert area in the US wanting to get in to a secure compound (possibly military/government) so uses their device to go back something like 100 years when the area has no buildings whatsoever, moves to a point that in the present day would be within the compound, then travels forward again and ....viola.... he's inside.

In another, a character manages to travel back to Dallas, 1963, and appears on the 'grassy knoll' behind a fence, he leans through a gap and shoots JFK, then returns to the present day.

In another, there is some back and forwards time travel to try to prevent the future (which is 'our' present in the film) from being dominated by a Nazi regime who are planning on making nuclear bomber jets, or similar.

Any ideas?
 
What films are these that deal with time travel?

I have these recollections of bits of reasonably interesting films but can't recall what films they are.
They might even be the same film.

In one, a character is being pursued by another character, and they both have a device which enables them to jump forward or backward in time. At one point, one of them is in some desert area in the US wanting to get in to a secure compound (possibly military/government) so uses their device to go back something like 100 years when the area has no buildings whatsoever, moves to a point that in the present day would be within the compound, then travels forward again and ....viola.... he's inside.

In another, a character manages to travel back to Dallas, 1963, and appears on the 'grassy knoll' behind a fence, he leans through a gap and shoots JFK, then returns to the present day.

In another, there is some back and forwards time travel to try to prevent the future (which is 'our' present in the film) from being dominated by a Nazi regime who are planning on making nuclear bomber jets, or similar.

Any ideas?

My brain is vaguely saying Looper.

Or possibly Jumper.
 
In another, there is some back and forwards time travel to try to prevent the future (which is 'our' present in the film) from being dominated by a Nazi regime who are planning on making nuclear bomber jets, or similar.

Any ideas?
This sounds vaguely like what little I've seen of The Philadelphia Experiment 2. I haven't seen much of it and what I saw was plenty.
 
My brain is vaguely saying Looper.

Or possibly Jumper.
Nah.
I've seen both looper and jumper (and sweater) and it isn't those, and besides, they're far more recent - I'm thinking distinctly 'late 80s / early 90s.'

(Oh and BTW both looper and jumper (and sweater) are great fillums)

This sounds vaguely like what little I've seen of The Philadelphia Experiment 2.

And again, much too recent (2012).
Which reminds me - I saw a film (not 'the final countdown) which was the original 'The Philadelphia Experiment' and it ended with one of the two protagonists being left to exist in the 1980s while his buddy had been returned to his original timeline.

Something is making me think that the films (or film) I'm thinking of had Chuck Norris in, but obviously not him but some lookalike.
And a woman as the 'good cop'.
 
And again, much too recent (2012).
Which reminds me - I saw a film (not 'the final countdown) which was the original 'The Philadelphia Experiment' and it ended with one of the two protagonists being left to exist in the 1980s while his buddy had been returned to his original timeline.
I didn't actually know there had been another The Philadelphia Experiment in 2012. I was thinking of the 1993 sequel to the 1984 movie.
 
I didn't actually know there had been another The Philadelphia Experiment in 2012. I was thinking of the 1993 sequel to the 1984 movie.


Ahah! Yes, the 1993 film of The Philadelphia Experiment II is the one with the Nazi nuclear bombers in.
(Thanks to a plot synopsis on wikibumdia)
As I remember it was quite a good film, albeit with some obvious budget problems, plot holes, and poor SFX, but acceptable.
 
Bloodshot: Yet another soldier reanimated to fight another day, with superpowers added. This time by a manipulative scientist, used as an assassin, easy to to dupe the soldier due to memory loss. Some good action scenes and interesting cybernetic enhancements plus nanites for fast recovery but all too predictable. Vin Diesel is good as the soldier, Bloodshot, with Guy Pearce as the Bondesque villain. Based on a comic it was meant to be the first of a series, it opened on 13 March 2020 so was hit by Covid closures, remains to be seen if there will be a sequel. Watchable action flick but nothing new. Directed by David S. F. Wilson, screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer. On Netflix. 6/10.
 
So AVANPOST (OUTPOST) the grim but lavishly ambitious alien attack science fiction thriller set in a well-realised near future Moscow is back - as a TV series being shown in Russia (TV3). It has been divided into six episodes and padded out with extra material. Apparently it is being exported to numerous countries (and this may include some Anglophonic ones).

I had heard of this intention before, but had assumed that the pandemic had put paid to it. Write up in Russian:

https://tv3.ru/project/avanpost-series

My initial review of it is below (or in my blog if you want a more detailed analysis). I was somewhat guarded about it - and, in retrospect, I think this just came down to it being a tad too militaristic for my tastes.

This could well be the `V` of the current generation, (I mean the much mocked but hugely successful 80s one) with the same veiled Cold War parallels, but from the other side. However, some of the science fictional ideas in it are of interest.


Anyway, I can't make the showing times....




https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/horror-films.59441/page-69#post-1912601
 
Roland Emmerich is blowing shit up again:

This time, the Moon is trying to destroy the Earth because it's an evil space alien (or something). Based on a true story.
 
2019 French sci-fi Meander has just made it onto Sky Movies.

A woman with a traumatic past and nothing to live for is abducted and finds herself in a futuristic, metallic cell.
A portal opens and she is obliged to crawl through to the next location, avoiding flame-throwers, pools of acid, apparent time dilations, rotting corpses, guillotine blades, the old crushing wall routine and a psychopathic fellow prisoner trapped in this 3D maze.
Sound familiar?
It should as it's basically a rehash or rip-off of the three Canadian Cube/Hypercube/Cube Zero movies from 1997 to 2004.
Some reasonable eye-candy and nicely-stoked claustrophobic tension just about elevates it to a 6/10 in my book, despite it being hugely unoriginal and a bit frustrating in providing no logical answers.

meander.JPG
 
Finally got a chance to see Black Widow, and I did not particularly like it.

For me, too much unnecessary dialogue about personal relationships.

Also one would have to know the Marvel Universal to understand the background and the movie.
 
Disney Plus released a teaser called Obi-wan Kenobi for 2022 having Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader fighting Ewan McGregor as Obi-wan Kenobi.

Darth “ I sense something; a presence I have not felt since……”.
 
Alien and Blade Runner TV series in the pipeline

Ridley Scott: Live-Action ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Alien’ TV Series Being Developed, Pilots Written​



Ridley Scott has confirmed that live-action TV series of two of his most enduring movies, “Blade Runner” and “Alien,” are fast progressing, with pilots written for both shows.
Speaking with the BBC on Monday, the “House of Gucci” helmer suggested the “Blade Runner” adaptation is being plotted as a 10-episode series: “We [have already] written the pilot for ‘Blade Runner’ and the bible. So, we’re already presenting ‘Blade Runner’ as a TV show, the first 10 hours.”
Scott said “Alien” was getting a “similar” treatment. A pilot is being written along with a bible of what transpires in 8-10 hours of the show.
News of an “Alien” series was first announced in December 2020. The show is being set up at cabler FX, with Noah Hawley attached as showrunner. FX boss John Landgraf described the project last year as “the first ‘Alien’ story set on Earth — and by blending both the timeless horror of the first ‘Alien’ film with the non-stop action of the second, it’s going to be a scary thrill ride that will blow people back in their seats.”
https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/blade-runner-alien-tv-series-ridley-scott-1235117198/
 
It used to be that you paid your TV licence and watched TV.
Then along came cable and satellite TV, and these required a subscription.
Then along came Pay-per-view channels for other content like sporting events.
Then along came additional subscription channels within cable/satellite (like 'sky movies')
Then along came additional 'streaming' services, like 'amazon prime' and 'netflix'.

I can see a day in the future when, no matter what you want to watch, you will have to pay a subscription to that service plus a separate fee for that particular programme.
 
It used to be that you paid your TV licence and watched TV.
Then along came cable and satellite TV, and these required a subscription.
Then along came Pay-per-view channels for other content like sporting events.
Then along came additional subscription channels within cable/satellite (like 'sky movies')
Then along came additional 'streaming' services, like 'amazon prime' and 'netflix'.

I can see a day in the future when, no matter what you want to watch, you will have to pay a subscription to that service plus a separate fee for that particular programme.

But would you really want to return to a time when there were just a couple of channels and a movie maybe once a week?
I choose to subscribe to three services, which guarantees there is always something worth viewing each day.
The one that gets my goat is, of course, the BBC, which I have no choice but to pay for, even though I have no interest in ballroom dancing, Eastenders or cookery programmes.
 
would you really want to return to a time when there were just a couple of channels
No....no I would not.
Those were the days of no programmes during most of the day (just the 'test card'), and then one day Channel 4 came along to offer a bit more variety.
I do think, though, that the current increase in subscription services and (what seems like) a new way of extracting money from us every week is a bit too much.
Like you said before "...another £12...I don't think so"
 
But would you really want to return to a time when there were just a couple of channels and a movie maybe once a week?
I choose to subscribe to three services, which guarantees there is always something worth viewing each day.
The one that gets my goat is, of course, the BBC, which I have no choice but to pay for, even though I have no interest in ballroom dancing, Eastenders or cookery programmes.

Same here - Netflix, Prime and Disney+. Everything appears on one of them eventually.
 
On a whim I watched Ron Howard's Cocoon (1985) for the first time since it was broadcast on British terrestrial TV back in the day.

There's a big list of flaws and general narrative flimsiness throughout, but with a few great actors (and supporting actors) and a nostalgic 80s air, I confess that I still quite enjoyed it despite all its flaws.

On checking the names of a few cast members, I discovered that it was based on a novel--the first of a trilogy--by David Saperstein. Has anybody read it?

Apparently the plot, setting and characters differ considerably, despite a general conceptual likeness in the scenario.

Wilford Brimley was 50 when this film movie was made, which is either a testament to his acting and the talent of the makeup department or most peculiar genetics.

Screenshot_2020-08-01-Exclusive-Interview-With-Wilford-Brimley-Where-Is-He-Now-.png
 
... Wilford Brimley was 50 when this film movie was made, which is either a testament to his acting and the talent of the makeup department or most peculiar genetics. ...

He didn't look all that young to begin with, but his appearance was definitely tweaked to make him seem older.
Brimley was only 49 when he was cast in the role, and turned 50 during filming; he was at least 20 years younger than any of the actors playing the other retirement home residents. In order to look the part, Brimley bleached his hair and moustache to turn them gray, and had wrinkles and liver spots drawn on his face. ... He also starred in Cocoon: The Return, a 1988 sequel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilford_Brimley
 
On a whim I watched Ron Howard's Cocoon (1985) for the first time since it was broadcast on British terrestrial TV back in the day.

There's a big list of flaws and general narrative flimsiness throughout, but with a few great actors (and supporting actors) and a nostalgic 80s air, I confess that I still quite enjoyed it despite all its flaws.

On checking the names of a few cast members, I discovered that it was based on a novel--the first of a trilogy--by David Saperstein. Has anybody read it?

Apparently the plot, setting and characters differ considerably, despite a general conceptual likeness in the scenario.

Wilford Brimley was 50 when this film movie was made, which is either a testament to his acting and the talent of the makeup department or most peculiar genetics.

View attachment 49036
Don Ameche on the other hand was 77 when this photo was taken.
 
Wilford Brimley was 50 when this film movie was made, which is either a testament to his acting and the talent of the makeup department or most peculiar genetics.

View attachment 49036
Wilford Brimley always looked old. I reckon he was born with grey hair, a moustache and smoking a pipe.
 
Here's Brimley in his breakthrough role on The Waltons TV series (1974) ...

wbrimley-waltons-1974.jpg
 
2018 Russian movie Martian / Stranded on Mars / Forsaken (it goes by many names) has just made it onto Prime video.
A contender for one of the worst movies I've ever seen, it is full of ridiculous inaccuracies, such as totally OTT Martian weather and instant communication between Earth and Mars.
It's biggest problem though is that it cannot decide whether it's intended to be visionary sci-fi or a satire about the power of the media and political corruption.
It pinches a few of the ideas from Ridley Scott's infinitely better 2015 movie and one character seems to be channelling Chris Tucker from The 5th Element. Hysterically poor English dubbing doesn't help matters either.
An absolute stinker that bombed at the box office and, according to the Wikipedia page, the production company felt obliged to issue an apology that Russian taxpayers' money had been use to fund the movie.

martian.JPG

martian2.JPG
 
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