#the epic highs and lows of the best star trek. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nonbinaryhatboxghost · 3 years

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Okay, today has been a quiet Saturday morning so far, I have some time, and I like lists. So here is my random (personal) ranking of Star Trek series and movies, out of what I’ve seen, which is everything but seasons 5-7 of Voyager, all of Enterprise, and all of Picard. I’m only counting shows with three or more seasons because it’s easier. But let the record show that I love Lower Decks so far and The Animated Series is actually a blast.

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT

Series Ranking

The Original Series - As influential of a show as it is, I constantly forget how much damn fun the original Trek is. There is an almost Community-like variance in tone and genre throughout the show. And I’m a sucker for a future that embraces primary colors. It is the Trek show I revisit the most so far, and it remains my favorite.

Deep Space Nine - This one comes close, though. It starts out as a solid spinoff with very well-defined characters, and then becomes a big, sprawling epic that had my eyes welling up by the end. It feels more like a sequel to The Original Series than The Next Generation did to me. It dealt with subject matter both different and darker than was expected for the time. It had characters at odds with each other. Religion was explored in a way that balanced brutal honesty with genuine respect. War and the various traumas it induces were acknowledged. And it had “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. I only finished this one recently but I look forward to watching it again.

Discovery - I was rooting for this show to be good even as it went through so much behind-the-scenes drama during its first two seasons. Even with all of that going on, the show became a fascinating watch as you saw it change from its arguably-too-dark beginnings as a prequel, to the almost Doctor Who-like second season with its joyful embracing of classic Trek, and finally to its current iteration that at long last gives us a Trek show that’s not bound by prequel limitations. Michael Burnham is such a great character and getting to see her arc alone makes this one of my favorite Trek stories. The queer/nonbinary representation also warms my heart.

Voyager - I’m just starting the fifth season, but the show has settled into an interesting groove with its characters. And Voyager’s characters are so damn good that they counterbalance a lot of the show’s early problems. It takes a while for Voyager to realize that the Kazon do not work very well as villains. But once the show realizes that, it begins an upward trajectory in quality that reminds me of Deep Space Nine after it began doing Dominion plots. And Seven of Nine’s effect on the crew dynamic lives up to the hype. Any scene between her and Janeway demonstrates such a unique relationship between captain and crewmate that an episode plot can be meh and still worth it for a scene with those two. Also, Janeway is the best captain character. No other Trek show (that I’ve seen so far) comes close to showing us the weight of leadership like Voyager, and Mulgrew constantly brings it.

The Next Generation - This is my first Trek show. It’s the one that my dad watched. There are several standout episodes to me, but I find myself less drawn to revisiting TNG than the other Trek shows because ultimately it took me too long to understand and care about its cast of characters. If you were to ask me to describe any character from any other Trek show, I would be able to. Ask me to describe a TNG character and I would likely fail to give any good adjectives for any character besides Data and Worf. As iconic as the show is, and as great as it became, it doesn’t have the same pull on me as other Trek shows. But it was the template for the spinoffs that followed, and the portrayal of Picard’s trauma post-Borg assimilation earns its reputation as an all-timer for me.

Movie Ranking

VI: The Undiscovered Country - I’m surprised this one isn’t talked about as much as other Trek movies. It’s a very frank depiction of prejudices and learning to deal with them. It has one of the best Kirk/Spock scenes ever. Christopher Plummer as a Klingon. The ORIGINAL cast credits sign-off (yes, Avengers: Endgame borrowed from this). A score that carefully balances menace with eventual hope. A fun whodunit structure. I could go on and on. It’s just so damn great, and so far the only successful send-off to a Trek crew in any of the movies.

II: The Wrath of Khan - It’s a classic for a reason. I’ve probably rewatched this more than any other Trek movie. You got your great villain, your classic crew beginning to deal with their mortality, an all-timer death scene, a kickass early James Horner score. What more could you want?

The Motion Picture - This is an interesting one. When I first watched it as a teen, I hated it. I agreed with every critique of it being thinly plotted and having an excessive runtime. When I revisited it in my 20s, it became a favorite. It’s Star Trek’s exploration of existential dread, and the struggle to find agency and identity within that dread. It has possibly Jerry Goldsmith’s greatest score. It is the best that the Enterprise has ever looked. This movie envelopes you with eerie and epic imagery, culminating in a finale with interesting philosophical ramifications and a well-earned return to optimism from its crew. This one is criminally underrated.

First Contact - This one is just rock solid all around. The best-ever TNG villains, further exploration of Picard’s trauma from Borg assimilation, Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige, fun action, the genesis of the Federation. It has the best balance of darkness and fun out of all of the Trek movies. It also has a character actually say the words “star trek” in a way that never ceases to make me smile. I don’t know if it’s a good line, but it’s funny regardless.

Beyond - Like The Motion Picture, I initially disliked this upon first viewing. I was still in the middle of watching The Original Series and was in the wrong mindset for this mashup of TOS and Fast & Furious. But it’s one of the most underrated Treks because it’s a perfect balance of the more kinetic action found in the 2010s with a very well-done breakdown of the inherent point and value of Star Trek: learning to be better and move beyond fighting the same battles among ourselves.

IV: The Voyage Home - This one is such a satisfying culmination of the crew’s arc starting in The Wrath of Khan that the joy of the 1980s material is almost just a bonus to me. Nimoy does a good job of keeping things light without disregarding stakes. He gets the best portrayal of the crew’s camaraderie in this and The Search for Spock. And Spock’s reaction to the concept of “exact change” always makes me laugh.

III: The Search for Spock - I revisited this one recently and it held up better than I expected. Seeing the weight of Spock’s death on Kirk in the beginning hits hard. Christopher Lloyd as the Klingon villain is casually one of the best Trek movie villains. And seeing the crew uniting over trying to bring back Spock gives us some of the best on-screen moments of this cast.

Star Trek - One of the reasons I love Beyond so much is that it retroactively makes this one better. I was crazy for this movie when it came out. I was in high school, Star Trek in general was something I was only really aware of because of my dad. But this is the thing that got me into Trek. And as mixed of a bag as it now plays to me, ‘09 Star Trek being a gateway for me to general Trek, combined with the perfect casting of the crew, the excellent Giacchino score, and the emotion of the opening sequence, thankfully makes this one still a blast to revisit.

Nemesis - I have only seen this twice, and both of those times without having seen TNG in its entirety. This was also the very first Trek movie I ever saw. Nostalgia is a factor for why this is higher than the others on the list. Curiosity is another, as I was unaware of Tom Hardy when I watched this, and have no idea what my opinion will be on rewatch. But what I always remembered of this movie was its ending, which even to a novice like myself when I first saw it had an impact.

Generations - There are quite a few great scenes that Stewart gets in this movie. Malcolm McDowell is also great in it. But the whole plot feels too forced for me to get actually swept up in it. And as fun as it is to see Shatner and Stewart share the screen... it ultimately has no impact and leads to a strangely lame death for Kirk.

Insurrection - The idea of Enterprise going rogue against the Federation for forcibly relocating a population for a natural resource is such a good concept... which makes the goofiness and half-baked writing of this entry all the more confusing. All the elements are there, but it feels like the tone was forced to be lighter than the material warranted. It’s frustrating because Frakes’ directing chops that he showed off on First Contact are still visible here. But for whatever reason, this one just falls apart.

Into Darkness - This one is low on the list mainly because it represents almost all the negative traits of the modern blockbuster to me. Darkness without depth, franchise callbacks without substance, and no character development/change by the end. Another reason why Beyond works better as a sequel to ‘09 Star Trek than this one is that Into Darkness feels more like it’s trying to make Star Trek a bigger movie franchise rather than develop this iteration of the Enterprise crew. Nothing and no one is changed by the end of this story.

V: The Final Frontier - It is the most difficult Trek movie to sit through, and yet I can’t call it a disaster. For all of its misfirings on the comedy front (dancing Uhura, for instance), the camping material with Kirk, Spock and McCoy is genuinely great. The premise of its villain being on a quest to find God is ultimately a misfire, but it leads to a very engagingly ridiculous climax centered around the question “What does God need with a starship?” There are far too many undeveloped ideas in this one, but that scene is worth seeing this movie for. At least, now that we know it didn’t kill the franchise, as so many apparently feared when this came out.

#star trek #kyle rants

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lithy-the-invader · 4 years

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Yes hello please tell me everything about your original idea 👀

I am very glad you gave me an excuse to just make an way to long post at 2am in the morning when I should have been asleep an hour ago <3

So the general premise is :

A far away alien race catches a transmission of a very corney and sappy scifi show from earth, think it is real and go off on an epic journey through space to find the utopic united planet system depiced in the show to join their rows while picking up other aliens along the way.

And now off to the meat of this post lol:

The story and setting bits:

So it starts off with three relatively young aliens from a planet that is shared by two diffrent races but also heavily plagued by racism and based on slave culture. The dominant race is very agile and over ground ground dweling bipedal spicies which is in general hermathroditic, they have the ability to see a wide variety of the light spectrum and therefore more colors and phenomena we can't see without instruments of sorts. Also they lay eggs and even tho they are omnivore they mainly live as vegitarian. They can see more colors and stuff BUT they are terrible at seeing in low light situations. The subjugated species is a mainly underground living species with for arms and four eyes. They are pretty strong, generally smaller than the other species, are more like us with their genders and are super good at seeing in very low light situations. But they mainly see the world in reds and greens AND are pure carnivores.

Anyways the three states I will call them catch the transaction while playing with some high tec equipment as children. The family of the two topsurface guy is rich bc of some space mining business and actualy bought a playmate and her parents so their kids could have company and also they can afford high tier education. So the three kids play with the stuff and accidentally catch tidbits of an age old transmission called "Captain Jack's search through the stars" and even tho they can't understand a single thing they get infatuated by seeing a crew of odly similar looking but still diffrent aliens working together on eye level. So they learn the language and try to understand more about the depicted utopian plane of existance only to decide that they want to leave their society to join the conglomeration of planets and come back as positive example to change the ways of their people. They do their best to study and learn things that could be usfull on a space travel, they even invent a lill upgrade for the already existing engines of the space ships of their people till they one day... Well steal a ship and start their journey.

Ofcourse their parents (both species) aren't exactly amused and are going to try to bring their children back (and accidentally do a lill something about the state of their society while doing so ) but yeah for the most part the three are now blasted off into space trying their best to find their way to earth while actualy pretending to be already part of the conglomeration they saw in the show.

They are going to be joined by two of the last members of diffrent races that basically killed themself by beeing stupid (the races not the last two survivors). Basically they gonna encounter a solar system with two plates that due to their elliptic trek around the star (screw physics who needs that anyways)change positions in regular intervals which made it possible to exchange chemicals between the two atmospheres which in turn was produced by the habitat species of the plant and needed by the other. They started a war bc of ethical differences and wups wouldn't you know it killing the other species slowly killed both and so the last one surviving is a midelaged scientist who more or less adopted a kid from the other species and does his best to keep them both alive. He will join the crew as doctor (there is a plot about why but damn I am already typing for an hour) and his lill buddy will stay a telepathic ( yes the lill dude is telepathic) secret for a while bc grumpy skelli raptor dad (insider name for him he is acrualy called G'nor) freas his new friends would understand what is going on. They get a really heart-warming story later on and the lill guy (they sre called Ift) is going to help the crew develop a universal translator so they don't have to rely on their telepathic skills as much.

Two other people that will join the crew are a headhunter named Corena and her adoptive father Terp a bar owner and tender. They formerly were tasked to bring the crew down bc they intruded the wrong sector of the galaxy but after getting into trouble as well for not killing some runnaway Idiots with basically no weapons on board or on their belt they both join them as Security officer and on board canteen/bar expert. They also accidentally bring a plague of feral potochillas on board which are quite adorable little creatures but also very miscifious.

Also on their journey to earth they gonna find a genetic reconstructed human who was 'build' by dna samples on some space garbage that somehow got to a planet with very intelligenent life forms that basically decided against space travel bc they saw other planets weren't ready yet and therefore got stuck on their home planet bored and curious taking every opportunity they can to get to know other life forms without leaving. She because she is a mix of multiple incomplete dna samples doesn't have eyes or a fully functioning nervous system (again I know that's not how genetics work but damn it this is fiction) so those are substituted with 'cyborg'-parts so she can live. She won't really join the crew, even tho she as a tec savvy person will sometimes help out with engineering but rather wants to be a passanger to get to earth and finally get to know her own race for the first time in her life.

I got a tone more but ehhh need some sleep now hahaha hope everything makes sens and I hope you enjoyed my brain salad.

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chekhovs-harpoon · 6 years

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Some sci-fi podcast recommendations

As an aspiring scientist and just general nerdy person, I love the sci-fi genre dearly. But tbqh, I find myself loving the genre itself and its concepts rather than the actual stories and media. I find that a good deal of sci-fi stories are written exclusively for, about, and from the perspectives of Cis Het White Men™, which I as a queer Filipino cannot relate to at all. I find it Bothersome that so many stories set in the future erase people like me. And I think that so many of these stories are so emotionally dull and lifeless as they tend to focus on the world and concepts at the detriment of fleshing out characters.

However, I think that mostly applies to mainstream sci-fi, because a lot of sci-fi podcasts are really diverse and inclusive. And I find that podcasts are often a written with a lot more character and emotional depth. I saw someone describe podcasts as being like fanfic cuz of how they are mostly character driven instead of plot driven.

Anyways, here’s my list of sci-fi podcast recommendations with descriptions and my personal thoughts. In no particular order, but I put the smaller ones first cuz i think they deserve more love.The ones with * are the ones with good queer rep (so far, it’ll be updated as needed).

Tides Podcast: It follows biologist Dr. Winifred Eurus, a member of the first manned expedition to Fons, an Earth-like moon wracked by extreme tidal waves due to its orbit around a nearby gas giant. When surveying ocean life her submarine is destroyed, leaving her alone to walk to higher ground before the wave comes back. Along the way, she makes notes about what she finds in the intertidal zone, and gradually realizes that some of the life there is more than what it seems. There’s only one episode out at the time of writing and I’m already deeply in love with this show. The main character is a huge lovable nerd. And in the space of one episode they’ve managed to create a creative, immersive and beautifully detailed alien world. If you’re really into biology like me, I think you’ll love this show.

Girl in Space: Abandoned on a dying ship in the farthest reaches of known space, a young scientist fights for survival (and patience with the on-board A.I.). Who is she? No one knows. But a lot of dangerous entities really want to find out. This show hooked me from the get-go cuz its atmosphere and setting are grippingly ominous and mysterious. It had me begging for more. The creepy vibes are balanced really well with the titular girl in space because she’s really likable and her ramblings can be really insightful and enlightening, but also really hilarious and relatable.

Empty*: The crew of an intergalactic colonization vessel wake up from cryosleep with no memories, finding themselves the only sentient life in the universe. Like Girl in Space, it has a masterfully done ominous atmosphere and world building that leaves you begging for more. But it has a wholly different tone because it feels grittier and serious. If you like creepy and slightly unsettling space podcasts, like Wolf 359, you should check this out. I can best describe this as space gothic, the same way Alice Isn’t Dead is American gothic. This podcast also uses a lot of hard sci-fi concepts in its worldbuilding, moreso that any podcasts I’ve listened to before.

The Earth Collective: Joseph Crane attempts to record and document the life and culture of the titular Earth Collective: the dying remnants of humanity living on rolling cities on the planet of Oasus, fleeing the malevolent entity known as the Dark This is one of my fave sci-fi podcasts ever. I’ve already gone on so much in this list about atmosphere and world building, but podcasts are just really good at that, and this one especially. The world building in this one is immersive and it feels so real, especially since I love learning about history and culture. Think of this show as Titan A.E but Soft™. It starts slow but it builds up the conflict and tension which fit really well with the atmosphere.

The Falcon Banner*: Two hundred years after the fall of the Terran Empire, humans find themselves the subject race of the alien Amsus Hegemony. Darien Taine, a police inspector for the Terran police kills an Amsus inquisitor in self-defense, a crime punishable by death. He escapes Earth, and finds himself embroiled in a resistance movement and a centuries old plot that shattered the empire. An audio theater dramatization of the novel by Christopher Patrick Lydon. This show is what would happen if someone looked at the original Star Wars trilogy and said, “Hmmm that was good but could be gayer.” This is a high production, high action, epic sci-fi space opera. This show captured my heart with a fascinating universe, well written characters, and a bombastic soundtrack and atmosphere. This is perhaps the most epic Gays in Space™ podcast I’ve listened to. But I feel like I should warn y’all, the series just ends with no conclusion, and it’s been a decade since. But the story continues on in a book series (the podcast adapts the first book).

The Strange Case of Starship Iris*: In 2189, Earth narrowly won a war against extraterrestrials. Two years later, in a distant patch of space, a mysterious explosion kills nearly the entire crew of the science vessel Starship Iris. The only survivor is Violet Liu, an intrepid, sarcastic, terrified biologist. But as Violet struggles to readjust to life after the Iris, questions abound. Was that explosion really an accident? If not, just what is going on? And why does every answer seem to get more bizarre and more dangerous? If Violet and her newfound allies want to untangle the truth, they’ll need courage, brilliance, and luck - and honestly, a couple of drinks. This show shines in having a really well written and lovable set of diverse characters that play off each other really well. Add on top of that some fresh world building concepts and ideas that I haven’t seen done anywhere else. All in all they create an engaging and immersive story.

Inkwyrm*: Inkwyrm Magazine is an intergalactic fashion publication, bringing readers the newest looks from all over the universe. At the head of it all is Annie Inkwyrm, and directly behind her is Mella Sonder, AI caretaker and Annie’s PA. Along for the ride is an overzealous PR director, a perpetually unimpressed physician, and an AI that really needs to learn some ethics. One part sit-com, one part space opera. This show is my comfort podcast. It’s hilarious, cheesy in a good way, and gay which is what I need during such stressful times like now. The characters are likable and play off each other well. It’s mostly a comedy, but it does have it’s serious moments which are well done and hit close to home for me.

Limetown: Ten years ago, over three hundred men, women and children disappeared from a small town in Tennessee, never to be heard from again. American Public Radio reporter Lia Haddock asks the question once more, “What happened to the people of Limetown?” This was one of my first podcasts and it set my bar really damn high. The gripping story drags you in with interesting characters, mysteries and concepts. The pacing is really well done and you wouldn’t even notice how many episodes had gone by. This was a really beautifully done mystery and thriller

The Message*:The weekly reports and interviews from Nicky Tomalin, covering the decoding of a message from outer space received 70 years ago. Over the course of 8 episodes we get an inside ear on how a top team of cryptologists attempt to decipher, decode, and understand the alien message. This was also one of my first ever podcasts. Like Limetown, it has a heart stopping story that will drag you all over place. It set the bar really high too. You’ll be constantly gripped by the ever increasing stakes and tension that conclude on a high note.

Life After*: The 10 episode series follows Ross, a low level employee at the FBI, who spends his days conversing online with his wife Charlie – who died eight months ago. But the technology behind this digital resurrection leads Ross down a dangerous path that threatens his job, his own life, and maybe even the world. This was done by the same people as The Message and it’s just as emotionally intense and immersive as a thriller. But the subject matter is more relatable and hits closer to home, both in that they’re personal issues that a lot of people have to deal with, and it deals with technology that may soon be a thing in daily life. The show has a lot of interesting ideas regarding technology, morality, and personhood, which makes it hit harder for me. (note, it’s on the same feed as The Message)

Eos 10*: The lives two mal-adjusted doctors and their staff on the Alliance space station, EOS 10. Other characters include a hypochondriac deposed prince, an aggressively enthusiastic nurse, and a galactically hated terrorist whom is not what you’d expect. This was also one of my first podcasts. It’s also one of my comfort podcasts. I imagine it as what would happen if Star Trek was a sitcom about doctors. Despite being a sitcom, the wacky sounding characters have a lot of surprising emotional depth and deal with serious issues that makes them really lovable and relatable. They play off each other wonderfully, which makes the comedy and the plot in general hit harder. It has a lot of same vibes as Inkwyrm.

Ars Paradoxica*: When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there’s no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe. This really one of the most intense podcasts I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. The characters are all massively compelling disasters that will make you feel so many things. It has so many twists and wonderfully tragic time travel ideas and concepts. I’m not kidding when I say that this is the best show regarding time travel I’ve ever seen. As someone with a love of history and science, I love how hard they play up those elements. Physics ain’t my forte so I’m not sure but this feels like a very hard sci-fi.

Wolf 359: Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought. Tune into your home away from home… seven and a half light years away from Earth… This is one of the most popular ones so I put it last, but no podcast rec list would be complete without Wolf 359. This isn’t just a show, it’s an experience, it’s a life changer. It’s one of the best pieces of art that you’ll ever see.While I do admit it take a bit before it finds its legs, but it gets indescribably good when it does. The characters are all wonderful disasters with a lot of emotional depth and development to them. The story is paced really well, it knows when to get intense and suspenseful. But it also knows when to put in breather episodes and to make the intense parts easier to process with well written comedy. And the plot is unpredictable and plays with a lot of tropes and cliches. But you won’t feel lost because it knows to set the atmosphere and foreshadow. This show is Chekhov’s machine gun.

The Bright Sessions*: follows a group of therapy patients. But these are not your typical patients - each has a unique supernatural ability. The show documents their struggles and discoveries as well as the motivations of their mysterious therapist, Dr. Bright. I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts in my life and I gotta say, this is the best one I’ve listened to so far. It’s very well written and well acted. This podcast will make you feel so much for the lovable characters and their struggles as they learn how to people while handling their powers. This show also isn’t just a show, it’s a masterpiece in storytelling that will change your life. Like Wolf 359, it hits hard in the feels department because of how much you’ll care for the multifaceted characters; but this one hits differently because the problems they encounter are one’s you’ll probably have to face yourself.

#wolf 359 #the bright sessions #ars paradoxica #eos 10 #times podcast #inkwyrm #girl in space #tscosi #the strange case of starship iris #limetown #the message #life after #tec #the earth collective #tino talks

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chalabrun · 6 years

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the epic of gilgamesh, ch. 1

Chapter Title: In the Beginning Word Count: 3,190 Pairing: Gilgamesh/Ardyn, Somnus/Gentiana Rating: G Warnings: Character death Event/theme: Day 6 of @ardynyesconweek’s 6th prompt: “Unexpected,”, Breaking down walls, fateful night, divine favors Summary: Before he was expunged from all of history, Ardyn Izunia had a beginning. He had friends, triumphs and trials, and a life so little today know about. Once, there was a man before he became a monster.

( READ ON AO3 )

This had been his capital city once, over a thousand years ago when the sun of Old Solheim wasn’t always the one that danced across the Cosmos. A beautiful place, situated on its own island and framed by the sea. Solheimian influence was pronounced, as it was across the old empire. Spires climbed into the very skies, with only Costlemark on its coast otherwise dominating what had been the varied and beautiful landscapes of his old kingdom. When Solheim hadn’t been old but boastful of a thousand years of legacy. He was old as the coasts that washed into the sea, Cavaugh sands and verdant shorelines changeless as the sun.

Yet, even as he awoke that morning, the name Izdubar tasted like dying words on his tongue. The sunlight filtered through the filmy linen curtains lining the periphery of his bed, Izdubar rising from the long cot that was longer and wider than any mortal man. Eight feet. For he was not solely a son of humanity.

Before an ivory basin did the man wash his dark, coppery skin and square face, over high cheekbones, cleansing all of his bare torso as best he could—for a trip to the hammam would come much later. Silvery locks were combed through, then braided in a queue that touched his back. It was always his eyes that seemed the most fell of luck, some thinking as though a daemon possessed them. Scarlet, refulgent red. Always glowing, no matter what.

Alone did he change into a fresh cobalt kaftan, trousers, and a wide belt to girdle his waist. Boots so his feet would not become dirty, even on spotless marble floors. The servants were paid well to ensure the Lord of the Skies’ son slept in immaculate quarters.

Izdubar found a delicate oil lamp that he lit, banishing away the darkness in the long corridors that spanned the sprawl of Cavaugh’s princely palace estate. There were, surprisingly, no servants milling about as the man trekked the halls alone. Typically, the early hours of the morning preceding and after the dawn were the busiest as they prepared the royal household for the day ahead.

It hardly came as a shock. No royal family had occupied these halls for generations. Solheim’s decline hadn’t only been in the form of its territories receding, after all. Old kingdoms that had made the empire beat with hearts throughout the world grew dim in their pulse. Even now, Izdubar could sense atrophy in these halls. Crumbling paint once vivid, ensconced torches not burning as brightly as they once did, and the power of Magitechnology almost dimming entirely. The world in the city of Eunoch was fast falling into a hibernation he doubted could be salvaged from.

The way before the throne room only grew dark before a pair of masked ushers clad all in decorous black gestured towards him in strange tandem, then taking the enormous knobs of the polished black door of its ingress and drew it open with a long, cavernous creaking that echoed throughout the throne room and corridor alike.

Throne rooms were larger in those days, seating one and two others. Two thrones for the king and queen, and one enormous one that overshadowed them meant for their patron god.

In luxuriantly carved black onyx, made by Ifrit’s fire, shaped like a tempestuous tsunami flooded from behind, was seated the impossibly tall form of Bahamut. Stories tall, his black and blue armor seemed absorbed into the throne like a monument, only the gold accents reflecting the firelight set within blazing braziers. Enormous claws curled around the armrests, dusky blue eyes alone the defining, almost human trait.

His father had told him long ago: he was not born from love, but foresight and necessity. Demigods were known only in his line, and that of Ifrit’s successor and their son’s sons. No more.

Bahamut gazed upon his son, and it was quiet for the longest of moments. That was, until his thunderous, resonant voice chased away the silence.

“You know why I have summoned you here, blood of my blood. The Plague of the Stars that fell upon the Star has run rampant, slaughtering the peoples of Solheim in multitudes. You know this. In the time of its succor, the Crystal has stirred and the Soul of the Star has decided: there is to be a Chosen to whom this threat will be felled. And you will serve him as his protector.”

Izdubar was tempted to wrinkle his brow, to frown, to show some sign of processing what he has been told. A thousand years ago, Ca-dimirra had flourished. Considered one of the wealthiest and most innovative kingdoms of its time, his and his people’s advances in Magitek had catapulted them and Solheimian cultures light years ahead of what it would’ve otherwise been. And he had been its longest reigning king. But as all things do, it sank into decline as the house of his founding, House Amicitia, floundered. Though not dead, they were far from the ideal he had wished for them.

Though, much of Ca-dimirra had become subjected to rot.

“Where might I find this Chosen, Lord Bahamut? I will prepare to find him at once.”

The Draconian shifted upon the throne, though he was otherwise statuesque, not even his jaw moving as he spoke. “You will find them in the Vesperpool on the borders of Steyliff. Go forth, flesh of my flesh, and upon your return, Nadir will inform you and them of the mission ahead.”

No more was to be said as Izdubar bowed low and reverently, genuflecting once before taking his leave. The doors whined shut as they closed, obstructing any further view of the Draconian. Not that he cared to look over his back.

Regardless, it felt as though a gust of wind was gradually dispelling away the eons-old stagnancy. That the wheel of fate, struck in a rut and filtered by cobwebs, had finally been loosed and was soon to be freed.

For fate was always fast on the heel of prophecy.

It was by mid-morning that Izdubar set out from Eunoch, traveling another means as no chocobo could bear the weight of his burden. Almost fully-armored, it was only a hood and lower facial covering that remain undisguised, concealing him otherwise. Though, even then, he was hardly disguised. It was astride an enormous spiracorn known as Kaya did his retinue upon black chocobos trot closely behind, knowing their lord was deep in thought.

As had been relayed to him by Nadir, Bahamut’s messenger, at the last minute did he hear tale of House Izunia. A lesser noble house of Ca-dimirra, he had neglected to even have heard of them before. The least of which he knew was that Anna Izunia of Tenebrae, the lady of the house, and Germane Izunia of Galahd, its patriarch, had fallen upon hard times and that they bore two sons, Somnus and Ardyn. Both of which were in their late twenties, as they were twins. Not identical, but twins all the same.

They rode for hours through the dust bowl of Leide, past the sloping grasslands and forests of Duscae and Cleigne and the enormous sundial and mythril wing that rose distinctly on the outskirts of Lestallum that were famed for being of Titan’s creation. Their usage had been lost to time, even if Izdubar possessed the knowledge, it had been an evil thing—one meant to siphon the light of the sun that had once threatened to cast them into darkness. Now, it stood as a monument to the worst of Solheim’s decadence.

By early evening, they had dinner at the small fishing hamlet of Galdin before leaving the day after. The sun was already high and pressing hotly upon their backs, their shadows becoming shorter until they finally came upon the dusty paved highway that would lead them to the Vesperpool, to Steyliff, and to his new charge.

Spurring his spiracorn into a canter, Izdubar became thoughtful. Before he’d left, Nadir had told him something pressing: that when Ardyn and Somnus were found and brought back to Eunoch, there would be much change. From names, to duties, to the beginning of a new era. It weighed upon the Blademaster ominously, settling like bile in his throat. Though already a thousand years old, drastic change brought a feeling of apprehension in him—even if not immediately felt.

The late evening the next day, heavy and brooding clouds sculled from the west, his closest friend Enkidu almost glaring at the sky. Consternation marred the dark ochre of his face, winds ruffling through his jet black mane and thick beard. Compared to Izdubar’s complete lack of one.

“I doubt this storm, Lord Izdubar. Something foul roosts in the air. Something evil,” the man said, his chocobo stirring uneasily.

Izdubar smiled tensely, lips thinning. “We cannot let ominous feelings bar our path, my friend. Pray to Lord Ramuh that we may prevail through this storm.”

They spurred their mounts on despite their skittishness, Izdubar’s spiracorn, Kaya, being the only one who seemed unmoved by the winds that galloped through the wide palm fronds in the forest of palm trees. From where they could see, a small encampment of modest homes lined a dust-lain street, a bitter light from the overcast sky ghoulishly silhouetting the clay brick houses.

Izdubar slowed until they came to a halt, surprised to see a familiar silhouette emerge from an alleyway and into the main, unnervingly quiet thoroughfare. Nadir. It was obvious by his maroon hair shaped like spikes, of the enormous draconian wings sprouted from his back. Clad in his elaborate rust and gold armor he appeared too rich amid this provincial town.

“Lord Nadir. We weren’t expecting you,” Izdubar greeted in some surprise after tethering their mounts to a rail by the Izunia’s home, but nevertheless, he shook hands with a man who might as well be a brother. “I didn’t think you’d be here. Have you met with the Izunias?”

Nadir’s summery gold features wore a severe expression at the mention of that, lowering his hand after they shook one another’s. “Germane Izunia is no longer among the living. Passed from the Starscourge, I’m afraid, my brother.” He sighed, but met Izdubar’s gaze with his rosy gold own. “Come, we must meet them nonetheless. These brothers will take solace knowing the gods mourn with them.”

The Shield-to-be become solemn, knowing acutely the pain of losing one’s mother, even a wife. The latter having perished for the same reasons. Izdubar said nothing more as they stepped within the single-story domicile, the primary room of it occupied by a table upon which lay the patriarch’s dutifully preserved body that would likely be subject to mummification within the coming days. It was the funerary rights that need be performed by the family, first. The viewing, and the service in the name of whatever deity was the family patron god.

Flower petals and gold flickering candles encompassed the man’s head and along his flanks, gold coins upon his eyes while a large tarp covered the rest of his body. His face was painted, likely to mask the way the Starscourge had made his skin ashen. It was inside that a stout blonde woman with brown eyes met them, her pale face streaked ruddy by tears.

“Thank you for being here, my lords,” she sniffed through fresh tears, ashamed of her grief even if she had no reason to be. Anna dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, smiling thinly. “You seek my sons, don’t you? They were just in their room. Allow me to summon them.”

Anna shuffled down a narrow corridor lit by crystals, knocking on a door to the right before she stepped aside and saw both men shuffle out. They appeared to be twenty-five years of age or older, one with a maroon mane and the other with black hair swept back. Ardyn, as he knew, was the more distinguishable of the two with brown eyes bordering on gold, taller and more built, while Somnus was composed more like his mother. Both would be eye-catching to any woman, but the grimness that hung over them didn’t invite frivolous thoughts.

“Mother, who are these people?” Somnus asked first, glancing skeptically at the shorter woman. “Why are they here?”

“Hush, Somnus; they’re messengers,” Ardyn answered in awe, bowing from the waist to Nadir and Izdubar. “I remember you from the services, Lord Nadir. Truly, you do honor us, indeed.” After bowing to Nadir, he repeated the motion to Izdubar, but his eyes lingered far longer, seemingly entranced by what he saw. Izdubar was unusually tall, after all. That...among other things. If anything, his bronzed gaze was piercing, like whittling wood down to the quick.

Izdubar quailed imperceptibly from Ardyn’s sight, focusing instead upon Somnus and Anna. Not enough to entirely ignore the auburn-haired man. “Peace be upon you, Lady Izunia, Somnus and Ardyn. We brimg our condolences and a message from the Lord of the Skies,” he stated officiously, a hand placed in sincerity upon his chest. The blonde woman looked intrigued, but held her tongue for fear of interrupting.

It was Nadir who spoke next. “Ardyn and Somnus Izunia.” Both men stood up ramrod straight. “The Lord Bahamut demands your presence at the princely capital of Eunoch, to which you will attend after your father’s funeral. Great news awaits you, of which your lady mother will also accompany us to attend. It will be life-changing, but until then, we shall remain here in Steyliff to ensure all is conducted with honor.”

Nadir bowed his head and exited the domicile to join Enkidu and the others, leaving Izdubar behind. Just as he motioned to do the same, with Somnus and Anna returning to the tending of Germane’s body, he was suddenly stopped by a hand on his sleeve. “Lord Ardyn…?”

“Not here. Please, follow me,” Ardyn whispered within earshot, nodding to a side door beside the kitchen. Mystified but still curious, Izdubar followed without complaint outside where a narrow seam of an alleyway ran between their home and another’s, sloping down into the wilderness where fenced peripheries kept livestock corralled inside. Though night was fast approaching, he supposed it was better to be outside with Ardyn than not. The last few rays of sunlight touched them rosily, but a nocturnal sky was cresting higher, stars peeking through receding clouds.

Ardyn perched himself on a fence post where a black Chocobo warked and trotted over, fluttering her stumpy wings while the red-head caressed along her beak affectionately. “Forgive the suddenness of this. I suppose I merely wished to converse of the future without the others listening.” Izdubar remained quiet, canting his head curiously. This only prompted Ardyn to keep speaking, the man appearing thoughtful.

“Last night I believe I had a dream like this. The streets of Eunoch were crowded with adoring people, myself astride Artemis,” the Chocobo in questioned trilled in response, “whilst confetti and streamers rained from the sky. It was so very curious, Lord Izdubar. Forgive my staring earlier, but you were at my side. As was Somnus, but we were both older, but you...you were as unchanged as you are now. And there was a woman, with very long black hair...”

“Gentiana Lux Fleuret. That is who you dreamt of. Is there anything else notable?” Izdubar prompted insistently, Ardyn gazing at him curiously before regaining his train of thought.

“Yes. The people—they were calling me “your highness,” as they also did my brother. As if we were royalty. And…this dream. It did not feel like my own. As though it came from someplace else.” Ardyn’s voice drifted, and he knew why. It wasn’t entirely from this new revelation, but from a vision, he was certain of it.

“The place it came was not from yourself, true. And it wasn’t a dream. What else?”

Ardyn’s golden gaze shot up at Izdubar, his brows furrowed in bemusement together. “In it, I called you Gilgamesh. I know the city, the kingdom—they were not as they are. Even my brother and I’s surnames were different. The same, but not Izunia.”

Gilgamesh. Bahamut had told him the one he sought would call him this name, would know it. When the great changes came. When a new era began, it would not be as they were before. This epiphany brought a wan smile to the future Shield’s face beneath the face wrappings. Perhaps he was glad that such a fateful night would reveal to him the beginning of something new. Change was coming, and it didn’t feel so alone.

“You’re smiling. I can tell,” Ardyn stated smugly as he avoided Izdubar’s gaze coyly, continuing to lavish attentions upon Artemis.

“Does such a thing bother you, my lord?” Izdubar queried, genuinely perplexed. This caused Ardyn to bark a laugh that Artemis reared her head back from, blinking in confusion. Wiping a tear from his eye, the chocobo nudged her master.

“Of course not, my dear man! Pardon me, it seems King Laugh has a strange way of manifesting in times of grief,” Ardyn said dismissively, sobering, gaze soft yet sad. He missed his father. He just wanted the future to help him forget, if only for a little.

King Laugh? Izdubar fell silent for a long moment, folding his arms and leaning against the fence railings close to where Ardyn was. This seemed to heighten whatever sentiments Izdubar was absolutely oblivious to. “...Your father. As I’ve heard, he was a good man.”

“Recklessly good, foolishly good. He thought little of himself and never rose beyond his station; he was so bloody humble. The town loved him, true, but when the Starscourge took him…what little they could do. As though it were some…damn funny form of repayment, I suppose.” Ardyn ceased in his affections, hands dropping while Artemis plodded away on the turf. “I was powerless to stop it.”

Izdubar uncrossed his arms, gazing at Ardyn earnestly, causing the man to lock gazes with him like a deer dazzled by bright headlights of the airships. “My lord, give it but a few days. Then, you shall learn of what you were ordained of and then, only then, will you finally be able to change all that ills our Star.”

This caused Ardyn to smile hopefully, gazing towards the brightening stars, wishing for something. “Thank you, Gilgamesh, truly. I only hope you will remain at my side throughout it all. Come what may.”

Izdubar heard the name, in truth, liking the way Ardyn said it. Gilgamesh. He supposed he could grow into it.

“But of course, my lord. I will remain at your side. This, I promise you.”

#ardyn izunia #gilgamesh ffxv #somnus lucis caelum #gilgardyn #ardynyesconweek #my writing

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Best Movies Coming to Netflix in July 2021

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Movies are back. It at least feels that way when you see the numbers that films like F9 and A Quiet Place Part II are earning. But more than just the thrill of going back to theaters, July signals what is typically considered to be the height of the summer movie season. On a hot evening, there are few things better than some cold air conditioning and a colder drink of your choice while escapism plays across a screen.

That can prove just as true at home as in theaters. And as luck would have it, Netflix is pretty stuffed with new streaming content this month. Below there are space adventures, comedies, dramas, and more than a few epics worth your attention, either as a revisit or new discovery. And we’ve rounded them up for your scrolling pleasure.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

July 1

When the first Austin Powers opened in 1997, it was intended to be as much a crude love letter to the popular cinema of the 1960s as a modern day raunchy laugh-fest. Now with the benefit of another 20 years’ worth of hindsight, Mike Myers and Jay Roach’s spoof of Bondmania is itself an amusing time capsule of 1990s comedy tropes. There’s Myers’ cartoonishly larger-than-life characters—beginning with Powers but most dementedly perfected with Dr. Evil, the comedian’s riff on Ernst Stavro Blofeld—as well as the pair’s embrace of what they considered to be the defining trappings of the late ‘90s.

The film’s nostalgia for the ‘60s and its value as a piece of kitsch ‘90s nostalgia makes this Austin Powers (and to a lesser extent the second movie, The Spy Who Shagged Me) a fascinating relic, as well as a genuinely funny lowbrow symphony of sex gags, bathroom humor, and multiple digs at British stereotypes, including bad teeth. In other words, it’s a good time if you don’t take it too seriously. Just avoid the third one, which is also coming to Netflix.

The Karate Kid (1984)

July 1

1984’s The Karate Kid is the cultural apex of Reagan America’s obsession with martial arts movies and Rocky-style underdog stories. It offered ’80s kids the ultimate fantasy of learning martial arts to defeat local bullies and finding time to squeeze in a love subplot along the way. Granted, the Cobra Kai series has thrown a wrench into this film’s seemingly simple morality tale, but just try not to root for Daniel by the time you reach arguably the greatest montage in movie history.

There’s also something eternally comforting about watching Pat Morita beat-up ’80s thugs while validating parents everywhere by suggesting that you to can one day grow up to be a great warrior if you just sweep the floor, wax the car, and paint the fence.

Love Actually

July 1

Christmas in July? Sure, why not. This Yuletide classic likely needs no introduction. Writer-director Richard Curtis’ Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy, stuffing every cliché and setup from a holiday bag of tricks into one beautifully wrapped package. Perhaps its greatest strength though is it mixes in a touch of the bitter with its sweet, and doesn’t hide the thorns in its bouquet of roses. Plus, its use of “All I Want for Christmas” is still a banger nearly 20 years on.

Admittedly, we aren’t particularly inclined to watch this in July ourselves, but if you don’t mind the Christmas of it all, there are few better rom-coms in your queue at the moment.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

July 1

This adaptation of the Arthur Golden novel of the same name was one of the highest profile literary adaptations of the early 2000s. It’s the story of a young girl sold to a geisha house in the legendary Gion district of Kyoto who then grows up to be the most famous geisha of 1930s imperial Japan… right before the war. The film (like its source material) had controversy in its day due to having a somewhat exoticized view of Japanese customs, as well as for the casting of Chinese actresses Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi in the roles of icons of Japanese culture, with Zhang playing central geisha Sayuri.

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But whatever its shortcomings, Memoirs of a Geisha is still an exquisitely crafted melodrama that provides an often delicate window into one of he most graceful and misunderstood arts. The film won Oscars for its costumes, art direction, and cinematography for a reason. Plus whenever Zhang and the actually Japanese Ken Watanabe share the screen, unrequited sizzle is hot to the touch.

Mortal Kombat (1995)

July 1

Look, 1995’s Mortal Kombat isn’t a great movie in the classic sense of the word. Those looking for notable ’90s schlock might even have a better time with 1994’s Street Fighter and Raul Julia’s scene-stealing performance as General M. Bison.

Yet at a time when video game movies still struggle to capture the magic of the games themselves, Mortal Kombat stands tall as one of the few adaptations that feel like an essential companion piece. It might lack the blood and gore that helped make 1992’s Mortal Kombat arcade game a cultural touchstone, but it perfectly captures the campy, shameless joy that has defined this franchise for nearly 30 years.

Star Trek (2009)

July 1

The idea of a Star Trek movie reboot wasn’t greeted with universal enthusiasm when it was first announced but then J.J. Abrams delighted many fans by creating a Trek origin story that was both familiar and new. Chris Pine shone as the cocky Kirk, bickering with Zachary Quinto’s Vulcan Spock while trying to save the universe from a pesky Romulan (Eric Bana). This was a standalone that could be enjoyed by audiences completely ignorant of the Star Trek legacy which also achieved the feat of not annoying many long-term followers of the multiple series. It was a combination of humor, heart, action and a zingy cast that won the day – it’s still the best of the three Star Trek reboot movies to date.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2005)

July 1

Alongside Step Brothers, Tallageda Nights remains a a biting snapshot of the 2000s zeitgeist from writer-director Adam McKay. Eventually he would drop (most of) the crude smirks in favor of dramedies about the excesses of the Bush years via The Big Short (2013) and Dick Cheney biopic Vice (2018), however Talladega Nights remains a well-aged and damning satire of that brief time when “NASCAR Dads” were a thing, which is all the more impressive since it was filmed in the midst of such jingoistic fervor.

So enters Will Ferrell in one of his signature roles as a NASCAR driver and the quintessential ugly American who’s boastful of his ignorance and proud that his two sons are named “Walker” and “Texas Ranger.” He’d be almost irredeemable if the movie wasn’t so quotable and endearing with its sketch comedy absurdities. There’s a reason Ferrell and co-star John C. Reilly became a recurring thing after this lunacy. Plus, that ending where adherents of the homophobic humor of the mid-2000s found out the joke was on them? Still pretty satisfying.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

July 1

This is the movie that changed everything. Filmmakers had been experimenting with computer-generated visual effects for years, including director James Cameron with 1989’s The Abyss. But Cameron, as usual, upped his game with this 1991 action/sci-fi epic in which the main character — the villain — was a hybrid of live-action actor and CG visuals.

Those of us who saw T2 in the theater when it first came out can remember hearing the audience (and probably ourselves) audibly gasp as the T-1000 (an underrated and chilling Robert Patrick) slithered into his liquid metal form, creating a surreal and genuinely eerie moving target that not even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s brute strength could easily defeat. There were moments in this movie that remained seared into our brains for years as high points of what could be accomplished with CG.

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This writer prefers T2 to the original Terminator. It’s fashionable to go the other way, but the first movie, while excellent, is essentially a low-budget horror film, Schwarzenegger’s T-800 a somewhat more formidable stand-in for the usual unstoppable slasher. The characters in T2 are far more fleshed out, the action bigger and more spectacular, the stakes more grave and palpable. It was the first movie to cost more than $100 million but it felt like every penny was right there on the screen. And Cameron tied up his story ingeniously, making all the sequels and prequels, and sidequels since irrelevant and incoherent. We don’t need them; we have Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Underworld (2003)

July 1

Is Underworld a good movie? No, not really. Is it a scary movie, what with the vampires and werewolves? Not at all. Well, is it at least entertaining?! Absolutely. Never before has a B-studio actioner been so deliciously pretentious and delightful in its pomposity.

Every bit the product of early 2000s action movie clichés, right down to Kate Beckinsale’s oh-so tight leather number, Underworld excels in part because of the casting of talent like Beckinsale. A former Oxford student and star of the West End stage, she got her start in cinema by appearing in a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare adaptation, and she brings a wholly unneeded (but welcome) conviction to this tale of vampire versus werewolves in a centuries-long feud. Shamelessly riffing on Romeo and Juliet, the film ups the British thespian pedigree with movie-stealing performances by Bill Nighy as a vampire patriarch and Michael Sheen (Beckinsale’s then-husband who she met in a production of The Seagull) as an angsty, tragic werewolf. It’s bizarre, overdone, and highly entertaining in addition to all the fang on fur action.

Snowpiercer (2013)

July 2

Before there was Parasite, there was Snowpiercer, the action-driven class parable brought to horrific and mesmerizing life by Oscar-winning Korean director Bong Joon-ho in 2013. The film is set in a future ice age in which the last of humanity survives on a train that circumnavigates a post-climate change Earth. The story follows Chris Evans‘ Curtis as he leads a revolt from the working class caboose to the upper class engine at the front of the train.

Loosely based on a French graphic novel, filmed in the Czech Republic as a Korean-Czech co-production, and featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with dialogue in both English and Korean, Snowpiercer is not only a truly international production that will keep Western audiences guessing, but it packs an ever effective social critique as we head further into an age of climate change and wealth inequality. Also, there is a scene in which Chris Evans slips on a fish.

The Beguiled (2017)

July 16

Sofia Coppola’s remake of the 1971 film of the same name (both are based on a Thomas Cullinan novel) is a somewhat slight yet undeniably intriguing addition to the filmmaker’s catalog. It’s the story of a wounded Union soldier being taken in by a Southern school for girls–stranded in the middle of the American Civil War–with salvation turning into damnation as the power dynamics between the sexes are tested. It is also an evocative piece of Southern Gothic with an ending that will stick with you. Top notch work from a cast that also includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Colin Farrell makes this a bit of an underrated gem.

The Twilight Saga

July 16

In July, not one, not two, not three, not even four, but all five of the movies adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s young adult phenomenon book series will be accessible on Netflix. Indulge in the nostalgia of Catherine Hardwicke’s faithful and comparatively intimate Twilight. Travel to Italy with a depressing Edward and Bella in New Moon. Lean into the horror absurdity of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2. Or marathon all five for maximal escapism into a world where vegetarian vampires are the boyfriend ideal, the sun is always clouded, and the truly iconic emo-pop tunes never stop.

Django Unchained (2012)

July 24

The second film Quentin Tarantino won an Oscar for, Django Unchained remains a highly potent revenge fantasy where a Black former slave (Jamie Foxx) seeks to free his wife from Mississippian bondage and ends up wiping out the entire infrastructure of a plantation in the process. Brutal, dazzlingly verbose in dialogue, and highly triggering in every meaning of the word—including quickdraw shootouts—this is a Southern-fried Spaghetti Western at its finest.

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Perhaps its other great asset is a terrific cast of richly drawn characters, including Foxx as Django (the “D” is silent), Christoph Waltz as German dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Shultz, Leonardo DiCaprio as sadistic slaveowner Calvin Candie, and Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen. While Waltz won a deserved Oscar for the film (his second from a Tarantino joint), it is Jackson’s turn as a house slave who becomes by far the most dangerous and cruel of Django’s adversaries who lingers in the memory years later…

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get-trekt · 6 years

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star trek discovery - episode 10 commentary (spoiler heavy)

There is A Lot to unpack here. I won't go through every single thing because I have yet to rewatch the episode (might take a while until I do) and, most important, ain't nobody got the time for that. Needless to say, spoiler sandwich comes below.

- Captain Sylvia Killy. Fucking hell, what an awesome concept. I had mistakenly believed that the scene where Paul calls Tilly 'Captain' (episode...8? Not sure) was evidence that he could see the future. But nope! Paul was in fact having glimpses of the Mirror Universe. Makes me wonder if he could see other universes as well and what would those look like on screen. I was very hopeful that Disco would tackle the Mirror Universe at some point (especially after episode 5 with that freaky reflection staring back at Paul), but I expected one episode only or maybe, if we were lucky, a two part episode. Discovery pulling a Voyager and making Chapter Two all about going home _while trying to conceal their identities and blend in_ is certainly an interesting move. I always felt the Mirror Universe was never properly explored in the series so I'm very glad we are getting an entire arc about it. I don't think there will be much exploration from now on, but since we have become attached to the characters and their stories I think the main cast can carry the plot without the need for that. Besides, the Mirror Universe is already massive (and unexplored) anyway, so each episode will bring something new by default.

- Still not sure how I feel about Ash's character. Apparently the Klingons cut his bones short and altered his physiology + added ?? a new personality ?? I won't touch on the implications of that in terms of canon but overall this seems messy. There is still a long way to go so we will see. As of now, I'm not buying it. Failing to see a point here.

- About Hugh. I'm not one to sugarcoat things so I'll lay this out very clearly: I'm disappointed lol. We all had very high hopes and expectations for Hugh/Paul for obvious reasons, after all it's not everyday that you see a interracial gay couple with decent representation. Hugh's death was bland, out of nowhere, and to be honest, written solemnly for shock value. There was no need for Hugh to be killed then and there, and the implications will be messy - 1) what will go down when michael finds out? hello so your bf killed someone, and I think we all know you despise murder - 2) the entire ship will become suspicious as to why the doctor showed up with his neck broken (if they blame paul i fucking swear). If Ash wanted to lay low about what was going down in his head, killing someone and leaving their body there isn't really a good strategy lol but now on to more pressing issues.

- Disco writers may talk about how Paul/Hugh's arc is an 'epic love story' but KILLING HUGH ONLY TO BRING HIM BACK IS A DICK MOVE. Wilson Cruz has confirmed that Hugh will be coming back, but regardless of that, killing off your gay latino recurring character for shock value leaves a bad taste. "But vit how come it is only for shock value !" See reasons above, there was not really a point for his death other than to create buzz around the show. They wanted to include drama in their relationship and I get that is important to keep the plot going, especially with its new dark twist, but there are a lot of different ways to include drama/angst/suspense in a character's plot line. And again, his death was so..,, empty. There was no fight, Ash just straight up snapped Hugh's neck and it was done. I'm disappointed because this was pretty much the best episode of the until That Scene. I seriously hope they will fix this somehow. You can't cover a manhole with a band-aid, and regardless of what the writers do, nothing will erase the fact that the one character they chose to kill off just to shock the audience was a gay latino. But I sincerely expect them to somehow redeem themselves by giving Paul/Hugh some very sweet vibes later on.

That is all for now. I want to see mirror Paul and Michael, and also figure out what the hell is going on with Ash. It's upsetting that my excitement for next week's episode has decreased so much. What do y'all think? I need to talk about this otherwise I might explode.

#star trek discovery #star trek disco #st:d #michael burnham #hugh culber #paul stamets #ash tyler #mirror universe #mine #culmets

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swordsandrayguns · 4 years

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QuaranTV 6: Battle Beyond The Stars

Two weeks in, still sick and still watching TV. At some point in the past week or so the broadcast science fiction network Comet ran the awesome Roger Corman produced 1980 epic science fiction adventure Battle Beyond The Stars. It is important to note by “epic science fiction adventure” I mean Star Wars meets Magnificent Seven hybrid. And by hybrid I mean rip off. And by awesome I actually mean awesome.

Roger Corman has a reputation for turning out low budget and low quality features. I imagine that is a pretty fair assessment of his career but he has turned out a few gems, too. Or maybe he is just an acquired taste. Probably the best way to describe Roger Corman is to say he is a prolific producer with quite a few cult hits, such as Little Shop Of Horrors, Dementia 13, and Deathrace 2000, to his credit. He was the executive producer of Rock’n’Roll High School and helped bring the anime film Galaxy Express 999 to America back in 1979 but also turned out things like the Deathstalker and Barbarian Queen movies. So, yeah, maybe Corman is an acquired taste.

And he is a taste I have definitely acquired over the years. I have named pets after Deathrace 2000 characters and I can’t count how many times I have sat through the Bloodfist movies! So I imagine I am pre-disposed to like Battle Beyond The Stars... it certainly does not hurt that it was a fixture on cable back when I was 9 or 10 years old, either. It is safe to be there is more than a little nostalgia factoring into my opinion, too.

Battle Beyond The Stars, for a relatively low budget Star Wars rip off (it is thought to have been made for about two million dollars), has a pretty healthy cast of recognizable actors (especially for the time). The evil warlord threatening the peaceful planet Akir is played by John Saxon and I will pretty much always give a movie with John Saxon a chance. I mean, he was Roper in Enter The Dragon! The young idealist heading out from the peaceful planet of Akir to enlist a group of mercenaries to fight the warlord is Richard Thomas, best known for his portrayal of John Boy in The Waltons. Among the mercenaries he gathers are 1980s sex goddess Sybil Danning, Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) and George Peppard (after Banacek but before The A-Team). The film is also full of people who you kind of recognize from ‘80s television like character actor Earl Boen and a pre-Newhart Julia Duffy.

Surprisingly, for a relatively low budget Star Wars rip off, Battle Beyond The Stars has fairly good special effects. The sets are cheap looking and the make up is uneven. The reptilian alien who signs on to fight the evil warlord is actually not that bad while the one-eyed, surgically scarred, mutant crew of the evil warlord’s battleship crew are nothing short of laughable. The spaceship models are a real surprise; the spaceship exterior scenes are all better than the interiors! Sure some of the ship designs (okay, most of the designs), are just plain ugly but the space battles and other model sequences are better than much of what you might see in Battlestar Galactica or Buck Rogers, both of which were being made at about the same time. it is probably worth mentioning a young James Cameron (yeah, the Titanic and Avatar, James Cameron) was responsible for many of the effects. He was apparently introduced to Corman by his assistant Gale Anne Hurd (who eventually married Cameron and later produced The Walking Dead). It is a good thing the space effects were decent; Corman re-used them in Space Raiders, Vampirella, his version of Fantastic Four and one or two other movies.

The real star, surprise and delight to Battle Beyond The Stars, though, is the soundtrack. As soon as the film starts the score just grabs you. It does not sound like a low budget film at all... because the young composer tasked with creating the epic soundtrack was James Horner, who would go on to compose the scores for Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, Titanic and Avatar, winning two Oscars for Titanic. His work alone make the film seem much more rich and full bodied than its budget would suggest. The score to Battle Beyond The Stars seems to me to be an obvious ancestor to Horner’s scores for both Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.

The bottom line is Battle Beyond The Stars is a low budget Star Wars inspired version of Magnificent Seven (itself a version of Seven Samurai) that is hardly the worst knock off of Seven Samurai (or Magnificent Seven) which manages to exceed it humble origins at times to create one of the best of the post-Star Wars low budget attempts to cash in on the Star Wars money train.

#Indie author Battle Beyond The Stars Roger Corman QuaranTV reviews

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britesparc · 4 years

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Weekend Top Ten #409

Top Ten Things I Saw 2019

2019, eh? What to make of that? For me, “culturally” speaking – that is, in terms of things I watched, read, or otherwise consumed (that weren’t, y’know, food), it’s defined by huge, long-anticipated finales; a raft of incredibly impressive kids’ films; really exciting TV shows that I never got round to watching; an increasingly-interesting new Transformers comic that I have run way, way behind on and need to catch up with; and reading about cool stuff that’s happening in 2020 (but more on that next week!).

As we make our way gingerly into this newest of years, it feels odd to look back on, say, Avengers: Endgame, and try to remember a time when we didn’t all know who died and how. Massive things seemed to come and go, having to make way for the next massive thing. 2020, from this vantage point, doesn’t seem quite so epochal, but what do I know, I just work here. 2019 though; that was a big one. Even outside of the MCU ruling the roost, there’s Frozen, Star Wars, Toy Story, and even some stuff not owned by Disney.

Because I seem to operate on a slightly delayed timescale, there are still huge films and TV programmes that I’ve not managed to catch (work commitments also obliterated my free time for a couple of months, meaning I didn’t even make my own lax standards of cinema-going). Especially in the last third of the year, I’ve missed some really exciting films; Hollywood, Knives Out, Joker, Irishman (which, yeah, is on Netflix, so I’ll probably see that before the others). Hopefully they’ll do some screenings around awards time, or I can just get the Blu-rays. Anyway, that’s why that stuff’s not here, and also because I couldn’t think of a witty hat to hang on the artier fare.

Right, caveats out the way, this is what was occurring in 2019.

“I knew it!”: Probably the most difficult thing to do this year was provide some kind of closure to the various huge pop-culture juggernauts that more-or-less decided to end. Star Wars was a disappointment, I’ve not seen Game of Thrones, but good Lord did Avengers stick the ending. Endgame is a masterpiece, a beautiful thrill-ride of cinema (see what I did there?), and for me the crowning moment – the bit that nearly made me cry-laugh and is one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had in the cinema – was when Captain America lifts Thor’s enchanted hammer. Magic, indeed.

“Welcome to the Sys-Star System”: I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of many of the kids; films I saw this year, and also by the more progressive and inclusive message they expressed. This started before this year, to be honest, with the frankly surprising left-field political allegories of Zootropolis and Smallfoot. But 2019 started great with an amusing dissection of movie misogyny in The LEGO Movie 2 (better than the first one, don’t @ me); the underrated Dora and the Lost City of Gold was also a great adventure film to show little girls, especially if you’re trying to inject some diversity into their lives. Along with Detective Pikachu it was a good time for PG-rated live-action family movies. So: 2019, great for kids’ films (Klaus on Netflix!); great for films about diversity and empowerment, especially if you’re going to the cinema with two little girls. Speaking of…

“Can there be a day beyond this night?”: Talk about sticking the landing; following up the most successful animated film of all time (apart from the, ahem, “live-action” Lion King), and its culture-defining song, was a very tall order. I was amazed at how they managed it. whilst perhaps “giving Elsa a girlfriend” was a little bit too much to ask (cowards) they still doubled down on themes of empowerment and finding oneself, and Elsa’s two big songs still manage to feel (to this straight dude) like coming-out anthems. But it was the maturity and depth of the film that surprised and delighted; I never expected to see a film where a Disney Princess sang a song about being so overcome with grief that they want to die.

“Honk”: Untitled Goose Game is probably the game of the year, even if it’s not my favourite game, simply because of how robustly it seized the zeitgeist. There was a time when you couldn’t move for memes of mallards (yes, I know it’s not a mallard). For a small indie game to do this was fantastic. And its recent appearance on Xbox Game Pass cements a banner year for that Microsoft service too; a year in which it’s gone from “nice addition” to seemingly indispensable. Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC, their very generous E3 offer, and the tantalising prospect of xCloud (still in beta, and really rather impressive) means Game Pass – geese and all – was the gaming highlight of 2019 for me.

“This will be a great start to my legend!”: Speaking of gaming highlights, we finally got a Switch this Christmas, and it’s already being played to death. I didn’t know how much we missed Mario Kart. The Nintendo Switch is clearly, far and away, the best console of this generation (or is it next generation? When was the Wii U?). Anyway, we also got Pokemon Sword for my eldest, and that’s really rather fab I think, in its amusingly foreign depiction of Britain. But with Pokemon Go seemingly going from strength to strength, and the excellent Detective Pikachu at the cinema, it was a great year for small collectible creatures. Now I just need to learn how to play the card game…

“No, you’re breathtaking”: The E3 moment that launched a million memes, Keanu Reeves’ appearance in Cyberpunk 2077 was a surprise as much as his good-natured response to the audience was a delight. But really 2019 was Keanu’s year; John Wick 3 cemented his status as the most ice-cool of action stars, he expertly and hilariously sent himself up in Always Be My Maybe, and was very funny as a burning bush in the Spongebob trailer. Next year he brings back his other other greatest character, Ted Theodore Logan, in Bill and Ted Face the Music. It’s Keanu’s world, we’re just living in it.

“What the hell happens now?”: Alright, I might have got the quote slightly wrong, but the closing moments of the first episode of Years and Years was probably my TV moment of the year. Horrifically tense and terrifying, utterly believable but also a freakishly scary look at a potential near future. The series continued in this fashion, marrying soapy drama with increasingly sci-fi flavoured concepts, until it culminated in a full-on dystopian future uprising. Already feels unnecessarily prescient.

“Let us see what the future holds”: Speaking of top TV, Star Trek: Discovery season two had highs and lows but generally was a better stab at a contemporary Trek show than season one. The infusion of familiar Trek characters and settings (chiefly Spock, Pike, and the Enterprise) was a blessing and a curse, and although the time-dancing plot sagged, it all came together for a phenomenal finale. An epic space battle the likes of which Star Trek had very rarely seen, culminating in a sacrifice play and the prospect of further adventures in a timeline we’ve never explored before in Trek. Mind you, Picard will be better, won’t it?

“David Braben done a poo”: Moving away from the blockbuster TV shows and epoch-defining superhero sagas, Digitiser Live was another high point. I didn’t get away as much in 2019 as other years – I skipped TF Nation and couldn’t make Thought Bubble – so any opportunity to chat to like-minded geeks is always welcome. The show itself was madcap, weird fun, and it’s so nice to know Mr. Biffo and be a small, tangential part of the whole shebang. More in 2020, please.

“#ChrisHewittsFilmOfTheDay2019”: Okay, so bear with me: Chris Hewitt, from off of Empire magazine and podcast (and The Film Programme, remember that?) recommended a film a day every day of the year. Except – top gag – it was always Avengers: Infinity War. The fact he kept this bit up the whole year, and found new and increasingly surreal ways to recommend Infinity War, was a comic delight. And y’know what? The Empire Podcast was a delight this year too. It’s not new but it’s great, and I hope in 2020 I get to go to one of the live shows at last.

Well, that was 2019. In many ways an absolute shitshow. 2020 looks like it’s starting off with the world literally burning, an addled madman attempting to start World War III, and frigging Brexit. On the flipside, I had a lovely Christmas, we all enjoyed playing on the Switch, the first episode of Doctor Who was fantastic, my kids are great, my wife is great, and at some point this year I get to see WandaVision. So let’s all keep our collective chins up and look forward to whatever we can possibly look forward to. Despite how tepidly the Skywalker Saga ended.

#top ten #2019 #2020 #new year #old year #2019 in review #2019 films #2019 tv #2019 games #2019 comics

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thegeekcurmudgeon · 5 years

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The Other Worlds 2019 preview Day 4

Art by Lauren Kitching

Returning for a sixth exciting year, Other Worlds, one of the premier SciFi Film Festivals in the US, features some of the best and unheralded genre films. Beginning on Thursday December 5 at Austin’s Galaxy Highland 10, the four day event includes over 20 feature films, a slew of shorts, a screenwriting workshop, and the Mary Shelley Award. This year also features the return of Under Worlds, which brings the best of indie to Austin.

Not terribly surprising to anyone who regularly follows my writings, I’ll be there.

Here’s what to expect at Other Worlds 2019.

11:15AM AROUND THE SUN (Texas Premiere)

Oliver Krimpas | UK | 78 min

Writer: Jonathan Kiefer Cast: Cara Theobold, Gethin Anthony

A film location finder is shown around a repossessed, crumbling French château. Over the course of the afternoon, he slowly falls for both the place and the owner’s flirtatious representative, as she recounts the story of a famous book set there. But is their present-day connection for real, or just a projection of the book’s 17th Century characters? As the scene plays over in different variations, the two almost lovers orbit around each other like a binary star system, forever circling but never quite reaching each other.

vimeo

11:45AM SciFi Shorts 1: Love in the Time of Robots

12PM The Old Dark House (World Premiere OF NEW SCORE)

James Whale | USA | 73 min | 1932

Writer: J.B. Priestley (from the novel by) (as J.B. Priestly), Benn W. Levy (screenplay) Cast: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart

A precursor to the genre of renegade young people getting stranded among older (and far more degenerate) adults in a remote location, THE OLD DARK HOUSE is a “pre-code” film and features some language and sexually suggestive material that would be banned from American screens until the 1960s. Boundaries will be crossed, reality will fail, and mayhem will ensue. The family our kids come across, this time, can also be seen as the grandparents of THE ADAMS FAMILY. THE OLD DARK HOUSE, is FRANKENSTEIN director, James Whale’s follow up horror film that also stars the previously unknown Boris Karloff and is a precursor to their final film together, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Like many films of the day, it was released with a “library score,” music not specifically composed for the title. Award-winning composer Jay Woelfel has composed a brand new 52-minute music score, the first ever done for the film.

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1:45PM Defender of the Universe conversation with Nicholas Meyer followed by a screening of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Nicholas Meyer | USA | 110 min | 1991

Writer: Leonard Nimoy and Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal (story), Nicholas Meyer & Denny Martin Flinn (script), Gene Roddenberry (creator) Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Jame Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei

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2:15PM The Ascent

Tom Paton | UK | 100 min

Writer: Tom Paton Cast: Rachel Warren, Simon Meacock, Bentley Kalu

Special ops squad “Hell’s Bastards” are sent to infiltrate a civil war to retrieve intel. The unit soon find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell forced to climb or die. To survive, they must revisit their past sins if they ever want to get off.

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2:15PM SciFi Shorts 2: Crossing Over to the Future

4:30PM Nicholas Meyer signing The Adventure of The Peculiar Protocols

In Collaboration with Book People and Open to the Public

With the international bestseller The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer brought to light a previously unpublished case of Sherlock Holmes, as recorded by Dr. John H. Watson. Now Meyer returns with a shocking discovery—an unknown case drawn from a recently unearthed Watson journal. After his Defender of the Universe screening on Sunday, Meyer will sign copies of his new book, which we will have on sale courtesy of Book People. Grab your own copy of the book The Wall Street journal calls “A gem … delightful reading for everyone.”

5PM Alien Addiction

Shae Sterling | New Zealand | 96 min

Writer: Shae Sterling, Melanie Price and Ricky Silvester Cast: Jimi Jackson, Thomas Sainsbury, Harry Summerfield, Jojo Waaka, Ayham Ghalayini

Riko lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere (well, Waikato, New Zealand). Life is pretty normal, that is until two aliens crash-land near his house. Fortunately for Riko, the aliens like to get high and chill as much as he does and they develop an intergalactic friendship of epic proportions, as well as a strange relationship to human feces. However, unknown to the happy go-lucky visitors, alientologist Peter Mackintosh is hot on their trail and plans to capture them and reveal them to the world.

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5:05PM After We Leave (North American Premiere)

Aleem Hossain | USA | 82 min

Writer: Aleem Hossain Cast: Brian Silverman, Clay Wilcox, Anita Leman Torres, Anslem Richardson

Jack returns to a bleak Los Angeles after abandoning his wife six years ago. There’s only one way to escape this high crime, dystopian world – getting a visa to an off-world colony, but it’s a couples’ visa and Jack needs his wife to use it. Jack dives back into the world of crime that he left behind in search of his wife and a way off the planet. Is Jack back because he wants to make things right or because he needs his wife to use this “lottery ticket” to a better life?

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5:10PM Long Shorts: Lingering Visions

7:40PM A Good Woman Is Hard To Find (Texas Premiere)

Abner Pastoll | UK/Belgium/Ireland | 113 min

Writer: Ronan Blaney Cast: Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, Andrew Simpson

Recently widowed mother of two, Sarah, is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of her young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping a low-life drug dealer stash narcotics stolen from the local Mr. Big, she’s forced into taking drastic action to protect her children, evolving from downtrodden submissive to take-charge vigilante.

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7:40PM The Final Land

Marcel Barion | Germany | 113 min

Writer: Marcel Barion Cast: Milan Pešl, Torben Föllmer

A runaway convict and his pursuer escape a prison planet in an old spaceship in search of a new home. As they search for a place to go, their separate paths to this moment become a point ofconflict, as well as the strange history of this derelict ship that they now drive. Then a strange signal gives them hope of a new future. In the grand tradition of 2001 and SOLARIS, THE FINAL LAND plays off the mystery of vastness of space and our still miniscule understanding of our place inside it.

7:45PM The Honeymoon Phase (Texas Premiere)

Phillip G. Carroll Jr. | USA | 88 min

Writer: Phillip G. Carroll Jr Cast: Chloe Carroll, Jim Schubin, François Chau, Tara Westwood

Struggling young couple Tom and Eve lie about being married so they can enter “The Millennium Project.” Paying $50,000, this 30-day scientific study analyzes couples’ relationships while they reside in futuristic smart homes secluded in the woods. Run by a mysterious researcher and his associate, the experiment finds Eve descending into violent madness, questioning her lover’s trust and whether he is the man she thinks he is.

THE HONEYMOON PHASE caps off the 2019 Other Worlds Program with a love story covered in tension and drama. On top of the thrilling relationship ride, the film will leave the audience with plenty to contemplate and discuss until Other Worlds 2020 begins.

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The Honeymoon Phase Movie Original Pitch Video

The Other Worlds 2019 preview Day 4 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

#a good woman is hard to find #after we leave #alien addiction #around the sun #boris karloff #james whale #nicholas meyer #other worlds #star trek iv the undiscovered country #the adventure of the peculiar protocols #the ascent #the final land #the honeymoon phase #the old dark house

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Star Wars: 10 Things About Darth Vader That Haven't Aged Well

Nostalgia counts for a lot, but sometimes it's not enough to save our most sacred icons from showing their age. Even the most dedicated Star Wars fans have noticed a few flaws from the original movies that go beyond vintage charm and into the realm of outdated or just plain silly. The characters aren't spared this scrutiny, especially the ones that we love and fear the most. Darth Vader, one of our most feared and terrifying villains, sure doesn't get the same reactions that he once did. When you sit down to enjoy some vintage Star Wars, this is the stuff you never even noticed as a kid from a long time ago that will make you cringe today. Here are ten of the ways you'll notice Darth Vader hasn't aged very well.

RELATED: Star Wars: The 10 Worst Things The Empire Has Ever Done

10 That Voice

When it was just a deep, ominous voice without a face, it had a lot more impact. Now everyone knows that it's James Earl Jones. Darth Vader is scary, but the King of Zamunda or that pacifist hippie writer from Field of Dreams? Not so much. And now Princess, we will discuss the location of your hidden rebel base...so Shoeless Joe Jackson can play baseball again! Now that we know about the face behind the dark mask, it just doesn't have the same effect as it once did.

9 Those Clothes

Luke and Leia have a lot to answer for here, too, let's be honest. Who thought of this simplistic black and white color scheme? It must have been a bad writer trying to compensate for his lack of talent by making the costumes painfully simplistic. What's with this cape? We can't have a villain without a cape? In the 1970s it was reminiscent of old school monsters like Dracula, but now it makes Darth look like a stunt double from the set of The Phantom of the Opera.

RELATED: Star Wars: George Lucas' 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Creative Decisions

8 An Absentee Father

I guess we could say better late than never, but Anakin still did pretty poorly in this department. We're less tolerant of him now that we would have been in the early 1980s, that's for sure. Back then it was more socially acceptable for a man to prioritize his work above his kids, so much so it was a popular movie and TV trope. Star Wars sure wasn't the first film to tackle the issue, even if it happened in a roundabout way, so kudos for that much.

7 Poor People Skills

Have you noticed today's more fashionable villain is always more on the charismatic side? Slick characters like Loki from the Marvel movies or Q from the Star Trek franchise come to mind. Darth Vader, on the other hand, isn't exactly a "people person." We know working with the Empire isn't for the faint of heart, but maybe choking people in the Monday morning breakfast meeting is a bit ham-fisted. Today's audience would be waiting for the undead minions to pop up, or maybe some kind of sophisticated spellcasting action.

6 "More Machine Than Man"

A few lights on a plastic console and padded plastic might have cut it in 1978 to make someone look like a robot. Now that we've seen the Borg, several Terminator films, and a Ghost in the Shell live-action movie, this is a much harder sell. And this doesn't sell. Darth Vader doesn't look like he's fighting for his humanity, he looks like he's wearing a snowsuit lined with garbage bags. Well, Obi Wan turned out to be a liar anyway.

RELATED: Star Wars: Obi-Wan WASN’T Lying About Darth Vader In A New Hope

5 Protected by Plot Armor

It was cool at the time, but these days only good guys are allowed to survive because they're essential to the plot. Darth Vader's convenient little field trip left him alive to fight another day because he has to appear in the next two movies. This is also connected to the deadly little exhaust port that can explode the whole Death Star. This famous plot-hole (pardon the pun!) had a whole movie made up to explain it. When do we get a movie as to why Darth Vader decided to take that lucky joyride?

4 The Swordfights

You're not going to see a lot of wire tricks or Jackie Chan style martial arts stunts with the Darth Vader fights, and that's the problem. For almost 40 years since the original trilogy came out, some extremely talented martial artists and stuntpeople have been pushing the limits of film, choreography, and the human body itself. Darth Vader never had to slow down because he was too fast for the camera to record him. Maybe he should ask Jackie Chan what it's like. The fight choreography in the original Star Wars was even rudimentary back in the day, just imagine how it looks now.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Characters Underused Throughout The Whole Series

3 His Force Powers

It's not just that his own kid owned him and he only survived the encounter because of his boss' big mouth. Darth Vader might have been a big deal in the first few decades of Star Wars, but how many other force users in the same franchise could levitate him into oblivion these days? Ever see Darth Vader lift an X-wing out of a swamp? Or grab a laser blast in mid-air? He can't even throw lightening. Then there are all the other epic franchises out there. In a world where we now do battle with the Umbrella Corporation and Queen Sylvanus Windrunner, a force-choke and a flying credenza aren't very scary.

2 Carbonite

Not just for using it on Solo, either. It seems like Darth Vader went through a phase where he wanted to put everything in Carbonite. He had a chamber planned for Luke, too. Is this really an efficient way to transport a prisoner? You've basically turned them into a massive brick. You might as well just knock them out and carry them over your shoulder. This was neat before we saw crazy stuff like the pods from The Matrix. Now it's low tech and just doesn't make sense.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Greatest Lando Calrissian Moments To Get You Excited For His Return

1 No Staff Diversity

We're not sure if Darth is the guy in charge of staffing, but he's pretty high up there in the leadership ladder, so can't he do something about recruitment? And wanting to hire your own son sure shouldn't count. The Rebel Alliance is a pretty diverse group, but the Empire is pretty much just a bunch of old white guys. It looks like the Empire doesn't hire women or non-humans. Just men, and for the most part, old men. How do they even have an army? With Darth choking the people that they do have, I'm surprised they could fill the chairs in that meeting.

NEXT: Star Wars: 10 Things From Empire Strikes Back That Haven't Aged Well

source https://screenrant.com/bad-things-about-darth-vader/

#screenrant

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emilyzh2019-blog · 5 years

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Travel Photography Gear Guide

Travel Photography Gear

I’ve been working as a travel photographer & blogger for 9 years, so I get a lot of questions about what kind of travel photography gear I use. Take a peek inside my camera bag!

Now, when you’re reading through this list, please keep in mind that I’m a working professional. I carry a lot of gear these days. More than I started with.

Most travelers don’t need backup cameras, drones, and multiple lenses.

If you’re just interested in a good portable camera for traveling, make sure to check out my complete guide to the best travel cameras for every budget.

I also share some more budget-friendly gear options at the end of this post. Enjoy!

My Travel Photography Gear (2019)

Shooting in Italy with my Sony A7R III

Sony A7R III – Main Camera Body

I was a Canon fanboy for years and started my backpacking adventures back in 2010 with the Canon 7D. However, when Sony came out with their smaller (and superior) mirrorless A7 line, I made the switch.

Since then I’ve been using Sony cameras & lenses for the past 4 years.

Sony’s camera & sensor technology is often ahead of its competitors these days — in fact, even Nikon uses Sony sensors in their cameras!

The Sony A7R III is built for high-end landscape photography with a massive 42.4-megapixel full-frame sensor. This sensor is HUGE! But the camera body isn’t, which is pretty incredible.

Frankly, this is far too much camera for most travelers though.

If you’d like examples of more budget-friendly options, make sure to read my tips for choosing the perfect travel camera.

My Travel Camera Lenses

Sony 16-35mm F2.8 – Wide Angle Lens

The 16-35mm F2.8 is the lens that’s on my camera 75% of the time. As a landscape photographer, I love shooting wide to capture as much of a big landscape as possible.

But you can also get decent portraits out of it zoomed in to 35mm and stopped down to F2.8. This lens works well for night and star photography too.

There is a less expensive version of this, the Sony 16-35mm F4 which is another decent option too.

Sony 24-70mm F2.8 – Medium Zoom Lens

Occasionally I need a little more reach. Or, I only have space for one lens (like on bigger hiking trips), and want the best of both worlds.

The 24-70mm F2.8 isn’t quite as wide, but often wide enough for most landscapes. With the added ability to zoom in to small subjects far away, or to compress the background making mountains “look” bigger.

This is also my go-to portrait lens for taking photos of people!

Sony FE 70-200mm F4 – Telephoto Zoom

The 70-200mm F4 is my wildlife photography lens. I don’t use it that often, and don’t bring it along on every trip either. If weight is an issue, it’s usually the first to be left behind.

But if I have a particular shot in mind that requires a telephoto, I’ll bring it.

By adding a Sony 2X extension on it, I can up the range to 400mm (which is great for safari photography).

My Backup Camera: Sony A6500

Sony A6500 – Backup Mirrorless Camera

For a long time, I only traveled with one main camera. But as I began working professional photography gigs, I realized that a backup camera was a wise investment.

When you’ve been hired for a photography project that pays 5-figures, the last thing you want is an accident or malfunction to leave you without any useable images for the client!

The Sony A6500 works with all my other Sony lenses, plus I use it as a portable vlogging camera.

It has a cropped (smaller) sensor, but has many of the same functions as my larger A7R III.

I also use it for shooting time-lapses while I’m working on other things, with help from Sony’s internal time-lapse software.

Sony 10-18mm F4 – Wide Vlogging Lens

The 10-18mm F4 is a cropped sensor lens that stays attached to my Sony A6500 body. It’s nice and wide for shooting selfie-style vlogging video, with fast autofocus.

Capture the Action with a GoPro!

GoPro Hero 7 – Action Camera

I’ve been using a GoPro since I started traveling 9 years ago. I’ve owned almost all the models! Currently, I travel with the GoPro Hero 7.

GoPro cameras are great at capturing hands-free action or “b-roll” and you can attach them to almost anything. Plus, they are waterproof and shockproof!

I use my GoPro for surfing, mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding, snorkeling, scuba diving, cliff jumping, interior and exterior moving-vehicle footage, and more.

GoPro Camera Accessories

Just owning a GoPro is not enough to get great images and video. The magic of these cameras is in the multitude of accessories that are available for them!

Handheld sticks, suction cups, clamps, head straps, mouth mounts — so many unique ways to attach a GoPro to something and get amazing footage.

Check out my complete guide to the best GoPro accessories for travel.

Traveling with a Drone

DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Flying Drone

The perfect tool for capturing aerial photography and video, while costing much less than renting a helicopter! Drones have really come a long way.

I couldn’t be happier with the new DJI Mavic 2 Pro (read my full review here).

It flies super fast, is extremely reliable, and shoots some very high-quality photos and video. Not to mention it folds up to fit in my carry-on bag!

The 360-degree sensors help stop you from running into things while flying, so you can concentrate on the shot. Active track and intelligent flight modes can do a lot of the work for you.

Remote Controller Sun Shade

I don’t own a bunch of accessories for my drone, but one important one is the DJI Mavic Sunshade. This allows me to see what I’m shooting on my iPhone screen, even in bright sunlight.

DJI Car Charger

Another drone accessory I bring with me on road trips is the car-charging adapter for DJI Mavic batteries. This ensures I always have a fresh battery ready to fly during epic travel photography road trips!

Peek Inside My Camera Backpack!

My Camera Bags

LowePro Whistler 350 – Camera Backpack

It took me a while to find a great camera backpack that I really loved, and I went through many different ones.

I finally found a winner in the LowePro Whistler 350. It holds everything I need it to, sits comfortably on my back, and has the perfect amount of weatherproofing and gear straps to tackle my typical outdoor adventures.

You can strap on a tripod, snowboard, hiking poles, ice-ax — anything really. While it comes with a rain cover, you really don’t need it because the bag itself is so water-resistant anyway.

There’s a dedicated laptop pocket, room for a jacket and snacks, plus it opens from the back for easy access on the ground. When the bag is fully loaded, it weighs about 24 lbs (11kg).

LowePro TopLoader Pro – Small Camera Bag

This is a smaller top-loading shoulder bag that’s large enough for a single full-size camera with a zoom lens.

You can also cram a 2nd lens into the side pocket if needed (or a GoPro, etc.).

I use this bag specifically for long-distance trekking adventures, where I need to carry a regular hiking backpack filled with food, clothing, and camping gear.

This little camera bag attaches up front to the backpack straps on my chest, for easy access to my camera and a balanced load for hiking long distances.

I use this setup when I need to travel light with a minimum amount of camera gear in the backcountry.

Lightweight Travel Tripods

My Camera Tripods

RRS TQC-14 – Full-Size Tripod

As a landscape photographer, a solid yet lightweight travel tripod is a key piece of my photography equipment.

I use my RRS TQC-14 to stabilize the camera in low light situations and with high f-stop settings (for maximum focus range). It allows me to get shots I just can’t achieve hand-held.

Sunsets, sunrises, the northern lights, star photography, and motion blurred waterfalls are just some of the situations where having a tripod is important.

I also use it to film myself for vlogs, as well as to shoot travel selfies when I’m hiking on my own. There are cheaper tripods out there though too, which I share in my guide to the best travel tripods.

Joby Gorillapod – Mini-Tripod

If I need to travel super light, for example on a long-distance camping & trekking adventure that will last multiple days, then I sometimes pack the Joby Gorillapod 5K instead of my full-size tripod.

At only 1.55 lbs, this thing is tiny. But the bendy legs allow you to attach it to objects for a higher perspective too. It’s strong enough to hold my large camera and works great as a “selfie stick” for shooting video too.

L-Bracket

This piece of metal attaches to the bottom of my large camera and allows for very quick changes from a landscape angle to portrait mode (long photos to tall photos) on my tripod.

In today’s Instagram world, where the 8×10 ratio is important, I try to shoot images of key locations in both landscape and portrait perspectives. I use the landscape style in my blog posts, and portrait style for social media (because they display better on smartphones).

Some of my Camera Accessories

Important Travel Camera Accessories

Peak Design Capture – Camera Clip

I love this thing so much! Basically, the Peak Design Capture Clip allows you to “clip” your camera onto your belt, or on the shoulder straps of a backpack, for easy access (and to keep your hands free).

I use it constantly for day hiking, walking around cities, and basically, anywhere I know I’ll want quick access to my camera. While I still use a camera strap sometimes, this is the primary way I carry my camera. You can even run with it!

HINT: If you have a larger camera, the Peak Design Pro Pad makes carrying it on your belt MUCH more comfortable.

Peak Design Leash – Camera Strap

When I’m not using my Peak Design camera clip mentioned above, I snap on this Peak Design Leash Camera Strap and sling it around my shoulders it like you’d wear a rifle.

The Peak Design system allows me to quickly remove the strap if it’s getting in the way, or snap it back on. Adjusting the strap length is also super fast. It’s pretty minimal and doesn’t take up much room in a bag.

External Microphones

For video, the internal microphones on cameras just aren’t very good. In fact, they’re pretty terrible. Because audio is SO important for creating a good video, I pack two different external microphones.

One is the Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun, which goes on the top of my camera. Great quality, and very small.

The other is the Tascam DR-TL Lavalier. This goes on my body, so I can get great audio even if the camera is far away, the room has a lot of echoes, or if it’s super windy out.

Hotshoe Flash

I own a Sony F43M flash, although I rarely take it with me on trips unless it’s for something very specific. Like maybe cave photography or nightlife.

LED Video Light

This tiny but powerful Aputure ALM9 LED Light mounts to the camera’s hot-shoe and allows me to shoot video at night. It takes up almost no space and can be recharged via USB cable.

Camera Lens Filters

Lens filters help you achieve certain photography effects that just aren’t possible with software yet. Think of them as sunglasses for your camera.

I carry a Hoya Fusion One Polarizing Filter to help reduce glare & reflections on water, glass (like through helicopter windows), and to darken up the blues and clouds in a sky.

I also carry a Tiffen Variable ND Filter (neutral density) which cuts down the amount of light going into the camera to different degrees, depending on how much you spin it. Why? To create special effects like motion blur in a waterfall, even when it’s sunny outside.

Wireless Intervalometer/Remote

One of my favorite pieces of gear is the Pixel TW-283 Wireless Remote & Intervalometer. This allows me to shoot time-lapses, or take photos of myself from up to 100 ft away from the camera.

You can set the timer to take photos all night while you sleep if you want to! They make different versions for different brands of camera.

Memory Cards

Because I shoot in RAW, with very large camera files, I use very fast memory cards. I own a mixture of Sony High-Performance 64GB and ScanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB class 10 cards which read/write at around 300 mb/s.

Spare Batteries

There is nothing worse than running out of battery power during an epic photography moment! That’s why I always carry spare batteries for my cameras.

I pack 3 batteries for my Sony A7R III, 2 for the A6500, 2-3 for the Mavic Pro, and 2 for my GoPro.

Portable Hard Drives

I travel with an Apple Macbook Pro 13″ with a 1TB SDD, which is usually plenty of room for the images & video I shoot on any given trip.

To back that up, I also pack a super small 2TB Scandisk Extreme Portable SSD. Once I get back “home”, I move everything over to a larger desktop RAID system.

Camera Rain Cover

Have you ever shot photos under a waterfall? Your camera will get soaked! While my Sony A7R III has decent weather sealing, in super bad weather, or under waterfalls, I throw on my Peak Design Shell Rain Cover.

Cold Weather Protection

I bought a cold-weather jacket for my camera last year, for a few winter projects I was working on. One camping on the ice in Manitoba, and the other snowmobiling through Russia.

It keeps your camera, batteries, lens, and your hands nice and toasty while shooting outdoors in below-zero temperatures.

Clear Accessory Pouches

I own a few Think Tank Camera Accessory Pouches to keep all my cables, battery chargers, and GoPro Accessories organized. The clear sides allow me to quickly figure out what’s inside.

Camera Maintenance Stuff

Camera Cleaning & Maintenance

Microfiber Lens Cloths

There’s nothing worse than a foggy or smudged camera lens! I pack no less than 3 of these 3M Microfiber Lens Cloths on every trip. Two go in my camera bag, one goes in my pocket for easy access.

I always end up losing them too, so it never hurts to have more than you need laying around.

Air Blower

The problem with changing your lenses on mirrorless cameras is that the mirror is exposed to the elements, and they’re a magnet for dust. Dust on your sensor leaves you with “dust spots” on your photos (or worse, video).

A few quick bursts of air with this Camera Air Blower on your sensor can help clear that dust away.

Sticky Sensor Stick

When the air blower doesn’t work, and the dust on my sensor is too stubborn to blow away, I break out the big guns, my Eyelead Sensor Stick. It’s kind of like a gummy bear on a stick that pulls the dust away.

Budget-Friendly Camera Kit Examples

Yes, I own a lot of camera gear now. But that wasn’t always the case.

When I first started traveling, all I used was a Canon 7D, a wide angle zoom lens, a tripod, and a GoPro.

If you are still new to travel and adventure photography, don’t get discouraged by this giant list of gear-porn that I’ve accumulated over the years!

I do this professionally and make decent money, so I can afford to go a little crazy.

For those of you traveling on a tighter budget, I’ve put together my ideal “starter travel photography kits” below — which won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

The Minimalist Backpacker Kit

Sony RX100 VA – Compact Point & Shoot

Joby Gorillapod 3K – Compact Tripod

Travel Photography Enthusiast Kit

Sony A6500 – Compact Mirrorless

Sony 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 – Travel Zoom Lens

Manfrotto BeFree – Aluminum Travel Tripod

LowePro Slingshot Edge – Mirrorless Camera Bag

Improving Your Travel Photography

Ok! That was a big post. But people kept asking about my gear, so there you go. :)

However please remember that gear isn’t everything.

The best way to improve your travel photography is to practice as much as possible and learn new skills.

Even after 9 years doing this, I’m still constantly learning techniques to get better.

First, if you don’t already edit your photos using software like Adobe Lightroom, I highly recommend you start.

For more quick and cheap ways to improve your travel photography, no matter what gear you use, make sure to read my full article here. ★

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