Now Very Bad…

Author: mfordfeeney

  • You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) (2015)

    You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost) (2015)

    You're Never Weird on the Internet
    You’re Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    Not a lot of celebrities can get me to read a memoir, but I absolutely heart Felicia Day. No, not in a geeky infatuation way (well, maybe a little), but because I just respect and admire her as an outspoken advocate of geek & female empowerment. She is exactly the type of role model I am thrilled to see my tween daughter look up to, and I thank Ms. Day for that.

    So I’m laying out the fact that I’m totally biased and partial and this is not going to be a very critical review. The simple fact is that this is the type of book I would have bought even if I didn’t have any interest in reading it; both to support the author and also to have it available for my kid to pick up.

    Honestly, there really isn’t much of anything to be critical about anyway. You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is exactly what it looks like – a memoir from a famous person right in the middle of her success. It reads very much like most other modern mid-career memoirs. Like I noted in my reviews of Questlove’s Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove & Tina Fey’s Bossypants books, the historical part is very interesting, the more current topics less so. Reading about events that more or less just happened holds limited interest with me. Others clearly feel differently, and that’s great.

    Day’s writing is very entertaining – it’s pretty much exactly like listening to her talk. I planned on getting the audio version, which she narrates, but frankly the writing is so in character that I sort of heard her reading it in my head as I read anyway. Her unique voice (written or otherwise) made the stories fun and light, and I finished this within a day or two of release (even if the review is only coming now).

    I will say that I had rather hoped the book would be a little more geek manifesto than memoir, but I have only myself to blame for that, as it clearly says memoir on the cover. I suppose that knowing how great she is at supporting self-worth and empowerment, and how much we need those types of books for girls, I expected a book that she wasn’t actually writing. I’d love to see her pen something a la Chris Brogan’s It’s Not About the Tights: An Owners Manual on Bravery or Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Maybe for your next book, Felicia?

    The book contains brave and honest depiction of the author’s struggles with depression and anxiety, and would be recommendation worthy on that basis alone. I’m glad Day was willing to bare such personal information and am certain this will be very empowering and helpful to many.

    You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a quick, fun read that will be enjoyable to most anyone, particularly fans. If it isn’t the inspirational geek pride mission statement that I hoped it would be, that’s no slight; it’s an entertaining memoir that certainly celebrates geek pride and is a great insight into how a unique celebrity essentially paved her own road to success. The behind the scenes insights on the creation of The Guild and the message of the reader’s ability to do the same are worth the price of admission. Recommended…

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://feliciadaybook.com/” name=”You’re Never Weird on the Internet (almost)” description=”When Felicia Day was a girl, all she wanted was to connect with other kids (desperately). Growing up in the Deep South, where she was “home-schooled for hippie reasons,” she looked online to find her tribe. The internet was in its infancy and she became an early adopter at every stage of its growth—finding joy and unlikely friendships in the emerging digital world. Her relative isolation meant that she could pursue passions like gaming, calculus, and 1930’s detective novels without shame. Because she had no idea how “uncool” she really was. But if it hadn’t been for her strange background—the awkwardness continued when she started college at sixteen, with Mom driving her to campus every day—she might never have had the naive confidence to forge her own path. Like when she graduated as valedictorian with a math degree and then headed to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting despite having zero contacts. Or when she tired of being typecast as the crazy cat-lady secretary and decided to create her own web series before people in show business understood that online video could be more than just cats chasing laser pointers. Felicia’s rags-to-riches rise to internet fame launched her career as one of the most influential creators in new media. Now Felicia’s world is filled with creativity, video games, and a dash of feminist activism—just like her memoir. Showcasing Felicia’s hilarious and unique voice, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should celebrate what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now—even for a digital misfit.” author=”Felicia Day” publisher=”Touchstone” pubdate=”2015-08-11″ isbn=”1476785651″ ebook=”yes” hardcover=”yes” ]

  • Mr. Holmes (2015)

    Mr. Holmes (2015)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Unsurprisingly brilliant performance by the always dependable Ian McKellen as the worlds first private consulting detective, now retired…

    mr holmes

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Mr. Holmes:

    Sherlock Holmes may well be the single most popular literary character ever created, appearing not only in the four novels and fifty-six stories of creator Arthur Conan Doyle, but also more spinoff novels, film and television adaptations than can be readily calculated. There seems to be an insatiable appetite for the consulting detective. By now we should have run out of things to say about the fellow, yet he remains an inexhaustible inspiration for so many creators, all who want to put their own stamp on the deerstalker-hatted cocaine addict from Baker Street.

    mr holmes

    The film Mr. Holmes opens in 1947, as does the novel the film is based on, 2005’s A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin. The story finds the titular character (Ian McKellen) long-retired from his detective practice and living a semi-solitary existence in Sussex, filling his days pursuing his love of beekeeping. Other than his beloved bees, the only constant presence in his life is his housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her curious son Roger (Milo Parker).

    mr holmes

    As the film opens, Holmes is returning from post-war Japan, where he has been searching for the Prickly Ash plant, speculated to be helpful in preventing senility. In a cruel twist of fate, the detective famed for his steel-trap mind is seeing his most powerful gift fade away with the slow degeneration of his memory. The story follows 93-year-old Sherlock as he tries desperately to recall the circumstances of his final case. Holmes has deduced that something momentous must have occurred in 1898, causing him to give up his practice, but the details are locked in his no longer trustworthy mind, and he will need help to (re)solve and close his final case.

    mr holmes

    Ian McKellen was nominated for an Academy Award for his last collaboration with director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters), and clearly the filmmaker brings something special out of the storied actor. McKellen is simply brilliant, an absolute lock for another Oscar nomination. His work on the picture is really multiple performances, as he embodies both the confident and self-assured younger Holmes in flashbacks, as well as the frustrated and stubborn older man. It is this last part that is the most compelling, as he shows incredible depth progressing through the emotions and challenges of a man coming to terms with his fading faculties and failing body. Holmes the elder is completely at peace with his own mortality, but it is the betrayal of his mind that gnaws at him and that he attempts to conceal. There is still plenty of the proud peacock about the man.

    mr holmes

    Mr. Holmes, like all stories about the character, works best if you are a Sherlockian. The film works beautifully if you know little more about Holmes than you’ve picked up from other pictures, but there is so much more meat on the bone if you’ve read the stories. The story is masterful in working in little themes from earlier works, leading to a much richer experience than may actually be covered in a 2 hour film. I don’t mean that the story is filled with Easter Eggs (although there’s one or two that are masterful) or makes the too common error of trying to specifically reference other events – it’s not gimmicky like that. It’s more just a feeling, a tone suggesting that the story is a culminating piece in a much longer tale.

    mr holmes

    Laura Linney, also a Condon vet, doesn’t have a very large role, but it is crucial and she is unsurprisingly wonderful. She is such a gifted actress and makes you feel every bit of her presence.

    mr holmes

    The star-making turn here, though, belongs to young Milo Parker, who is captivating. Roger is a fascinating character, providing motivation for both the housekeeper and Holmes, for whom he has become an eager protégé. It’s a wonderful story tool but an even more impressive performance. The audience longs to be alongside Roger as the great detective reveals both the secrets of the apiary and the science of deduction.

    mr holmes

    Mr. Holmes is an absolute delight, from the period costumes and production design, to the score from Carter Burwell, and the gorgeous cinematography by Tobias A. Schliessler. I haven’t even touched upon the truly unique visuals from post-WWII Japan to the Cliffs of Dover. Nor the lovely supporting performances of Hiroyuki Sanada and Hattie Morahan. Discover them for yourself – go see Mr. Holmes…

    mr holmes

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    The Representation Test Score: C (6 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Mr. Holmes Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.mrholmesfilm.com/” name=”Mr. Holmes” description=”Mr. Holmes is a new twist on the world’s most famous detective. 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love – before it’s too late.” director=”Bill Condon” actor_1=”Ian McKellen” ]

    Main Cast Ian McKellen Sherlock Holmes
    Laura Linney Mrs. Munro
    Hiroyuki Sanada Tamiki Umezaki
    Hattie Morahan Ann Kelmot
    Rating PG
    Release Date Fri 17 Jul 2015 UTC
    Director Bill Condon
    Genres Crime, Drama, Mystery
    Plot An aged, retired Sherlock Holmes looks back on his life, and grapples with an unsolved case involving a beautiful woman.
    Poster Mr. Holmes
    Runtime 104
    Tagline The man behind the myth
    Writers Mitch Cullin (original story) and, Mitch Cullin (novel) …
    Year 2015
  • Trainwreck (2015)

    Trainwreck (2015)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Schumer’s unique voice is as sharp as ever & she gets to show some real heart. Too bad it’s an Apatow joint, which means it’s far too long.

    Trainwreck

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Trainwreck:

    I absolutely love Amy Schumer. She is an incredible voice for change at a time when we need it. She follows a long line of comedians whose true gift lies in covertly shining a light on the injustices and prejudices of our society, disarming resistance by being pee-your-pants funny. I believe in time she will be as held in the same light as Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, or more recent comics like Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.

    The Comedy Central show, Inside Amy Schumer, is a fantastic showcase for the comic, who utilizes a raunchy irreverence to great effect, though even the program suffers from the hit-or-miss nature of all sketch shows. Even so, her talent wasn’t going to be limited to the small screen, so a feature was inevitable. Sadly, she has the mixed blessing of the attention of Judd Apatow.

    Trainwreck

    Look, I’m not hating on Apatow; he’s a next-level talent at crafting comedy who has more than earned his success and certainly doesn’t need or want my approval. It’s just that his stuff is so damn long. Frequent visitors to this site are surely growing tired of my screeds about run-time, but I can’t help it – the length of a film has a direct relationship to the success of the picture. I can no more overlook a poorly edited feature than I could ignore poor acting.

    Each Apatow directed film seems to be less funny than the previous picture, while also being longer. That’s not totally true – the run-time kept increasing sizably through Funny People but has slimmed a hair since. And it’s not completely fair to say that the films are less funny; they just feel less funny because the quality material is spread too thin.

    Trainwreck

    Trainwreck may be the most blatant victim, or perhaps its merely the freshest. Because I had a great time with the picture, until I didn’t. If you had measured my laughter during the film, you’d be amazed at how blasé I was about Trainwreck on my way out of the theater. By the end, the picture made me so weary that I nearly forgot how good it was.

    Like nearly every comic’s debut film, Trainwreck is a semi-autobiographical tale, filled with material from the act. While these pictures always crib from the comic’s set, the good ones rise above a simple collection of one-liners. Think The Jerk as opposed to 48 Hrs.; the former is sublime, the latter is simply a good start. Trainwreck is a success of the first variety.

    Trainwreck

    Schumer stars as, well, herself, mostly. A free spirit since being instructed by her father (Colin Quinn) that monogamy is unrealistic, Amy bounces from hookup to hookup, never getting attached, in stark contrast to her married sister Kim (Brie Larson). Amy hopes to be a journalist, but has hitched her wagon to a juvenile men’s magazine, S’Nuff, run by a comically overacted Tilda Swinton. When she is assigned to do a feature on a nice-guy sports doctor, Aaron Connors (Bill Hader), her life outlook begins to change.

    The leads, Schumer & Hader, are marvelous together. It’s clearly Schumer’s show, and she is non-stop fun, but Hader gets some good scenes as Bill Hader.

    Trainwreck

    The cameos in the film are simply amazing, which happens when you are as hot as Schumer and Apatow. I’m not going to spoil them here, but trust me, there are some really good ones.

    But the biggest praise goes to the supporting cast. The picture is nearly stolen by Colin Quinn, who is lovable in spite of playing a total jerk, leading to the films most touching moments. Yes, there are touching moments in the picture, and Schumer is actually quite moving in her scenes with her ailing father. This relationship mirrors the comedienne’s personal life, and is crucial in elevating the picture.

    Now that I think about it, the picture is really nearly stolen by LeBron James, who deserves the praise he is getting for his turn as Aaron’s best friend, LeBron James. And I’m a Celtics fan, so you know I hate that guy. Well, he ruins that for me, because he is an absolute blast in Trainwreck, showing a sense of humor and charm that is completely disarming. (Chris Rock wrote some of the jokes on set.)

    Trainwreck

    No, the film is really stolen by John Cena. I’d seen the wrestler in a guest appearance on Psych a few years back, so I knew he was charismatic and likable. (What sort of training do they do over at the wrestling sausage factory? Guys like Dwayne Johnson and Cena seem to know exactly how to handle themselves, putting off a sense of humor about themselves that seems never to diminish them. Impressive.) Cena bares all figuratively and literally and absolutely steals the show.

    No, wait, it’s actually nearly stolen by Norman Lloyd, who at 99 is more vital than most of his co-stars.

    Whatever. You get the point. There’s some great performances. And that’s what makes the film so good. It’s simply a good half an hour too long. I can’t wait to see Schumer’s next feature…

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Pass

    The Representation Test Score: B (9 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Trainwreck Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.trainwreckmovie.com/” name=”Trainwreck” description=”No contemporary filmmaker has chronicled the messy human experience with the eye and ear of a comedic cultural anthropologist like Judd Apatow. Hits as varied as those he’s directed, like Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and those he’s produced, like Superbad and Bridesmaids, are all unified by their honest, unflinching, comic look at how complicated it is to grow up in the modern world.

    Apatow has also built a history of helping break distinctive new comedy voices into the mainstream, from Seth Rogen to Lena Dunham among many others. Now, in his fifth feature film as a director, Apatow again brings a portrait of an unforgettable character, and a portrayal by a breakout new comedy star, together in Trainwreck, written by and starring Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer) as a woman who lives her life without apologies, even when maybe she should apologize.

    Since she was a little girl, it’s been drilled into Amy’s (Schumer) head by her rascal of a dad (Colin Quinn) that monogamy isn’t realistic. Now a magazine writer, Amy lives by that credo—enjoying what she feels is an uninhibited life free from stifling, boring romantic commitment—but in actuality, she’s kind of in a rut. When she finds herself starting to fall for the subject of the new article she’s writing, a charming and successful sports doctor named Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), Amy starts to wonder if other grown-ups, including this guy who really seems to like her, might be on to something.

    The comedy, from a script written by Schumer, co-stars Brie Larson, John Cena, Vanessa Bayer, Mike Birbiglia, Ezra Miller, Dave Attell, Tilda Swinton and LeBron James. Apatow produces Trainwreck through his Apatow Productions alongside Barry Mendel (Bridesmaids, This Is 40).” director=”Judd Apatow” actor_1=”Amy Schumer” ]

    Main Cast Amy Schumer Amy
    Bill Hader Aaron
    Brie Larson Kim
    Colin Quinn Gordon
    Rating R
    Release Date Fri 17 Jul 2015 UTC
    Director Judd Apatow
    Genres Comedy
    Plot Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.
    Poster Trainwreck
    Runtime 125
    Tagline All aboard
    Writers Amy Schumer (written by)
    Year 2015
  • Terminator Genisys (2015)

    Terminator Genisys (2015)

    140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

    Thanks to having the calming, less critical presence of my dad next to me in the theater, I’m going to take it easy on this amnesiac sequel.

    Terminator Genisys
    T5: The One That Didn’t Recoup Its Investment

    Spoiler-free Movie Review of Terminator Genisys:

    I already used some 2,000 words to describe the mixed bag that was Jurassic World, so that will save some time; Terminator Genisys is nearly the exact same experience. That may sound over-simplistic, so of course I can’t leave it at just that, but really the two pictures have nearly all of the same strengths and weaknesses.

    Terminator Genisys
    “That’s a meaningless gesture. Why hold onto someone you must let go?” Ahnold, when you say it, irony doesn’t even begin to cover it…

    Terminator Genisys is frankly not needed; no one was asking for more pictures, but they keep making them. The Terminator franchise as a whole has had this problem twice before already.

    Terminator Genisys
    “Those Goddamn time traveling robots!”

    The Terminator was a near perfect science fiction picture. It probably didn’t need another film, but everyone was excited to see one. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was so good that many people prefer it to the original. (They are wrong, but excusably so.)

    Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the first picture that no one particularly asked for and the first that really felt tacked on. It’s not a bad film for all that, but it really is extraneous. And if that’s so, Terminator Salvation redefines unwanted. Absolutely the only people who were eager for another Terminator film, much less one without Ahnold were the rights holders. I honestly have almost no memory of the film at all.

    Terminator Genisys
    “Yeah, I know how time travel works.” Umm, not sure you do…

    It would be accurate to characterize my emotional response to the news of a new Terminator film as malaise. There’s a weariness to the whole affair, a “why is this here” feeling surrounding the film in general. Except…

    I love these films. I love the franchise, yes, but more than that I love the style, the genre. I love science fiction and I love big loud summer movies and I love Ahnold. So order me up some more Predator, Aliens and yes, Terminator. I’d rather watch a bad Terminator film than a good police procedural. This last fact is handy, because by most measures, Terminator Genisys is a bad film.

    Terminator Genisys
    “Time travel makes my head hurt.”

    Before I get into too much detail, let me explain quite simply why: the internal logic of the film is dangerously flawed. Terminator Genisys plays too fast and loose with the history and the underlying premise of the franchise to really work. The time travel feels completely off for the first time in the series. It is bad science fiction.

    But is it a bad film? I don’t think so, really. I completely enjoyed it and that is, after all, the purpose of these movies. Just like Jurassic World before it, it is highly entertaining and enjoyable, even as it contributes frankly nothing to the franchise or film culture at all. Expect too much and you’ll be disappointed; expect a good time and you’ll have one.

    Terminator Genisys
    “You’re nothing but a relic.” Hey, he said it, not me…

    The entire film is very much a mixed bag:

    • There are appearances by some truly great actors, but they are there for little reason. J.K. Simmons is an Oscar winner – what is he doing in this tiny role? Also, I wish they had never announced that Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) was in the film, but not why. His role is a surprise, and I’m going to keep it, but I don’t get why his appearance couldn’t have also been a surprise. I can’t and won’t explain further, but I will say that if you are a Whovian going to the movie just for him, don’t bother.
    • The other actors are serviceable, nothing more.
    Terminator Genisys
    This is Jason Clarke; he plays John Connor; I’d never heard of or seen him before. I was so busy trying to figure out who Matt Smith was playing in the film that I actually thought that this might be Smith with massive makeup. (It isn’t.)
    • Emilia Clarke is so good on Game of Thrones and she shows some of that steely-eyed determination here. It isn’t her fault that she can’t fill Sarah Hamilton’s shoes. No one could. Lena Headey was great on the TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but she couldn’t make you forget Hamilton. Clarke does a good job, but the material really doesn’t give her much to work with. Jai Courtney is perfectly fine as Kyle Reese, but again, you can’t bring that tall glass of water in here to follow Michael Biehn. (Though Anton Yelchin played him last time and Brian Austin Green got to be the older brother on the TV show, so maybe the role isn’t as indelible as that of Sarah.)

    Terminator Genisys

    • There are a few neat moments that reference the first and second films, but they actually pulled me out of the picture as I tried to remember which film they were from and whether they still made any sense with this revised story. In some ways the film is almost like a “Greatest Hits” of Terminators, what with all the different versions…
    • The idea of revisiting the beginning of the original film is uninspired in concept but well-executed. (I got a particular thrill out of Kyle Reese running through the sporting goods store, complete with the theft of a pair of Nike Vandals. Did you know the production designer actually talked Nike into remaking the shoe for the film?)

    Terminator Genisys

    • The film contains many truly dreadful CGI effects, but also the single most impressive photo-real digital human I’ve ever seen.

    Let me take a moment with this one; it’s not a spoiler (though it should be – they DEFINITELY should have kept this plot point under wraps instead of prominently featuring in the trailer) that early in the picture they recreate a few iconic scenes from the 1984 film, as Ahnold and Reese go back in time. It’s kind of neat and works ok, but the real take-away is just how close we are to believable digital actors.

    If you’ve only seen a few stills you probably are calling shenanigans, but believe me, in the theater it works. Ahnold from the 1984 original fights his modern day self, and while it isn’t perfect, it is extremely well-done. In a change from what you might expect, the differences are easier to spot during the action scenes than the slower shots. Enough so that I was frequently unsure whether I was looking at inserted footage from the original, a CG actor, a body double, or some combination. Now, I saw it once, in the theater so if it doesn’t hold up on further viewings or on a different presentation, my bad. It looked damn good on the first viewing…

    Here’s the original…

    Terminator Genisys
    “Nice night for a walk, eh? Wash day tomorrow? Nothing clean, right?”

    And the new…

    Terminator Genisys
    No still image is going to hold up to massive scrutiny, and some moments of the sequence work better than others, but on the whole the digital Ahnold is truly impressive…

    Terminator Genisys is something of an oddity in that it really doesn’t make any difference whether the film made any money in the States at all (which is fortunate, because it isn’t really performing well). This is for two reasons, the first of which is due to the increasing importance and reliance on other film markets besides the US. The other has to do with the rights to make a new trilogy. James Cameron famously sold the rights to the franchise to producer Gale Anne Hurd for $1 in order to get the original film made with him as director, but the rights are finally coming back to him in 2019. So the current rights holders (there have been a lot in the past 30 years), siblings Meghan & David Ellison need to make their films and make them now. That means Terminator Genisys and the not yet announced but already greenlit sequels are being churned out as quickly as possible, and that urgency shows on film already. The next time that ends well will be the first time…

    Terminator Genisys
    “I know it needs work.” Again with the irony…

    Terminator Genisys left me with one new thought as I left the theater: time travel movies are useless. It’s true; while I’ve long derided time travel as a weak plot device, I don’t know that I’ve ever been so disdainful of them. Without spoiling anything, I came away from Terminator Genisys with much the same takeaway as all other time travel stories – “well, that was interesting but meaningless”. Too many time travel stories end in roughly the exact place they started; for all the exciting adventures and challenges, they generally end up putting things roughly back where they came from. Even when the actions of the characters change history, they invariably tie things up so neatly that nothing ever changes too much. It’s just a lot of running around.

    Terminator Genisys

    Poster:

    Trailer:

    Bechdel Test:

    Fail

    The Representation Test Score: D (3 pts)

    (http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

    Terminator Genisys Representation Test
    [schema type=”movie” url=”http://terminatormovie.com/” name=”Terminator Genisys” description=”When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…” director=”Alan Taylor” actor_1=”Arnold Schwarzenegger” ]

    Main Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger Guardian
    Jason Clarke John Connor
    Emilia Clarke Sarah Connor
    Jai Courtney Kyle Reese
    Rating PG-13
    Release Date Wed 01 Jul 2015 UTC
    Director Alan Taylor
    Genres Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
    Plot John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah Connor, but when he arrives in 1984, nothing is as he expected it to be.
    Poster Terminator Genisys
    Runtime 126
    Tagline The rules have been reset.
    Writers Laeta Kalogridis (written by) &, Patrick Lussier (written by) …
    Year 2015
  • Armada (2015)

    Armada (2015)

    Armada
    Armada by Ernest Cline

    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    Your summer read has just arrived.

    Ernie Cline, patron saint of 1980’s geeks and author of the wildly successful Ready Player One is back with a new novel, Armada.

    In Armada, Cline invokes the spirit of 80’s sci-fi adventure books and films like The Last Starfighter, Ender’s Game, Flight of the Navigator and WarGames in a classic tech-based coming of age tale. Indeed, it is very hard to summarize the plot of Armada without either giving away too much or making it sound like a rip-off of the previously mentioned works.

    It is a wholly original story, though, despite a plethora of influences, which, to his credit, Cline name-checks early and often. If you thought Ready Player One contained a lot of references, Armada is absolutely bursting at the seams with them. Too many? Maybe.

    The big concern with Ready Player One when first announced was whether this 1980’s-centric premise would be gimmicky. In the end, the excellent storytelling overcame those fears. In the case of Armada, I was more worried about the 80’s obsession overrunning the book, as it was now the author’s sophomore effort and wouldn’t get a free pass for originality. I needn’t have worried. In Ready Player One, the geeky references are elevated above nostalgia as they are integral to the plot. Armada doesn’t rely so heavily on the pop culture stuff for the story itself – it’s there more for color. Whether this makes the 3000 references to old videogames and movies more or less enjoyable to you is somewhat a personal opinion. I found all that stuff great, but I can easily see that it may not play for everyone.

    Armada

    Thematically, Armada repeats many of the first books beats; young male outsider as protagonist, parental loss, geeky love interest. This doesn’t make the work seem overly familiar, thankfully, but it will be interesting to see if Cline branches out a bit more with future novels.

    In all of the reviews you read or hear about Armada, you will likely encounter mostly comments about the geeky pop culture subjects and references. I certainly fell into that trap here. What’s lost in this focus, however, is the success of Armada as a science-fiction novel. Even more than in his first novel, Cline really shows an impressive command of battle descriptions. The aerial combat is depicted visually right into your mind, as though you were reading a novelization of a film you’d seen many times. No wonder the novel was optioned for film long before publication…

    One thing about Armada that I find interesting; despite the focus on the 1980’s, Ready Player One was set in 2044. Armada is set in our very near future, but the advances in virtual reality (VR) between the writing of Cline’s first novel and second (many of which he has inspired) inform the developments in his literary world. Put simply, this means that his predictions for the exciting future of VR are forecasted far ahead of the earlier schedule. I find this exciting…

    Armada is a very easy recommendation. It’s an enjoyable tale with some clever ideas and a sense of fun to match its many influences. The characters are interesting and well-written and Cline displays a real gift for writing the action scenes.

    The audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton is excellent, too!

    Oh, and after you’ve read the book, go here: http://www.earthdefensealliance.com/

    Armada

    [schema type=”book” url=”http://www.armadabook.com” name=”Armada” description=”THE NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF READY PLAYER ONE It’s just another day of high school for Zack Lightman. He’s daydreaming through another boring math class, with just one more month to go until graduation and freedom—if he can make it that long without getting suspended again. Then he glances out his classroom window and spots the flying saucer. At first, Zack thinks he’s going crazy. A minute later, he’s sure of it. Because the UFO he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. But what Zack’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it. Yet even as he and his new comrades scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught, Zack can’t help thinking of all the science-fiction books, TV shows, and movies he grew up reading and watching, and wonder: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little too… familiar? Armada is at once a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien-invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with author Ernest Cline’s trademark pop-culture savvy.” author=”Ernest Cline” publisher=”Crown Publishing” pubdate=”2015-07-14″ isbn=”0804137250″ ebook=”yes” hardcover=”yes” ]