Firefly Re-Watch on Hulu. Quick thoughts on the episode Mrs. Reynolds

After binging Future Man on Hulu I decided I wanted to do a quick Firefly re-watch (also on Hulu).   Rather than do a review of the series as a whole I wanted to just talk about one particular episode that is pretty much Firefly at the shows best.

The episode Mrs. Reynolds is just about perfect.  The crew of the Firefly lifts off of a planet with a stowaway that apparently Mal accidentally married the night before (unbeknownst to him). This episode is pretty much is when the series cemented itself to me as a favorite.   I was already a fan of both BUFFY and ANGEL,  created by Joss Whedon,  so when Firefly came on the air I was already on board.  Nathan Fillion stars as Mal Reynolds (Basically a Han Solo type character) that captains a spaceship around the fringe frontier like planets of the solar system.   This episode for me is where the cast totally clicked.  The humor of Mal trying to deal with this stowaway wife was hilarious.  I was laughing at every single nervous facial expression as Captain Reynolds tried to sort things out while the rest of the crew made fun of him.  The chemistry of the cast felt like this show was already in its 6^th season. Then the fun twist in the plot happens developing simmering plot lines between some characters that would carry throughout the rest of this short-lived classic sci-fi show.  

If you have never seen Firefly ---WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU and if you have already seen it –it may be time to revisit this show.  Nathan Fillion is probably my favorite TV actor now because of this show Castle and now The Rookie.    Watching this makes me want a Joss Whedon  Han Solo DISNEY+ Series.

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Edge of Tomorrow 2015 9 out of 10

Edge of Tomorrow   2015  9 out of 10

The Story

The best way to describe Edge of Tomorrow is to take Groundhog’s Day and mix it with Starship Troopers or Aliens.  It is a bad ass Sci-Fi Time Loop movie that stars Tom Cruise as the main character Cage.

It is a story about a marketing guy for the military that has never seen combat before being thrust onto the front lines of a D-Day style invasion against an Alien enemy.  Something strange happens to him during the battle and he dies…only to wake at the exact same place he was the last time he woke up.

This is a great high concept film that plays out just like Groundhog’s Day as we see Cage’s character grow and change as a character as he lives this day over and over again.  The movie does an excellent job of showing Tom’s character progress through the day like it is a brutal old school video game without a save.  Everytime he dies he has to start all over again.  One wonders while watching the film how many thousands of times has he already lived this day.  At one point you can feel his character want to give up…like kid that has wasted all of his quarters at the arcade that can never seem to get to the end of the game to face the final enemy.

The Cast

Whatever you may think about Tom Cruise  (I’ve seen that documentary on Scientology),  he was perfectly cast in this movie.  He was able to nail the role as both the cowardly media guy at the beginning of the film as well as the confident kick ass warrior and hero he becomes by the end of the movie.   Emily Blunt  does a good job as his mentor and companion throughout the film who had the same time loop thing happen to her previously, before she lost the ability).  Bill Paxton (one of my favorites) plays an army sergent in the film to perfection.

The Special FX

The special FX were great.  The Aliens seemed extremely lethal and the D-Day style landing and battle that the main characters takes part in was epic.

I would definitely recommend this to any fans of Groundhog’s Day and Aliens.   It perfectly mixes the genres and includes its own fun sense of humor that was an unexpected bonus to the film.  Just see it ...you won't be disappointed.

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The Whisperer in Darkness 2011 8+ out of 10 (H.P. Lovecraft)

The Whisperer in Darkness 2011   8 out of 10

The Whisperer in Darkness was a surprisingly good movie that I had never even heard of .   Flipping through channels one day I noticed this movie was based on an H.P. Lovecraft story so recorded it too watch later.   The film makes great use of it's limited budget to create a film that feels like it is straight out of the 1930's or 40's.   Presented in black and white with a great combination of  great audio and cool shots it creates and sets a mood straight out of one of H.P. Lovecraft's works.   The film is simple and yet effective.   It follows the story of a folklore professor that is a lot more Scully than Mulder that through investigation of some odd letters from a farmer finds himself  in the middle of some folklore that is not fiction at all.   Definitely worth a view for any Sci-fi/ horror fans or H.P. Lovecraft books.  I would love to see more of Lovecraft's work brought to the screen in this form.