Six movies you’ve never heard…

We all hear about the blockbusters and happily now that indie films have become popular we also get to hear about the indie films that win awards or get picked up for wider distribution.  However every year there are films that come out that we don’t hear about that are actually quite good.  Typically we stumble across these films on the odd rainy Sunday afternoon or a late night when we can’t sleep.  So hear are five films, most you will not have heard of or seen, but give them a look sometime.  I think you’ll like them particularly if you liked films like Memento or The Usual Suspects, so here are six I can vouch for and one that is out right now that looks absolutely magnificent.

Cube (1997)  – A little bit science fiction, a little bit horror film, a lot bit fantastic.  And even though she annoyed the hell at of me in the Star Trek series Nicole De Boer is amazing in this film.  They did a sequel to this one called Hypercube, and it was almost as good but has to lose points since the idea was no longer original.

Persepolis (2007) - I just recently saw this film and it is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.  It touches upon a young girl coming of age, the feelings that we all have about not fitting in, and it’s a solid historical account of the political realities of the country of Iran.  Personally, I think this film should be compulsory for every adult in America given the current realities of the world.

The Possession of David O’Reilly (2010) – The weakest of the films listed here but one that you will cause you to convince yourself you know exactly what’s happening at least 4 different times.  Some typical horror film elements and I started out while watching it thinking I’d probably shut it off at some point, but never did.

Exam (2009) – Eight candidates sit down for an exam that will qualify them to be hired for the corporation.  From then on the film feels a lot like The Cube, but seriously intense and thought-provoking.

Nomads (1986) - The best Pierce Brosnan movie you’ve never heard of, no critical acclaim, no big box office, just a totally freaky, kick-ass, crazy horror movie.

Unknown (2006) - NO, this is NOT, the Liam Neeson big budget mystery that came out two years ago.  This is a Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear and Bridget Moynahan movie, five guys wake up in a warehouse, it’s obvious something horrible has gone down but no one has any memory, killer mystery in the same vein as Memento.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) - This film hasn’t arrived in my town yet but I can’t wait.  If nothing else this film seems to have one of the greatest performances in history by a 6-year-old.  Seems like a crazy little film with a solid story.

Fun Friday: George Takei

Ok, you know him as Sulu from Star Trek but he’s soooo much more and has got to have the funniest damn Facebook Page on the planet.  His comments are even funnier so in addition to making us laugh today a shameless plug for you to follow him.  Here are some recent examples of what he’s been putting out:

He admits this one was photoshopped

Takei: Epic fail.  No one wants to tap that.  – take a good long and perverted look at the picture

Actual newspaper

 

This one is my favorite

 

 

 

 

 

Five Star Trek captains all at once

Five Star Trek captains all at once

At Destination Star Trek in London in October all five captains from the Star Trek series, Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Cisco, and Archer will all be appearing together for the first time.  Tickets go on sale April 30^th and I imagine they will sell out quickly so if you’re a hard-core Trekkie I’m thinking this is not something that you want to miss.  Here’s a link to the official event:

http://www.startreklondon.com/

 

 

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/16/uk-startrek-convention-idUSLNE83F01320120416

 

I want to fight William Shatner

I want to fight William Shatner

“I want to fight William Shatner” is one of my favorite lines from the movie Fight Club and I think shows how unbelievably iconic William Shatner has become in our culture.  Some of my first television memories are of sitting on the couch in my family’s living room watching Star Trek.  Perhaps for that reason, or because of his mannerisms William Shatner has always reminded me of my father.  Throughout my life William Shatner has been a fixture in my television life, first as Captain Kirk, then as I became fascinated with the Twilight Zone, he appeared in one of my absolute favorite episodes, Nightmare at 20,000 feet.  Once I was in high school Shatner spent time occasionally obstructing the view of Heather Locklear on TJ Hooker.  He re-emerged as the Star Trek franchise took off through movies and new series and of course in guest appearances on damn near everything on television.  He showed up in one of his funniest roles as the Big Giant Head on Third Rock from the Sun.  He also earned critical acclaim for roles on The Practice and Boston Legal.

Not only an actor, William Shatner also took on the music industry and has produced some of the most unforgettable renditions of classic tunes including Mr. Tambourine Man or his spoken word version of Rocket Man.

As he’s gotten older Shatner has become incredibly interesting to me and has definitely become someone I’d like to sit down and have a beer with sometime.  He has a farm in Kentucky and raises horses and seems to have reached a really calm and comfortable place in his life.  One of the most amazing things to me is the fact that he’s 81 years old and is still actively working.

The most amazing work Shatner has ever done in my opinion is his interview show, Shatner’s Raw Nerve.  I wrote a piece on the Raw Nerve a while back and if you get the opportunity to see it, check it out it’s really an amazing show, hell he made Tony Danza interesting.

So yes, if I could fight any celebrity, I would fight William Shatner or maybe we’d just get a beer and chat.

William Shatner’s Raw Nerve

I was just watching an episode of Shatner’s Raw Nerve.  Shatner is a really fascinating guy to me.  We all know him as Captain Kirk and as the actor that played him; this stilted speaking ladies man who had turbulent relationships with his costars.  This stands in contrast to his performance in one of the most famous Twilight Zone episodes, Nightmare at 20,000 feet where he plays an utterly freaked out airline passenger.  Shatner has never seemed to get much credit for his acting ability, has garnered much ridicule and fascination for his singing, and rarely is mentioned as a business man.

It is well known that he took stock instead of cash when he started doing Priceline commercials ten years ago and has reportedly made $600 million for his work, pretty smart.  Not to mention those commercials are totally fun, self-effacing and obviously quite effective.  I love the one where the evil Kirk, I mean Shatner shows up.

However, I think the best work Shatner has ever done is his interview show, Shatner’s Raw Nerve.   This is the best interview show on television by far, from the intimate setting, to the “S” shaped couch and the conversational nature of the interviews.  In this format Shatner quickly gets to the core of folks.  In one moment in the Gene Simmons episode, Simmons recalls a moment as his mother applies to enter the United States and he stops, tears in his eyes like he’s been hit in the face with a board.  A really intensely personal and revealing moment with the Kiss guitarist.  This is Shatner’s genius in this show, somehow he’s able to cut past the bullshit of celebrity and get to the heart of people, and it is absolutely fascinating television.  The only complaint I have is that I wish the show was an hour instead of thirty minutes. 

I hyper-linked to the show above but here again is the link to the website, check it out, it’s certainly worth the time  http://www.biography.com/shatner/

Fun Friday: Goldilock’s zones, planets with water and stupid scientists!

Ok, first off let’s celebrate the good news, this is the first extra-solar planet found in the so-called Goldilocks Zone.  What this means is that astronomers have located a planet outside of our solar system that is at the right distance from its sun to potentially have liquid water on its surface.  The following link gives a few more details on the discovery:

http://www.newsopi.com/tech/gliese-581-g-new-planet-discovered-2010/4536/

The next link however shows a scientist, Steven Vogt an astronomer at the University of California at Santa Cruz saying something incredibly stupid.  The two quotes he gives are, first: “The chances for life on this planet are 100 percent.” Referring to Gliese 581g and secondly, “I have almost no doubt about it.”  Ok, dumbass, almost no doubt or 100 percent please make up your freakin mind they are not the same!  I’m sure he’s a smart guy and was just excited about the discovery, and the link above has sound bites that are much more coherent but damn it man you’re a scientist not a brick layer!  So act like it!  Here’s the link:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/30/100-percent-chance-for-life-on-newly-found-planet/

Here is the real problem with the article, and that is that these scientists have a seriously limited view of life.  I know, you’ve learned your whole life that life on earth is carbon based life, which needs oxygen to survive and liquid water.  Except for the fact that this statement does not even hold true for all life on Earth.  There are hydrothermal vent communities in the ocean that are sulphur based and live in insanely hot water.  There are bacteria that process iron, organisms that live in the dark or in the ice.  We have even theorize that there are living organisms on moons in our solar system that may live in liquid hydrocarbons instead of liquid water.  So what really bothers me is that although we know all of this, narrow-minded astronomers like Dr. Vogt seem to continue to insist that life in the universe has to work the same way it works here, well sir, grow an imagination will you.

Link to hydrothermal vent community information;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrothermal_vent

Fun Friday: Star Trek Bike Theft, Shatner and Nimoy!

Hello friends, here is my standard Fun Friday post, I was worried I didn’t have something to post and then while reading Whitney’s Pop Candy Blog in USATODAY http://content.usatoday.com/communities/popcandy/index I found the following link and laughed my ass off!  If you are a Star Trek fan you will love it, but it’s very funny even if you are not, enjoy and have a great weekend:

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/07/kirk_stole_spocks_bicycle.php