It is Christmas and so that means a Christmas theme. This season we are going to discuss the ghosts of sci-fi past, present and future. What does that mean? It means a discussion of science fiction through the ages and how it has changed and where it is headed…in our opinions.
Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday our production and editing schedule fell behind. This review concludes NASA November. Hidden Figures discusses the role of three women in the Gemini and Apollo programs. Much is known about the astronauts and leading male scientists. Hidden Figures is a composite story focusing on three women and the roll they played in getting men into space and to the moon.
Hollywood, we don’t have a problem.
In what we think is a first all three members of the Sci-Fi Malady crew have rated a movie a 10. We all agree that this movie is the perfect mix of drama, action, comedy and historical accuracy, combined with a moving and inspiration score and excellent cinematography and effects. Every scene is needed. No moment is wasted. The audience becomes engaged with characters and the drama is conveyed through the viewpoint of humanity and the astronauts family. Finally, what more can be said about the acting? It is a who’s who of the 90’s with an all star cast with many of these greats turning in one of their greatest performances.
Apollo 13 is a fantastic movie that is about character, people and humanity at its core. It can be re-watched near infinitely and is simply a flawless masterpiece.
For our theme we have chosen to discuss Space Exploration films. I would say it is NASA November, but we are more than halfway through November. So it is really a series of films about NASA and the early Apollo program. We are starting with First Man, the 2018 film about the moon landing.
First Man is a fantastic historical documentary and biography. It pays painstaking attention to detail and recreates with reliable accuracy Neil Armstrong’s career and the the Apollo 11 flight and events leading up to it. It also provides a well researched and on point look at who Neil Armstrong was, without aggrandizing him into a caricature or fictionalized image. The film has breathtaking CGI and cinematography. As a historical documentary the film is first rate.
However as a movie it is lacking punch. This is unavoidable. The truth of Apollo 11 and the entire Apollo program is that it is the greatest adventure humankind has ever embarked upon and humanity’s greatest achievement. Unfortunately since we all know the outcome, Neil and Buzz walked on the moon and got home safely and that the flight went relatively smoothly without ever having the team seriously in jeopardy, there is no drama. Drama, conflict or emotional peril is essential for a film. Short of manufacturing one of these three from events that didn’t actual exist the film will lack the aforementioned punch. The result is a wonderful documentary but as a movie something that comes up short. That said the crew here loves this movie and gives it high marks and feels everyone should watch it…but any review of this film must honestly address the fact that it wasn’t a financial hit and so we have.
We met a lot of awesome people at : What happens when you mix a mummy and a monkey. The answer, the Mummy and The Monkey’s Very Scary Hairy Hangout!
While we take a short break before getting into NASA November we are going to start uploading some of our interviews from Ghoulardifest. While there we met Don O’Malley from Don’s Breakfast Serial, a youtuber who reviews classic horror serial films and also creates his own serialized shorts. Don is also the owner of a rare edition Sci-Fi Malady collectors edition, last of its kind coaster.
Horror month concludes with a review of a lovely little film called Chopping Mall. If the robot from Rocky IV and Short Circuit had an evil love child, the protectors are it. It is a fun and nonsensical 80’s romp about killer robots that murder young adults having a hookup sleepover party in the mall. So of course we had a 30 minute discussion on female empowerment and does it need to be heavy handed or can it be subtle. We don’t reach an agreement. this one gets off track some, but then again, what can you deconstruct in an 80’s slasher movie with killer robots?
Ignore the fact that i say this is symptom 130, it is 129. This week is a dual review, first we review the 1967 disaster They Came From Beyond Space, but we are also reviewing Horror Hotel - a syndicated “Horror Host” show hosted by Lamia, Queen of the Dark. The movie is horrendous. I wouldn’t try to figure out what is going on because I am not sure the writers knew. Aliens invade Cornwall England, because. They have mind control powers and one scientist is immune. The aliens need humans to build them a spaceship to get home. Dr. Temple tells the “Master of the Moon” they didn’t need to enslave Earth but just ask. A handshake later and the movie ends…
Horror Hotel on the other hand is great. Lamia continues the great tradition of Horror Hosts in the tradition of an Elvira or Vampira or even Ghoulardi. She gives factoids about the movie and its production as well as mixing in fun bits during breaks in the film. So give Horror Hotel a look and check it out.
The remake era is going strong. This it was the 80’s classic slasher film Child’s Play that has been remade. It probably should have been left dead. This film feels lacks an identity. Is it a science fiction film about a killer AI run amok? Or is it a Chucky movie about a killer doll. It tries to be both and fails in both regards.
What’s new, we finish off September’s topic in October but its very early in October for once and October is Horror Month - so Tremors fits. right?
This week we review Tremors 4, 5 and 6. Why? Well there just isn’t much to these films, although Scott tries to find a deep meaning in Tremors 5 and 6. What can we say. Four rips off back to future 3, 5 rips off everything ever made, Burt gets a son, Val and Rhonda’s daughter show up in 6, and yeah, the graboids find their way to the Canadian arctic, because, why the bleep not?
Tremors 4, 5 and 6. three movies that never should been made, even Earnest from all the “Earnest Goes to…:” movies thinks so. Well maybe not, i have never asked the guy.
***Disclaimer, Sci-Fi Malady does not speak for “Earnest” from “Earnest goes to whatever” movies.
We continue or exploration of the Tremors film franchise, sans Rage Master this week. This week gets a double review of Tremors 2 and 3. Tremors 2 is an attempt to reboot the franchise by pairing Earl with not Kevin Bacon, otherwise known as Grady. It fails in that regard so hard that Burt becomes the main character from here on out. Tremors 2 however does still succeed in being a very quotable, fun and action filled comedic romp. Tremors 3, well, this is where the series jumps the shark with the introduction of the A$$ Blasters. Basically they are raptors that can fly by farting flames. Tremors 3: Back to Perfection was an attempt to launch a TV series. The TV series lasted 13 episodes. The movie gives up any pretense at being serious and degenerates into a slapstick comedy. It is still funny but has none of the memorability or quotability of the first or even the second film. \
Next up, well hang on to your hats, Tremors, 4, 5 and 6 are still to come, and it gets progressively worse from here on out. In case that isn’t enough, Tremors 7 is confirmed, although what stories in this universe remain to be told is anyone’s guess. I’ll wager it is something about Burt being paranoid and seriously over armed. Or something like that.
***The sound quality is slightly off this week. it recorded me only on one channel and Thomas on the other, instead of in stereo. I apologize for this***
Tremors. Undeniably the first movie is the best of them all. It is an action/horror/.comedy. Oh sure it has contrivances and the Graboid makes zero evolutionary sense. It is a creature that can’t possibly exist, let alone be one of the oldest life forms on the planet. The thing is as the viewer you never care. The movie has phenomenal character acting and chemistry between the actors. It carries this story and creates a film that is as enjoyable on the 50th watch as the first. It also introduces to Burt and is as quotable as any movie out there. Unfortunately, it just goes downhill from here.
Apocalypse August has ended, in September as usual. So rather than call this the theme of the month I’ll just our next theme is the Tremors series. In case you didn’t know there are six of these movies and a TV series. We are going to try to hit all six movies before horror month starts.
We wrap our discussion of Apocalypse stories with a review of a National Geographic documentary called Evacuate Earth. It is a generally well done and scientifically accurate. They do a good job of presenting a reasonable world killing event and the doc becomes though experiment in how society would respond to that event. It briefly touches on social issues and the questions if raises but does not dwell on are the interesting lacunae in this one. All in all a good break from the last two crap fests.
Welcome to GeoStorm, The crappiest craptastic crapfest ever crapping crapped. Also known as GeoStorm.
You may think I am being harsh. If you are, watch the movie. Seriously, don’t watch the movie and thank me. This is a film about climate change written by people who don’t truly understand what climate change is. Some movies are so bad they are good. This is so bad that it is just bad. It is a standard apocalypse action drama with needless explosives, a horrific assault on science, a plot that depends in contrivance after contrivance and a resolution that is pointless. The hook or high concept for this story is weather control satellites that if used to activate a series of storms in the correct sequence can create a world destroying global super storm known as a Geostorm. It is also kind enough to have a countdown clock which as long as we reactivate the controls before it hits zero, well, everything will be fine, to quote Doc Brown.
2012 - An action movie that pits mankind in a desperate race to save the world from the certain destruction that awaited us when the Mayan calendar ended. It’s the opposite of Smuckers, with a pitch like that is has to be a crap sandwich. Well it isn’t, it is worse. Calling this movie a crap sandwich insults crap sandwiches. It has all the standard go too’s in a bad apocalypse movie, horrible science, too much drama, no plot, action ramping upon action ramping and it is utterly forgettable. This week, we review a terrible movie.
***Producers Note - You’ll notice Symptom 122 is missing. This was Symptom 123 in production. Due me, Scott, being busy, it has become Symptom 122 in air date. Symptom 122: Geostorm, will be uploaded later this week. I have also corrected the error in Symptom 121, where I initially uploaded the raw and unedited/mixed cut. Apologies for the out of order airing***
Fact: Yellowstone National Park contains a Super Volcano
Fact: Super Volcanoes are many times more deadly than a Volcano
Fact: Yellowstone has had super eruptions before.
Fact: It is overdue and will happen again.
Not so fast Dwight Schrute. The first three are facts. The last one, not so much. But don’t tell the writers of what is now available on Netflix - Super Volcano. They assert it is just a mater or time and then try to convince you that the worst possible scenario will also happen. The result is, well, Super Volcano.
Fact: I like The Office way too much.
Our Theme for this August, or what is left of it (Sorry, I am just a little, or a lot behind) is disaster movies. Explosions, volcanoes, more explosions, Mayan calendar, even more explosions, all result in the end of us all and science taking a standing eight. Join us this more for tales of the end of humanity.
We conclude James Cameron July with a discussion of the film Solaris. If you like slow, heady, philosophical looks at the human condition, the criteria of life, love and mental realities we create, this is the film for you. If you like action, this is certainly not it. Solaris asks questions about the reliability of memory, the filtering impact time has, how well do we truly know our friends, family and spouses, do we love and remember the real person or a stylized version of that person, as well as dabbling in the criteria of what is and is not sapient life and what rights it has. Solaris is slow, but if like movies that ask big questions and let you draw your own answers, this is science fiction at its best.