Highway To Mars

NO THIS ISN’T THE SOUTH KOREAN VERSION.  So for a challenge I decided to watch The Host, the Stephanie Myers teenage Sci-Fi/Romance.  First this wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, in fact in many ways I enjoyed it.  Second, it’s pretty clear she can write, not that she needs me to tell her that.  There is a place for Romance and Sci-Fi convergence, I am not sure this is strong enough on the Romance to achieve it but I think that it’s a format that could work and god knows there is enough fan romance fiction out there to suggest fans want it.  Having said that once you leave the Teen Romance side of things, Romance is a really really hard genre to master.  This is not a bad attempt at bridging the genres, it show’s there is life there and with just a bit stronger romance element, this movie could have gone ballistic.

I didn’t watch this when it came out.  The reviews were largely negative and friends told me it was awful.  I had enjoyed children of earth, so I really didn’t want to spoil that if it was so bad.  Serves me right.

So on reflection, having watched it, the main arguments were really over aesthetics and plot points not over the substance of the show itself.  Now enough water has flowed under the bridge that I was curious enough not to get caught up in the mass hysteria.

This is the rub.  Torchwood Miracle Day is what science fiction set out to do.  It takes a concept, provides multiple view points and allows the viewer to make up their own mind on where they stand.  The bad characters are given some redeeming qualities, the good characters have flaws.  Everybody is struggling to deal with “The Miracle”.

This is the modern version of “Trouble with Lichen” by John Wyndham and to me it is modern, relevant and overall well executed science fiction.  This is an important conversation, yes a conversation.  It’s engaging with us on a subject that is relevant in our time and we may well face.  What do we do if all of sudden human life is extended significantly?  Anyone who doesn’t think that is an issue that would have massive social, economic and political ramifications are kidding themselves.  If people live even fifty years longer, that’s going to change the way things work.

Instead of engaging with the idea, we get rants on how it too americanised, or the miracle isn’t ‘consistent’ or the blessing is a giant vagina.  Quality criticism that.

The fact that it gives so much air time to many parts of this issue is to it’s credit.  It isn’t forced along in it’s pacing just to serve the sugar addiction that is modern storytelling.

If the aesthetics offend you, that’s fine.  I won’t defend RTD because he doesn’t need it.  It’s just a shame that a storyteller with his skills is not well regarded in fandom.

This is not shit as I have been told.  This just requires a bit more brain engagement.

Maybe that’s the point.  TV is no longer meant to engage us, it’s meant to entertain.  Or maybe Torchwood isn’t the right platform to do it.

I don’t care really.  I will take intelligent thoughtful TV wherever I can get it.

I am not a gamer, nor do I pretend to be.  I do however enjoy games as a storytelling medium and in that context Mass Effect is a game in a league of it’s own.  This is by far the richest story of any game series and with it’s dynamics of being able to interact with the story in different ways it takes the medium of storytelling to a new level.  This is a format that could never be achieved in movies or books, simply because you can’t have a good/bad/male/female central lead in the same story.  Or at least if you did, it would come out pretty confusing.  Mass Effect is my personal favourite game series, though I eagerly await someone topping it.  Maybe in another 10 years or so.

So this is one the Apocalypse and I were going to do around 2013.  I always expected we would have a bit of an argument on this one, it took a bit but finally we found something to disagree on!  I put it down to the fact she was ill but when her dander is up, she does get feisty.

So yet again I am late to the party but this year I finally caught up with Eureka.  On premise I didn’t really expect to like this show which is why I avoided it (who else does that???).  That said when I got through the first episode, I was hooked but not for the sci-fi reasons.  As a single father watching the lead struggling through life with a teenage daughter… SO BEEN THERE.  I think Eureka suffers a little from the fact it isn’t quite sure who it’s target audience is (syfy viewers duh) but I think it works strongest as a family show in the way dr who used to be.  This is a great father-son, father-daughter show.  Kind of a modern geeks version of 7th Heaven only a lot more fun.  If they had more story variations than “Jack saves the day with a cool thought” and a better focus it could have been the modern doctor who, introducing another generation to science.  As it is – it’s a lot of fun and hey, not every show has to be a classic.

Well this one seemed to divide the fans, especially over Black Widow.  Funny thing about heros (super or otherwise) is we idolise them, then when they don’t reflect the values we want we tend to get pissed.  All the same I loved it, I don’t agree with many of the critics largely because they are criticism based on politics.  Is it perfect, no but then it had so much to do there was always going to be things falling down.  Failing to meet expectations being one of them. Oh and go Cap, you rock.  So do you Joss.

A long delayed episode, damn the kids getting a life.  We went to Furious 7 on opening night and Raven and I recorded our thoughts after.  Loved the movie, love the series.

We reach the end of our Back to the Future epic.  27 Episodes stretching over 3 months.  We need a lie down now.

Gareth and Daniel from the Out of Range Podcast explore the cinematic and TV versions of Back to the Future.  Check them out on Saturdays and Sundays.

Gareth and Daniel from the Out of Range Podcast explore the cinematic and TV versions of Back to the Future.  Check them out on Saturdays and Sundays.