Colony on USA: A Kick-Ass Science Fiction Drama

                                                             

 

The USA Network is showing two of my favorite series, Mr. Robot and Colony. I already did a post on the series, Mr. Robot, but today I’m talking about Colony the series created by Carlton Cuse and Ryan J. Condal and starring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies...yes my little walker snacks...Lori Grimes is alive and doing well in LA...but this time it’s aliens and not walkers that she’s fighting.

Plot

Colony takes place in the not so distant future where Los Angeles is under the control of an invasive species. It is a military occupation with the aliens controlling the earthlings with a well-organized army called the Colony Transitional Authority. The aliens known as Hosts or Raps have never been seen by the locals. What we do know is that the uniforms of their human army bear the logo of a Bird of Prey.

                                                              

An ingenious move on the part of the producers and writers was to keep the story focused more on the humans who are split on their choices to either work with the powerful but unseen aliens, or to fight them. I love the fact that the aliens are spoken of, but never seen as it adds to the terror the people in the story feel. 

While life seems to go on in a somewhat normal post war scenario, there are shocking symbols to remind you that nothing is normal starting with the enormous thick wall that the aliens have constructed around the central part of Los Angeles. Trump would be in his glory to have a wall like this...most tyrants would. Los Angeles is not an isolated case as these walls exist around the world.

                                                             

Total domination is the game play of the aliens who use an occupying military force made up of complying humans known as the “Red Hats.” The name comes from their cool black and red uniforms. This military force is under the watchful eyes of Homeland Security, while the people who want their world back in human hands are called the Insurgents.

People are broken up by class, where the elite (people in power and people working for the aliens) get special privileges and the poor and average Joe get screwed over like always no matter who is the ruling power.

                                                              

 

The Bowman Family

Former FBI agent, Will Bowman (Josh Holloway) and his wife Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies) live with their children in the occupied section of Los Angeles. One of their young sons had been separated from them during the invasion and may be surviving on the other side of the wall. Will, with the promise of being reunited with his son, joins forces with Proxy Snyder (Peter Jacobson) and becomes part of the police force under Homeland Security. Katie, without Will’s knowledge, is part of the resistance.

Conclusion

The aliens have a factory on the moon. We don’t know why, but if you piss off the aliens, you are sent to that factory to work until you drop. The aliens have imposed curfews and checkpoints... plus they use drones to spy on the people and kill if necessary.

                                                              

Medical conditions such as diabetes have been considered a one way ticket enabling the aliens to cull the weak from the strong. Since the series starts after the invasion, we are left to decide from the information given on each weekly episode and, from the Colony online site, if the aliens are the good or bad guys.

                                                                

No one is safe and the season ended with a cliffhanger. We see that Charlie (Jacob Buster) is alive in a part of the city that resembles the poorest section on India. Proxy Snyder has been demoted. Will knows that Katie is a rebel and has been using information he’s given to her in confidence to help the resistance. OUCH!

                                                              

Katie needs to choose between Broussard (Tory Kittlels) and her hubby. Bram Bowman (Alex Neustaedter) has been captured by the Red Hats and Madeline (Amanda Righetti) has taken Grace and her son to live with Nolan Burgess (Adrian Pasdar). We did get a peek at the aliens, but I want more!!!!! Watch the show. It is well written and the cast is outstanding.

Larry Blamire's Masterpiece: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

                                                        

Sometimes there is nothing good on television at 6:00 a.m. But sometimes, you just luck out and find a gem. I love B movies. I know when we think of B movies, we think: poorly made; bad acting; bad scenery, etc. etc. But, sometimes a B movie is freaking great. This is a repost of a blog I wrote in 2012.

                                                                   
My younger sister Lucy and I live on the east coast, but my mother and middle sister, Jane, live in Napa California. Lucy and I head out west once a year to visit. While there, my sister, Jane, plans a steady string of day trips to keep us pretty much out all day, every day. We had been at Jane’s house for almost two weeks and Lucy and I were wearing down from all the day trips.

                                                              

                                                               

This one particular morning Lucy and I awoke at 6:00 in the morning to get ready for lunch on the Napa Wine Train. We dragged ourselves out to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee while waiting for everyone to wake up. Lucy was surfing the cable guide to find something to watch until the caffeine took effect. She came across a movie called The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.                                                        

“Let’s watch this,” I said, not wanting to watch the news or infomercials that are usually on during that ungodly time of day. We did and we became instant fans of the film and the man who wrote and directed this science fiction gem, Mr. Larry Blamire.

The Film

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is a 20001 independent film that spoofs all those 1950 B movies that I grew up watching. Larry Blamire not only wrote the screenplay, but he directed the film and also had a part in the film.
                                                                 

                                                                  
He is a man of many talents. It stars Jennifer Blaire as Animala, Larry Blamire as Dr. Paul Armstrong, Fay Masterson as Betty Armstrong, Andrew Parks as Kro-Bar/Bammin, Susan McConnell as Lattis/Turgaso, Brian Howe as Dr. Roger Fleming, Dan Conroy as Ranger Brad, Robert Deveau as the Farmer and Darrin Reed as the mutant.

Plot

A scientist and his wife are searching for a meteorite that has crashed into the woods. This meteorite contains a rare element called atmosphereum. While searching for the meteorite, another scientist is asking a Ranger the location of Cadavra Cave. He’s looking for the lost skeleton.

Later that night, another meteorite crashes to earth and that is when the fun begins. We are introduced to two of the wackiest aliens to ever grace the big screen. Aliens Kro-Bar and Lattis from the planet Marva are stranded on earth with the ship’s pet mutant. They need the atmosphereum in order to return home. After disguising themselves as human, they are mistaken for the owners of a cabin. I’m still trying to figure out what the skeleton has to do with the story.                                                             

 

 

Fleming finds the alien’s device that morphed them into human shape and creates a helpmate from four different animals. Her name is Animala and she helps Fleming find the skeleton. From here on, the race is on when the aliens and Armstrong and his wife try to keep Fleming from resurrecting the Skeleton.

 

Conclusion

My sister Jane heard Lucy and me laughing out loud and she came out to investigate what had her two sisters so animated so very early in the morning. Plans to get an early start on the day’s events were forgotten as the three sisters watched The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Like I said before, I’m a lover of B movies. Larry Blamire expertly kept his film true to the B movie formula, but with one great difference. He included his audience into the joke and it was amazing.
                                                              

I’ve learned that the actors were instructed to act weird to make the film even crazier than it was. The aliens played by Andrew Parks and Susan McConnell should have gotten some type of award for their performance...freaking funny!
                                                       

There is a sequel, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, but I haven’t seen this. My bad and I hope to find it on Netflix if possible. If you want to see a great spoof on B movies, please watch this film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steampunk Granny Reviews The Arrival

                                                        

 

Yes, my little zombie snacks, it was another night of night being able to unwind enough to fall asleep. My youngest grandson, Nathan had spent a few days with me over the Labor Day weekend. We had a meeting with Chris Eilenstine, the director of Shadows of the Forest. Nathan has a bit part in the film in which I am also one of the writers...neat, right? We met two of the main stars that day Mac Lowery and Brandon Allentoff. It was a lot of fun, but a long day, and hence, the reason we were up late and caught this film.

 

The 1996 science fiction film, directed by David Twohy and starring Charlie Sheen, Ron Silver, Lindsay Crouse, Teri Polo and Richard Schiff is an alien encounter film that deals with global climate change. No, it’s not about the Republican and Tea Party politicians who are constantly denying man’s direct effects on the world around us...but it could be why they are denying that there is a problem. They might be aliens.

Plot

Charlie Sheen plays Zane Zaminsky, a radio astronomer working for SETI, discovers evidence of intelligent alien life forms. The signal is coming from a star that is 14 light years from Earth. When he reports this to his boss (Ron Silver) he doesn’t believe him. It isn’t long before Zane is fired. He gets a job installing television satellite dishes and creates his own version of a SETI array.                                           

                                                            
Zane isn’t the only one noticing that the planet is going through some major warming. A climatologist, Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse) finds a poppy field in the middle of the Arctic. Zane and Ilana figure out that someone is purposely melting the polar ice and it might have to do with the radio signals that Zane has been intercepting

Conclusion

I love Ron Silver in just about any show that he is in, but Charlie Sheen’s performance was a bit flat. The film was positively received when it came out and it could be because the special effects and the storyline were impressive.

                                                             

                                                     

Look, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know our planet is in big trouble. We don’t have to be scientists either to see with our own eyes what we’re doing to our planet. Sea levels are rising, temperatures are rising, which affects our crops, oceans are warming which will eventually kill the fish, we’re experiencing more extreme weather conditions, rising temperatures could contribute to the spread of diseases, loss of livestock and crops. I think for a science fiction film, The Arrival, covered most of this, which was impressive to me as a concerned citizen of this planet.

                                                       

                                                    

In the film, the aliens had taken over most positions of power, which helped them to deny that there was anything wrong with the melting ice caps and, since our own politicians keep denying climate change, I’ve been wondering if maybe Congress has been taken over by aliens. What do you think?

                                                        
Watch The Arrival. I think you’ll like it in spite of Charlie Sheen.

 

 

 

Saving Solanda

                                                             

I am very excited to share the happy news. Saving Solanda the second book in my Roof Oasis Series, is now available on Amazon and Kindle. I just ordered my shipment of books for when I do book signings.

Saving Solanda picks up where Roof Oasis left off. Lucy and her alien lover return to earth just as the mountain sanctuary, where her brother and his family are living, is attacked by demons and zombies. This is a fast paced science fiction thriller packed with romance, horror and action.

The Book Launch for Saving Solanda will be in October (details coming) at my second annual Steampunk Granny Bohemian Bazaar, but I will be doing smaller book signings before then. Check my calendar page for upcoming book signing dates.

You can purchase Roof Oasis here


You can purchase Saving Solanda here

I could use a Clone or two, or three: Orphan Black

Orphan Black on BBC America is returning on April 18th. I can't wait. This is smartly written science fiction show about cloning. We follow Sarah, Cosima, Alison and Helena as they try to find out who was behind their cloning and, who now wants them all dead. The very talented Tatiana Maslany plays all the clones, including Pro-Clone, Rachel Duncan.

                                                     

The show relies on the latest theories and scientific principles known about cloning and this is one of the reasons that Orphan Black is so popular. The storyline is believable and asks ethical question of the legality and social problems that real clones would have to deal with. Do clones have the same rights as the people they're cloned from?

Luckily, Sarah has her sister clones looking out for her and her daughter, Kira (Skyler Wexler). Kira's blood might be able to keep our clones from getting sick.

My favorite character is Felix Dawkins (Jordan Garvis). He plays Sarah's adopted brother and when he and Soccer Mom, Alison get together, all kinds of crazy stuff happens.

                                                                

This will be the third season for Orphan Black, but if you missed the first two seasons, you can read my review of Season one and two on Biff Bam Pop and catch the reruns on Demand. I'll be posting a weekly review of this show and I can't wait.

                                                                 

Orphan Black on Biff Bam Pop

Steampunk Granny's Review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

                                                        

This post is reprinted from my article in Go Jane News

Planet of the Apes: Then

If you’re my age, you’ve probably seen the original 1968 film, Planet of the Apes, starring Charlton Heston as Georg Taylor, the American astronaut who with his crew crash landed on a strange planet after spending thousands of years in hibernation. The film which is based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, La Planete des Singes, introduced moviegoers to intelligent gorillas and speechless, animalistic humans.

                                                              

                                                        

The film’s ending, along with Taylor’s shocking realization of his true location, is seared forever in my mind and I became an instant fan. Unfortunately, I found most of the sequels to Planet of the Apes a big disappointment, but at the time I wasn’t sure why. It was only after watching the 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes and this year’s blockbuster, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that I understood what was missing from the earlier films.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Now

To give my thoughts on The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I do need to mention the 2011 film The Rise of the Planet of the Apes which was directed by Rupert Wyatt and starred James Franco as Will Rodman and Andy Serkis as Caesar.

The 2011 film did what all the previous films in the franchise did not do. It allowed the movie audience to become one with an intelligent species that is endangered in the real world.  Will Rodman (Franco) a scientist from the Sen-Sys Biotech Company is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that his father is victim to…but we all know that the plans of mice and men often go astray.

                                                          

                                                             

The company does its research on chimpanzee subjects and the drug makes one of the chimps, Bright Eyes, extremely intelligent, but she goes on a rampage. Due to this mishap, Will is forced to take her infant and raise it. Infant Caesar grows more intelligent each day, but he still has animal tendencies that Will Rodman must deal with.

The drug may be a blessing for the primate characters of the film, but its side effect on humans is catastrophic. While the airborne disease becomes a pandemic nightmare for mankind, Caesar and his fellow intelligent chimpanzee friends escape to Muir Woods; their new home.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes changed the game plan on the franchise by telling the story from a new perspective. Caesar became the hero of the film; the survivor against man’s cruelty towards non-humans.

Caesar

The 2014 film directed by Matt Reeves and starring Andy Serkis as Caesar, Jason Clarke as Malcolm, Gary Oldman as Drefus and Toby Kibbell a bonobo and Caesar’s second in command, focused on the lives of the primates living in Muir Woods.

                                                             

In the 2014 film we see Caesar in charge of his troop of fellow primates.  They’ve not only built shelter for themselves, but they successfully hunt for food. When Drefus (Oldman) the leader of a small band of human survivors living in a section of San Francesco sends Malcom and his team to check for a source of water power to keep their city running, they encounter Caesar’s son, Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) and Rocket’s son, Ash (Doc Shaw). Ash is injured.

                                                         

The film deals with Caesar and Malcolm trying to keep peace between the two species, but mistakes are made by both sides and it’s not only the humans who thirst for supremacy; stupid choices are made by both men and beast alike.

Conclusion

Please go see the movie. I guarantee that you will leave the theatre rethinking our place in nature. I loved this last film the best because we were witness to an old story told through new eyes and it felt right. We need to protect the other life forms that share this planet with us and we need to do it now.

Steampunk Granny Interviews Leonardo Ramirez of the Jupiter Chronicles

                                                              

I meet the nicest people through my connections with writing, book signings, Steampunk, and ghost investigations. Leonardo Ramirez is one of those nice people. I came to know Leonardo because of an interesting kickstarter he has going on. You’ll want to learn all about this kickstarter, but first a chat with the very talented author of the Jupiter Chronicles.

Marie Gilbert: Hi Leonardo. I’m happy to have you on my blog.

Leonardo Ramirez: Hi Marie! Good to hear from you. That is so very kind of you to want to support our campaign. The way to do it though, is to simply pledge through the website which you can find here: http://bit.ly/SteampunkKickstarter. Your interview and your posts certainly help so thank you!

Marie Gilbert: How did you get involved with Steampunk? I have my oldest grandchild, Allie Gilbert, to thank for introducing me to Dorian’s Parlor and the world of Steampunk.

Leonardo Ramirez: As far as what drew me into Steampunk? I would say its untapped nature. I don't care much for following the trends that everyone else marches to the beat of (right now, I think it's zombies) but instead prefer to fill a need or a gap that needs filling and start there. While there is quite a bit of Steampunk literature available for YA there is close to nothing for kids that don't want to read a 500 page book. I love CS Lewis and loved the Chronicles of Narnia series so I wanted to write something that closely fit that audience.

 

                                                                     

Marie Gilbert: Do you feel that children, (grade 3 and up) who are so entwined with video games, would understand a world where technology is powered by steam. I ask because I’m worried that we’ve lost that inventive spirit and spark of imagination that Steampunk offers. How has the feedback been from children, parents and teachers, especially, science teachers?

 

                                                                  

Leonardo Ramirez: It's not been an easy sell, surprisingly enough. You would think that the thought of a Steampunk Children's series being pitched into Steampunk online communities would be like throwing gas onto a fire. To the contrary, it’s been very difficult to get true Steampunkers behind it possibly because it's meant for kids. There are shows that I grew up on that I would still watch with my daughter even as an adult so I'm hoping to get the project noticed by the community even if it's meant for a younger audience. I, for one, haven't stopped watching animated shows!  

 

I do agree that kids are struggling to find their voice and the spark of creativity. Parents, teachers and kids, on the other hand, have been ecstatic about the series. This past weekend I attended Geek Media Expo where I was approached by a gentleman who runs a family-friendly geek convention for kids in Memphis and has asked us to come out as a guest. I had one Science teacher of special needs kids who bought the books for her class since they were written for reluctant readers. 

 

                                                                     

I've heard it said that Steampunk is on the decline but I vehemently disagree with that. I think that what it needs is a property like Star Wars or Star Trek for fans to rally around and draw more people to it. I'm hoping that The Jupiter Chronicles can be a vehicle for that. Despite the audience it was originally written for, the universe of The Jupiter Chronicles is vast. The moons of Jupiter are each a world of their own that revolves around Jupiter and each one has their own nature apart from the others. 

 

                                                                         

That is why I want to start an animated series. With an animation studio like Magnetic Dreams behind it we can make it top-notch and with our Kickstarter campaign we can make it happen. The cast is diverse and includes a disabled primary character who uses a prosthetic claw for a hand and two steam-powered rockets that come out of his feet for flight. 

                                                         

                              

I've been writing for a long time. My first published work was a graphic novel called, Haven that was published by Markosia Enterprises. It's the story of a descendant of Dante Alighieri who is tasked to battle the nine circles of hell much like her ancestors before her. The nine circles call themselves, The Aristocracy and are embedded in our society at every level. Because that story is vast as well I felt it was necessary to release a prose novel version of it which released in 2012 and called, Haven of Dante.

 

                                                                        

Marie Gilbert: How is the Kickstarter doing and have you reached your goal?

Leonardo Ramirez: If there is one thing I'd want to share with folks considering donating to The Jupiter Chronicles it is this. The untapped potential that this has is endless. Because of the way it's set up there are years of stories to tell. It's fun and fast-paced and kids love it. It's diverse and tackles the issues of growing up in a single-parent family in the angst that befalls it's main character, Ian. There's a lot of heart that goes into this. Not just from me but from my family so I'm very grateful for the interview and for helping spread the word.

Thanks!

                                                                  

Marie Gilbert: Thank you so much for being a guest on my blog and I’m sending in my check to the Kickstarter today. If you want your children to read good science fiction, then you can give to the Kickstarter and if you want to learn more about Leonardo Ramirez, check out the sites below.

Leonardo Ramirez, Author

 

Visit Science Fiction for the Human Condition at Leonardoverse.com.

Learn more about the Steampunk Children's Series at JupiterChronicles.com.

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4225466.Leonardo_Ramirez

 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/leonardoverse

 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jupiterchronicles

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Ramirez/e/B004TZGCD6/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

 

 

 

The Mercury Men

                                                          

This show was created and directed by the very talented Chris Preksta
                                                   

Each episode is around ten minutes and there are ten episodes. The boys and I watched all ten and we want to see more episodes. There are two main characters, Edward Borman played by Mark Tierno and Captain Jack Yaeger, played by Curt Wootton.
                                                   

For a low budget series, it was one of the best I've ever seen and I want to see more.  Here is the link for The Mercury Men http://www.mercurymen.com/about/