Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)

“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.”

Flowers For Algernon is an award winning novel by Daniel Keyes about Charlie, mentally retarded and approached by a group of scientists, Charlie goes through the remarkable experiment to become a genius. Written in a collection of progress reports Keyes brilliantly reflects the growing intelligence of Charlie in the writing, he not only goes from miss spelling to a walking thesaurus but the growth in philosophical thinking and reflective thinking drags you into Charlie's life as he begins to remember his life and re evaluate those around him.

Of course that is not the story of the whole novel, whilst his development connects you to Charlie in an unusual coming of age story whilst Charlie struggles with his misaligned growth of intelligence compared to his emotional development the science begins to fall apart. Algernon, the mouse doppelganger and success story of the experiment falls ill and Charlie's fate is in his own hands, only he is smart enough to fix his own damning prognosis.

Whilst I was originally dragged to the story by the idea of a damned scientist searching for an answer I was completely wrong about how much the book would balance on that idea. Keyes focuses for a long time on the growth of Charlie and the discovery of his past and his family who he had all but forgotten. As you begin to identify with Charlie the level of empathy is incredible. The balance in the scales between the happy retard and the intelligent but bitter professor switching is compelling, you feel from page to page how the knowledge is power but not happiness, and ultimately he cannot become "powerful" enough.

So when the fall finally happens and Charlie begins to slip back and his IQ begins to drop it is legitimately hard to keep reading, I expected to really enjoy the downfall but it written in such a brutal way that whilst I enjoyed it, it was depressing. Keyes' final few pages remind you that Charlie is back to being happy despite his loss of intelligence. Another interesting transition to watch through Charlie's growth is that of naivety and innocence whilst he battles away with all manner of Freudian psychosis.

Flowers for Algernon is a must read for science fiction fans and for everyone else, it does what all good sci fi does and uses a scientific plot device to inspect the human condition. Under the telescope of Keyes' novel is the well known coming of age story, however Charlie's mismatched intelligence and emotional control offer a unique perspective of self reflection. The decline of Charlie's intelligence adds a brutally tragic sense of urgency as well as showing both the beauty and sadness in child like naivety. A masterpiece for many reasons, and a deep one at that, I not only recommend Flowers for Algernon to you but I think I may have to take my own advice and read it again.

8.5/10

Jupiter Ascending (Andy and Lana Wachowski 2015)

"Life is consumption"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1617661/

The Wachowski's return to big budget science fiction in the fantastical space opera Jupiter Ascending. High on action and filled to the brim with science fiction tropes, the film does fall into typical Hollywood tentpole territory but that doesn't stop it being a great feast for the eyes and a lot of fun. The film (3 days after release) has been slammed by most critics and has been labeled a flop, however I encourage you to watch Jupiter Ascending, its bound to be a half guilty pleasure for science fiction fans for years to come!

I will admit I feel a little defensive about liking this film considering the critical feedback so I will try not to sound like I'm fighting whilst writing this article...

The film centers around Jupiter (Mila Kunis(Meg Griffin)) and her rise to power from a toilet scrubbing Russian immigrant to princess of the universe and owner of Earth. Defending her and ultimately falling in love with her is space splice lycan ex winged cop Caine (Channing Tatum(21 Jump Street)), yes... All of those things... The sheer detail in this universe and world building is insane, its a science fiction dream. Whilst many have likened it to, well everything from Mass Effect to Fifth Element, the real inspiration, according to Lana, is the artwork of Meobius, the inspiration for countless science fiction franchises. This shared inspiration makes things seem familiar however almost all of Jupiter Ascending's crazy concepts fit together beautifully creating a vast universe that if anything we needed to see more of. Whilst it now seems unlikely we will ever see any more of the universe of Jupiter Ascending it is one worth more exploration, at times in the film things happen and don't get thoroughly explained, the amount of exposition in the film is still high so the choice to withhold information is a smart one that leaves audiences wanting to know more about the worlds the characters inhabit. The story moves at a startling pace and unfortunately the heavy exposition doesn't give time for emotional connection or give the potentially beautiful scenery space to breathe.
 
Whilst the CG feast in space works stunningly it is less effective on ground, the few fight scenes early in the film overuse the hardlight shield and overpowered hoverboots. These fights are weak when compared to the plain fist fight between Tatum and Sean Bean (that guy that died in that thing you watched) who plays a fairly typical ex military struggling single father.

Contrasting the complex world building is the indulgently simple rags to riches fairy tale (in space) which is littered with cliches and happily ever afters. In a time where The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones constantly punch you in the face through your favorite characters deaths, a nice story was kind of refreshing. On the other hand you never fear for the characters, they always arrive in the nick of time, you never feel as though anybody is in any real danger which leaves the film lacking emotional gravitas.

Performances from the whole cast are strong but do get fairly swallowed up again by an overcrowded story, no characters really get a time to shine. Whilst Mila and Channing get most of the screen time both Sean Bean and Nikki Amuka-Bird (Luther) shine through the clutter in interesting supporting roles.

The film suffers in the shadow of the Wachowski's Matrix Trilogy, and I will agree I was expecting more. I am hesitant to throw away any meaning or subtext because knowing the Wachowki's it is there in spades, just buried under those awe inspiring visuals. I have heard their original cut was eight minutes longer, its not a lot of time, but I can imagine that short eight minutes giving the film the lingering space it really needed.

If you can't tell I want more! I am sticking images from the film all over my wallpapers, it was beautiful, but at the pace it raced across the screens I never felt as though I got the time to really appreciate the beauty of the cinematography. Jupiter Ascending is at least a beautiful and fun space opera that is worth a watch, however it had and has a chance to be a great franchise and universe, it may even be a subtextual delight already, once my eyes clear from the dazzling space ships I will look further into the subtext and potentially bump it up to and 8 or 9. Either way I have to thank the Wachowski's for creating the latest film to make me argue passionately with haters.
7.5/10

Ascension (Syfy MiniSeries 2014)

'No Future"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3696720/

Ascension is part of Syfy's return to dramatic science fiction, the three part miniseries promised to be a spiritual successor to shows like Battlestar Galactica finally bringing the channel back to space. It doesn't quite achieve such heights in its limited time but it does entertain and intrigue the audience with a mixture of character drama, action and a twisted story line.

In the 1960's Americas best scientists were collected and entered a ship to travel into space for a one hundred year journey to ensure the survival of the human race. 51 years later on the ship a woman is murdered and it is down to the ships XO to find out what has happened. However the things he learns lead him down a rabbit hole to suggest that something else is wrong with the ship.

The first thing to be commended is the world building within Ascension (the ship) which is stuck in the 1960's whilst reaping the benefits of having genius creators aboard. The melding of future and past is seamless and a link to present day Earth is woven in and becomes an integral part of the story. The cultural differences and devices in place to ensure the ship and the human race stays functioning separate the crew from us and give them unique lives that are wonderfully concocted if not a little unexplored.

Whilst not quite giving what it offers Ascension does deliver in returning Syfy to its BSG glory days, Tricia Helfer definitely helps, but the acting on the whole is strong. Brian Van Holt performs greatly as the ships captain and the relationship between him and Helfer is one of the series' highlights. Occasionally the acting and storylines of the younger characters dips into soap category but the plot moves so quickly that its difficult to dwell on.

If anything Ascension should have been given more time to explore its plot points before launching off to the next, the characters are introduced at lightening speed and you feel almost as though your being led around. This could be an incredibly intelligent choice or could just be poor pacing.

Over all Ascension is worth a watch, I think its even worth a second season, with a little more room to breath the threads it has begun could turn out to be a great story, as it is 99% of it is good fun dramatic science fiction and if nothing else it makes me hopeful for the future of Syfy as a channel.
7.5/10

Thundergun Express by Eat Defeat AND RobinBookerFilms

Hey guys, still getting through last years footage but from the depths of my edit here is a video I shot on tour in Europe!

So a little talk about my process and a small deconstruction of the video if your interested...

Last time for Eat Defeat I just used the show footage however this time we wanted to show some of the antics of the trip itself. So I spent around 3 days watching 450gb of footage and cutting out a few seconds per clip of funny stuff. There was a lot more good content however a lot of it lost its kick when you cant couple it with audio.

I ended up with about 5 minutes of footage to make a 3 minute song. I looked through all the performances and cherry picked my favorite moments to add into the shenanigans from the rest of the trip. Music videos are quite fun to edit because you have not only a beat to work to but specific sections. I added a little more performance footage to give the choruses more kick.

I used the large amount of dancing for the other parts of the choruses and then the wrestling for the middle eight. The rest of the footage was just the best of the highlights and the best time fitting shots. Finally I tweaked all the shots in length and a few in speed so that they matched the beats a little better.

The Babadook (Jennifer Kent 2014)

"Ba-ba-ba... dook! Dook! DOOOOOKH!"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2321549/

The concept of The Babadook is fairly classic, a creepy stalker/ monster film in which a mother fights to protect her son. The majority of traditional horror tropes follow however The Babadook manages to poke its hat above other recent horror flicks. 

The film centers around the psychological struggle of sleep deprived widow Amelia and her eccentric and slightly annoying to watch (for good reason) son Samuel. Still grieving her husbands death after six years, (on the day her son was born) when Samuel finds a pop up book with one of the creepiest and most un unassumingly original monsters in modern cinema, he begins to believe he will be captured by the Babadook.

So what sets the Babadook apart from other horror films of the type ie. Mama (Andrés Muschietti 2013), Insidious (James Wan 2010). Well first off, without delving too far into spoilers, the psychological questions it raises throughout the film are excellent, you actively question if the Babadook is real or if Amelia is actually breaking. That in itself is horrifying, you don't have to believe in a monster to fear for Samuel when the lights go out and you hear "Baba ba dook dook dook.". Secondly is just how creepy and believable the babadook is, he is always changing, never really seen or known, and the question of sanity really throws into questions what the Babadook actually looks like. 

Stylistically the films strays away from any kind of extreme gore or jump scares and relies solely on creating tension which is achieved brilliantly through the chilling score. Now I'm gonna get a little horror nerdy and a little spoilery and talk about theory and genre and stuff so if you havn't seen the film skip this paragraph. So I really like that Amelia isn't your typical female horror victim, she is struggling but she is independent, she is not the final female we are used to from slasher flicks. Not only that but she doesn't survive because she is a virgin, she clearly has a child, and if you wanted to get technical and say that she has not been sexual since her sons birth, a masturbation scene should put that to rest. The idea of the power of the Babadook being the personification of bottled up grief and anxiety over Amelia's husband is a great idea and the supernatural horror represents the power over the families lives the accident still holds. The domestication of the Babadook, in the basement where the husbands memory lived, shows the acceptance of grief and the moving on of not just Amelia but of Samuel too. Anyway I end my spoiler section by saying I think The Babadook is really interesting and may do a little genre study on it sometime.

The spoilers are over guys, you can read again.

The Babadook is simply put one of the tensest brave and thematically interesting horror films to come out of the last few years. Not only is it a suspenseful psychological horror, it is a beautiful drama about a single mother.
8.5/10

Hercules (2014 Brett Ratner)

"Fucking Centaurs"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1267297/

I expected an incredibly cheesy action packed laugh of awfulness. I'm not sure if that's because of Dwayne Johnson or the trailer or Brett Ratner who hurt me with X Men The Last Stand... What you get with Hercules is like an omelet, basic action from a Thracian, Roman period (the egg), fun twists on the Hercules myth (some surprise peppers), comic dialogue (mushrooms), and just a brilliant sprinkling of cheesy goodness on top. Don't get me wrong its a guilty pleasure but this film is incredibly entertaining and a lot of fun.

One of the greatest things about the film is the twisting of the myth, it turns Hercules into a team of fighters (Herc at the front) who perpetuate a myth to strike fear into opponents. Not only that but his mythological opponents are likewise faked, either through people in suits or pure exaggeration.

Whilst angrier or stuffier reviewers may get stuck in the generic nature of the film and action comedy is what it is, this doesn't get caught up in pretension or recreating the wheel, it relies on fairly strong acting and tongue in cheek. If you don't want to watch Hercules you probably wont enjoy it. If your tempted you're going to have a good time.
7/10

The Hobbit, The Battle of Five Armies. (Peter Jackson 2014)

The defining chapter indeed. After 13 years and 6 films we finally say goodbye to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien through the eyes of director Peter Jackson. I am going to assume I am as surrounded on the internet by fanboys as I was at the midnight screening last night. For those of you yet to see it, wow, your in for a treat. The final chapter of The Hobbit is packed full of action, fun and heartfelt tragedy.

As always Jackson is fair with the source material and keeps the story moving with a quick pace, the sheer amount of combat in the film is insane, and its all intelligently and beautifully choreographed. A specific little note on that front, the elves slice their victims neatly as appose to the brutish dwarves who decapitate orc after orc with a different kind of grace, just one subtle touch that gives Jackson's version of Tolkien's world the same richness as the source material itself. Don't be misleads though, despite the combat the story is strong as ever and the dialogue is perfect.

I can't say much more than it felt like a great and respectful, if not a little sad, end to the tale of the ring of power. I walked away thinking that we know that from the end of this film Bilbo gets no more adventure, he just sits and withers, in mind if not in image. Anyhow lets not dwell on that, more good things! The cgi is expectedly fantastic and somehow doesn't worsen the CG in the LOTR trilogy when you look back, which is nice. If I had any nitpicks to... pick, it would be that it ends pretty suddenly, we don't really get a glimpse of everyone settling back down. I assume that is because we see through Bilbo's eyes and because of the criticisms of Return of the king's 45 minute end after end after end. (Not to mention you know, the lord of the rings comes next)

As a saga its brilliant, I almost cracked on the Fellowship when I got home to ride that feeling out. The marathon must be done but god help me when that day comes, no not god, but a hobbit, they seem like happy chaps.
9/10

Just a side note on high frame rate, its weird, I cant make my mind up. Everything looks more real, is that right for a fantasy film or does it need that movie gloss? I can't decide, it takes a while to get used to which is of course a set back but I think if it is continued to be used in the right way it could work really well. Maybe for documentary or more realistic films, the Hobbit seems like a strange choice to crack it out on. Colour me intrigued.