Went ahead and watched Coherence and really enjoyed it. Would have loved it, but the end didn't fit with the rest of the movie.

I loved Primer, but I have tried to sit through Upstream Color maybe 4 times over the past couple of years and I just can't do it. You could tell Coherence was influenced by Shane Carruth's movies, a pretty fun little film.

Everybody seemed to hate The Box but I really dug it.. it definitely fits in with the Twilight Zone flavour (for obvious reasons) that the above movies had going on.

I understood the ending, I just didn't see her character as being that desperate during the bulk of the movie to do what she did at the end.

While definitely not a great movie, I don't think it was as bad as you put it. I, for one, loved the costume and ship design. The characters were much too unidimensional and... rocket roller blades? COME ON! But meh, it was a $5 well spent.

In other Wachowski sci-fi news, did anyone watch sense8? I thought it was rather decent and built up interestingly. Great variety of characters. I guess it's very convenient they each have a very useful skill, but wachagonnado. I've been sold on Doona Bae since Linda Linda Linda. I'm curious to see how it will pan out - I hope it gets renewed!

I am only one episode in, so in fairness I will give it another shot and reserve full judgement. I haven't been such a fan of any of the Wachowski's work though, and the show feels a bit too Heroes-y going in. The pilot definitely could have done with some better pacing and less spoon-feeding, but I remain optimistic for any sci-fi show, so I hope I get into it.

Also - wearily - drudging through Wayward Pines at the moment. Probably don't need to share too much about it, other than I expected very little, and it still delivered even less. Had a potential basis there to make an interesting show I think, but it quickly veered into the standard horrible cable sci-drama fare territory. I know that I should have stopped the very first time I saw the credits and saw any connection to M. Night Shymalan.

I've been considering Sense8 but haven't taken the plunge yet. I'm still smarting from Utopia being cut off mid-stream, and was recently burned by not finding out that Real Humans probably won't be getting a third series until after I ate up series 2, so I'm a little gun shy when it comes to investing time on episodic SF.


Possibly the best break down that I've ever seen of an entertainment that I recognized as being deeply flawed while ingesting it but thoroughly enjoyed anyway:


67 minutes well spent!

Argh sense8. It went no where. You keep waiting. Some moments tease. In the end you have no climax and you wash it off with disappointment.

This!
So much potential wasted.
Also I really was a little annoyed by all the 'heavy' messages they (repeatedly) force fed the viewers with.

I don't completely agree, but I do understand some would feel that way. In their defense, this was billed as the "origins" season... They planned long term - it's their first time doing TV, right?

I thought I read there were about 5 seasons planned.

My wife and I enjoyed it, but we also binge watched it, so everything was virtually nonstop for us.

Considering it was filmed across multiple countries, it was impressive for TV.

I agree with this. Production especially those involved with makeup and making sure people looked exactly the same when they are filming weeks later was perfect.

It was the go nowhere drawn out ending I couldn't stand. I think they could have put a lot more into this and spent less time on all the personal relationship dramas. Was it a soap opera or a sci-fi? Both I guess.

I had a first date over a decade ago and the girl was so keen on seeing that Serenity movie. I liked the movie, but last week I tried to watch the Firefly series on Netflix- fell asleep within 20 minutes. I don't get the appeal? I don't even get what the opening sequence had to do with the series when the main character sees all those green lights landing in the battle?

I know I will catch a lot of flak in the nerdverse for this, but Whedon is so overrated. I almost think a lot of people like him just because it is the 'in' thing to do among the community, and generally accepted as lore. If you don't, then you couldn't possibly be a nerd or understand the culture. Not that I am a 'norm' and just can't get the genius of it, I simply have a problem with the fact that it is not counter-culture, it is the culture. I am not even saying I dislike it, I just don't take his products as gospel. Touting his work as brilliant and one of your favourites/the best of all time (usually without solid backing) is very safe, and not likely to be challenged.

And for anyone who wants to a̶r̶g̶u̶e̶ discuss the Whedonverse with me, I have two words before we begin. Alien. Resurrection.

Yeah, I hear that! I liked Firefly/Serenity, but in the same way I liked Starship Troopers or any other action/comedy sci-fi flick. I don't think Joss Whedon is genius or anything of the sort - he just made a fun, campy sci-fi series.
But it does seem that most people who like him REALLY like him. Meh.

I was forced to watch a few episodes of The Whispers and it is soo incredibly boring. not one likeable character either. sorry for keeping TV in the discussion..

Hey, discussions on television shows are welcome too, I don't see why not. I realise I should have put it right in the title in hindsight.

Well I am glad that some people did enjoy Coherence. I watched it a while ago and maybe I was more down on it than I should have been, but it just never came together for me. But the ending is mostly where it failed I felt. Well, that and the completely non-nonsensical nature that I just couldn't get past.

The only things I liked from him are Cabin in the Woods and Firefly. And what I liked about Firefly was the humor, not so much the sci-fi elements, which were very gimmicky. Given that Serenity was totally humorless, I really, really didn't like it.

For those who are interested, io9 often puts up links to great sci-fi shorts no its blog. You can find them through this link: http://io9.com/tag/short-films

Has anyone seen The Signal from last year?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Signal_(2014_film)

It wasn't bad. Nothing mind-blowing, but I liked it. The teen leads seemed pretty convincing as college kids road tripping before the weirdness begins.


There's also Banshee Chapter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee_Chapter

This is more horror (I guess), but it's plot roots are in experiments and conspiracy theory...so sci-fi? I liked this too. Creeped me out watching it.

http://www.movietavern.com/special-prog ... ro-cinema/

If any of you have a movie tavern local to you, they are showing Serenity on Sept 29 & 30 as pert of their retro cinema series. My coworkers are all excited... me, not so much.

Watching Banshee Chapter right now, and it's interesting to me how two people can take away such completely different experiences from the same movie. Nearly shut it off after a half-hour, but muscled through it. Didn't find it scary at all, and Ted Levine's take on "Raoul Duke" was tough to watch.

I'm sure watching it in a hotel room at night for work added to my experience.



Just watched the third Ghost in the Shell: Arise epsiode - Ghost Tears on Netflix. Solid GitS, as usual.

I think The Signal flew under the radar of most people. I wasn't such a big fan of it though. I thought it started off with a lot of potential, but suddenly dropped off midway through the movie (about once they got inside 'the facility'). Not sure if this was a direct-to-video feature or not, but it kinda had that feeling. An okay film, but I thought the concept was somewhat interesting, if not that novel, and could have been executed a bit better.

Not going to argue with you because I do agree he is overrated but his run of Astonishing X-men comics was pretty damn good.

I remain on the fence with his AXM run. There are some decent stories there, but I don't think that was solely due to his work, and I am also regarding this in light of a heck of a lot of crap that is coming out in the recent comics era with the unlimited number of X-men and spinoff titles. I would have like to see some AXM storied adapted into a proper cartoon/video release (I know they did the 'motion comics', which, fan as I am, I cannot see "watching" a comic on a television). Something serious/with a darker mood that capture the depth of the X-men universe and the struggle of the characters. It has always been a shame to me that such a diverse and abundant 'world' with all the backcatalogue of stories has been neglected so much. The franchise is huge (overly so, in many ways, especially now), so why limit it. I can see them not wanting to step on any live-action toes because of Fox, and it's new movie series, but a completely independent serial or animated film series - like they have done with DC - seems like a good idea. Do they really think audiences are so clueless that they can't have multiple adaptions of something with out being able to differentiate and square out the differences between the two? Oh wait, nevermind, I answered my own question.