2011 Movie Favorites

This is my first, annual, end-of-the-year, top ten favorite movies of the year list.  To make my list, a movie needed to be a theatrical release (in any year) and viewed by me during the calendar year of 2011.  In that vein, you’ll note my first choice, District 9, was released in 2009.

District 9 is number one.  There’s plenty of action and I like the way the director, Neill Blomkamp, humanizes the aliens and creates a nice interaction between the alien protagonist and the human government agent.

The main concern, for me, in a science fiction story is plausibility.  Blomkamp takes an implausible situation, alien refugees, and makes it believable by providing a realistic scenario in which humans confine the aliens to what becomes a crime ridden refugee camp.  District 9 has all the elements of a good science fiction thriller – high tech machinery, outstanding action sequences and a compelling story.  If you haven’t seen it, rent it.

Two of my selections are not in the science fiction/fantasy genre.  On a Clear Day is an Irish drama about a 50 year-old man who alienates his family, loses his job and decides to swim the English Channel.  Bridesmaids is on the list because it made me laugh and I think Melissa McCarthy is funny; she makes the movie.

A person’s favorites are subjective.  I know what appeals to me may not appeal to you.  This is my list; any thoughts?

Rank	Movie	Release Date
1	District 9	8/14/09
2	Paul	3/18/11
3	On a Clear Day	7/8/05
4	Battle: Los Angeles	3/11/11
5	Bridesmaids	5/13/11
6	Cowboys & Aliens	7/29/11
7	The Green Hornet	1/14/11
8	Super 8	6/10/11
9	The Adjustment Bureau	3/4/11
10	Captain America:  The First Avenger	7/22/11

Japan's Spy Satellite

Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun.  I was on an extended deployment in the summer and early fall of 1981, a bit over seven months.  The squadron I was attached to, VMA 223, was fulfilling our portion of a three-squadron rotation.

We were assigned to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan.  The most lasting memory I have of Iwakuni is the smell of smoldering flesh.  There was a crematorium in the town and on Thursdays they burned the bodies.  That is an odor that will forever be imprinted on my olfactory system.  YUCK!

I was very young and did not understand the opportunity I had to explore a country with such a rich history.  I managed to spend a day in Hiroshima.  I don’t recollect much and I don’t think I took many pictures.  I mostly remember two things:

1.    It was the first time I had seen the brightly colored koi fish.

2.    There was a McDonalds in Hiroshima and this offered a little taste of home.

I did see some of the land though.  We lost an airplane (the pilot ejected safely) and I was one of the many assigned with searching for missing pieces.  Four of us trudged through a rice paddy and then there were three of us.  One of our party had fallen into a hole that had been covered up.  He didn't get hurt but it took us a few minutes to extricate him.

Why do I reminisce about this short tour of duty?  I was thinking about Japan on Monday, December 12, 2011, because the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched a spy satellite.  I didn’t know the Japanese had spy satellites.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; I knew they had this capability since they are partners on the International Space Station.  I just never thought of Japan as having a need for spy satellites.  They started this effort in the late 90s after North Korea fired a missile over Japan.

This isn’t even their first spy satellite; it’s their seventh launch since 2003.  This satellite is radar tipped which, when operational, will allow the Japanese to monitor ground conditions at night or through cloud cover.  The need to monitor their own landmasses became especially crucial following the tsunami and earthquake in March, 2011.

I have a military background and I’ve worked in the aerospace industry for over 25 years, yet I never thought of Japan as requiring spy satellites.  When I ponder those who might be monitoring from above I don’t think of Japan but rather Russia, China and the U.S.  But, I guess I’m going to have to alter my world view and realize that the Big Three don’t have a monopoly on the sky.  Is Big Brother watching?

Kepler-22b, New Earth?

In last week’s blog I expressed the hope we are not alone in the universe and that the Mars’ rover Curiosity will discover evidence of life on the Red Planet.

Is it possible that hope may become reality?  On Monday, December 5^th, NASA announced its Kepler telescope had discovered a planet, Kepler-22b, that may be Earth-like.  The scientists believe Kepler-22b has an average surface temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit which would allow water to exist in liquid form.

But, it will be a long time before the authenticity of the discovery is verified.  Kepler-22b is 600 light years from Earth.  1 light year is roughly 5.88 billion miles so 600 of these is a haul – not something you’d do in a weekend.

Unfortunately, unless Zefram Cochrane is about to test his warp drive enticing the Vulcans to visit this little blue orb, Kepler-22b will remain a mystery for generations.

What do you think?  Is this a new Earth?

Mars Rover - Curiosity

In the middle of a gluttonous weekend, otherwise known as Thanksgiving, 2011, an interesting event occurred.  It was barely a footnote in the evening newscast.  On Saturday, November 26th, NASA launched a car sized, nuclear powered, robotic rover named Curiosity toward Mars.  The trip will take 8 ½ months.

Curiosity’s mission is to take samples and relay its findings to scientists on Earth.  It’s another step in the cycle of determining if Mars has now or ever supported organic life forms.

Getting to Mars will only be half the challenge.  This nearly one ton-behemoth still has the task of settling safely in Gale Crater on Mars’ surface; no easy feat.

A couple years ago, I had the good fortune of visiting a Mars’ mission control center in Denver, where technicians monitor the progress of Mars rovers.  Unfortunately, it was at a time of inactivity.  It was still cool.  The folks working in these control centers adjust their schedules to accommodate a Martian day; somewhere in the neighborhood of 24 ½ Earth hours.

I’m excited about the prospect that there may be life of some type on Mars.  There’s water in the form of ice, at least on the surface.  Some scientists theorize there may even be water in liquid form below the surface.  Where there’s water, there’s always the potential for life.

I hope we are not alone in the universe.  Anyone else feel the same?

Paolini Vs. Lucas

I’m reading Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, the fourth installment of what had originally been the Inheritance trilogy but is now the Inheritance cycle.  Paolini was fifteen when he began writing Eragon, the first book in the cycle.  It was originally a self-published effort that was picked up by Alfred A. Knopf in 2003.

I’ve enjoyed the series; book one, Eragon, book two, Eldest and book three Brisingr.  My main complaint is the amount of time between Brisingr and the final book, Inheritance:  3 years.

The books have been well crafted.  There was a movie, Eragon, based on the first book and it was awful.  It was disjointed and poorly crafted.  It failed to capture the spirit of the book.  The director, Stefen Fangmeier, seemed more concerned with cinematic effects as opposed to storytelling.

I originally bought the book for my youngest son.  We had been reading the Harry Potter series and we were waiting for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  I was cruising Barnes & Noble and I spied Eragon.  It looked like an easy read and I thought it would be a nice fill in.  It didn’t resonate with him, but it hooked me.

The cycle reminds me of Star Wars.  It’s … JRR Tolkien meets George Lucas.  The book is full of elves, dwarves and good and evil wizards.  The storyline is similar to A New Hope, Episode IV of the Star Wars saga.

I was wondering who Paolini named as influences.  I think every writer can name someone who has influenced their writing.  I was surprised to discover that he didn’t mention Lucas.  Hmm, interesting.

If you're interested in a plot summary of Eragon go to Paolini's site.

The following are details that are striking in their similarity.

The central figure in each tale is an orphaned teen on the cusp of manhood who lives with an uncle on a remote farm.  The boys come into possession of objects:  Eragon finds an egg and Luke Skywalker finds Death Star plans.  These objects are coveted by their respective evil overlord.  Possession of these items leads to the destruction of the boys' homes and the death of their uncles.  The youths flee, and their flight is assisted by wizened older men:  Brom, a weaver of tales and Obi-Wan Kenobi, a recluse, who do what they can to teach their charges the ways of an elite warrior.

Initially both stories don't give any indication that these sage men were once powerful warriors; Brom, a Dragon Rider and Obi-Wan, a Jedi Knight who were forced to live in anonymity when their respective organizations were destroyed.

Both stories had an organization that was betrayed from within and had become nothing more than a memory, the stuff of legends. 
The Dragon Riders had been an elite group of elves and humans that ensured justice is dispensed.  The Jedi Knights were a peacekeeping force.

Brom & Obi-Wan attempt to impart upon the boys the basics of their respective brotherhoods.  Brom and Obi-Wan recognize each lad has an innate ability that could allow them to become the next Dragon Rider and Jedi Knight.  Predictably, each teacher is slain before he can complete the training.

Star Wars has an older being that tries to complete Skywalker’s training after Kenobi’s death.  Likewise, Eragon’s instruction is continued by an ancient Elvin rider.  Both figures are introduced in each saga’s second installment.

It’s not my intent to be negative.  I like the series.  I think Paolini does a super job of bringing the land of Alagaësia to life.  I’m hoping he does a prequel.  We’re given a broad brushstroke regarding life prior to Eragon.  I’d like to know how the Riders rose to prominence and how Galbatorix usurped power?

These are just my random thoughts.  Anyone else care to opine?

Marines in Sci-Fi

Thursday, November 10^th was the 236^th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps.  Though it’s been several years since I was an active duty member of the Corps, I still carry that esprit de corps.  Many countries have had a military organization designated as Marines but there’s only one United States Marine Corps.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

I remember when I enlisted, people thought I was crazy.  One of my brothers, a Vietnam era Navy veteran actually told me he’d rather have a sister in a brothel then a brother in the Marine Corps.  Nice!  Others thought that the boot camp drill instructors would beat my ass on a daily basis because of my temperament.

I will admit, the day I left for Paris Island, I was scared.  What the hell was I thinking?  The farthest I’d ever been from home was a three day school fieldtrip to Fort Ticonderoga.

I was only 19 and had been working as a Pension Trust Analyst at a large insurance company when I decided to join.  I was bored to tears so I figured, why not.  It’s not as if I gave it a whole lot of thought.  Hell, the reason I chose the USMC was because their dress uniforms were sharper than those of the other military branches.

I never said I made an informed decision.

I think joining the Marines was hardest on my mother.  One of my brothers recalled a time when a Marine recruiter called the house sometime during my Junior or Senior year of high school.

Recruiter:  May I speak with Derek, please.

Mom:  May I ask who’s calling?

Recruiter:  Staff Sergeant Somebody.  I’m a Marine Corps recruiter.

Mom:  Did he enlist?

Recruiter:  No, Ma’am.

Mom:  I’ll kill him if he did.

Click.

Needless to say, I never got another call.  To be fair, Mom had already endured the military service of three sons; each of whom served in or around Vietnam.  (She actually had someone tell her that if one of her boys was lost during the war, at least she had four others.)  Her lack of objectivity was understandable.

She had this little American flag lapel pin that she wore every day I was on active duty.  It is the same pin she donned when each of my older brothers was on active duty.

I make light of my motivation for enlisting in the Marines, but ultimately, it was an experience that shaped my character.  I learned the value of teamwork, I visited places I would never have and I met people who were very different from me.  It was a time in my life that I would gladly repeat.

Why this trip down memory lane?  I started to ponder the presence of Marines in fiction, particularly Science Fiction.  I’m most familiar with the Marines in the television series Enterprise and the most recent incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, as well as the Space Marines in the movies Aliens and Starship Troopers.

My own science fiction novel, Refuge, currently in revision, has a contingent of Marines.

Why are Marines such interesting combatants for Science Fiction writers?  I think it has to do with the mystique surrounding the Corps.  I believe there is an aura of, dare I say it, invincibility that makes the Marines an ideal and integral part of many science fiction campaigns.  And, there seems to be one constant … they are dangerous sumofabitches.

There’s a perception, by civilians at least, that a Marine is a rough, tough warrior who can be called to action at a moment’s notice.  When I was in boot camp, we were always told we were the President’s Own and did not require a declaration of war for deployment.

Maybe the mystique is greater because there are fewer Marines then sailors or airmen/women or soldiers.  The number of active duty Marines is less than any of the other branches of the military.

Writers are able to build upon an established, recognized brand.  Most people who aren’t living under a rock have a notion of what a Marine is and does.  A writer has readymade base from which to build; they need only add the weapons and armor.

For me, it was a matter of using what I knew – the readymade brand.  What do you think?

My First Blog Entry

My first blog entry, wow.  I ask myself, who wants to read what I have to write?  I don't have an answer so I'm going to forge ahead.

I’ve done some blog research (I emphasize “some”) and there are a lot of them out there.  Holy smokes!  There are opinions about everything and as my Drill Instructor used to always say, “Opinions are like –” … maybe I won’t go there, but you get the drift.

Obviously I have a geeky side, as the “Star Trek Live” picture should indicate.  I’ve worked in the aerospace industry, specifically space related systems, for a number of years and I had never visited the Kennedy Space Center.  I’ve been to Orlando numerous times, which is but a stone’s throw from Cape Canaveral.  Go figure.

So, finally, in April of this past year I made the trek.  And I enjoyed it; a piece of American history.  I only hope that it doesn’t die before we launch the next gen of space craft.

I know there are people who wonder why the need to travel into space.  Granted, I’m biased, since I owe my home and car to the space industry.  But from my perspective, the benefits have been worth the time and money.  The innovations that are a direct result of the space program are many.  Just Google space program inventions, you’ll see what I mean.

I have a wide range of interests, foremost being science fiction, so I suspect most of my posts will relate to this genre.  I’m a fan of “Star Trek” (all of them, even Enterprise, though I admit I didn’t really care for Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and “Star Gate,” especially “SG1.”

I just finished watching Green Lantern.  I liked it; I think a sequel has potential.  But then … I’m not a purist.  I thought Abrams did a terrific job with Star Trek (2009), I don’t see anything wrong with referring to science fiction as sci-fi and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the DH (though a DH should never be MVP; but that’s another argument).

See you next week, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.